Want a sure-fire way to be excluded from doing business with a police department?
Give a cop the finger.
That was one of the reasons cited by the Ansonia Police Commission in denying Frank Heusser Jr.‘s request to be added to the police department’s “rotational tow list.”
Heusser owns Frank’s Service Station (also known as Frank’s LLC) at 142 Wakelee Ave.
Heusser, who has been feuding with the police commission and the police department since 2007, said the commission is giving him a raw deal — and that he plans to file a lawsuit against Ansonia. He also denies giving a police officer the finger, by the way.
The “rotational tow list” is a list of tow-truck companies police call to remove vehicles after car crashes. Being on the list can be a good source of revenue for a local towing company.
According to meeting minutes from June 6, Ansonia Police Commission Chairman Nicholas Amico told Heusser his history of arguing with police prevents him from being added to the list.
“Chairman stated to Frank Heusser, Jr. if he got along with the members of the police department things would be different,” according to the meeting minutes. “You can’t flip officers off and call female officers names.”
The Valley Indy tried to get more information on Amico’s allegations, but he was unavailable for comment. The commissioners formally voted to deny Heusser’s request June 18, citing his “combative attitude,” according to meeting minutes.
Other commissioners contacted by the Valley Indy either didn’t return phone calls or declined comment.
Rob Serafinowicz, however, was willing to chat.
He’s Heusser’s lawyer and represented the tow-truck company in a previous federal lawsuit involving the Ansonia tow list.
Serafinowicz said the middle finger accusation dates back to 2007 or 2008, when Heusser got into an argument with an Ansonia police officer in Derby.
Regarding whether Huesser insulted a female officer, Serafinowicz said that was someone who works with Heusser, not Heusser himself.
In any event, Amico, the commission’s chairman, doesn’t always “choose his words carefully during those meetings,” Serafinowicz said.
Serafinowicz said he and Heusser are requesting a hearing in front of the police commission about their denial — and that a civil lawsuit against the city could be filed within the next six months.
As far as Heusser having a “combative attitude,” Serafinowicz disagreed.
“I tend to label that as being assertive,” he said.
