(From left to right) Derby police union Vice President Frank DeAngelo, former Derby Police Officer Jordan Gochros, and John Miller, a lawyer representing Gochros at a meeting of the Derby Police Commission Jan. 29, 2018.
A Derby police officer who resigned earlier this year after allegedly attacking his girlfriend had been the subject of seven previous disciplinary actions, including one incident that saw him suspended for 45 days.
The information comes from a Derby Police Department internal affairs report written about Jordan Gochros, who resigned from the department in January.
Gochros had been charged with three misdemeanors in August 2017 after allegedly hitting his girlfriend several times. The charges against him were eventually dropped after he completed a domestic violence program.
The internal affairs report, written by Lt. Justin Stanko, details information about the domestic assault and concludes Gochros was not only the “aggressor” in the incident but that the story Gochros gave police was not the truth.
The report also briefly highlights Gochros’ previous troubles within the ranks, including:
- A 45-day suspension for a 2012 incident “where a handcuffed arrestee” accused Gochros and two other cops of beating him up in the department’s booking area. The report does not elaborate.
- A 1‑day suspension in January 2013 for “posting a solicitation of illegal bootleg movies” on his Facebook page. The suspension itself was suspended as Gochros signed a “last chance agreement,” a tool used to deal with problematic cops.
- A 1‑day suspension in 2013 for losing his temper with a member of the public on the phone (also subject to the “last chance agreement”).
- A written warning in September 2016 for not paying an overdue bill at a uniform shop.
- A two-day suspension in December 2016 for failing to show up for training.
- A 1‑day suspension in December 2016 for failing to complete six reports.
- A five-day suspension in December 2016 for chasing a motorist who had been driving erratically. The pursuit violated department rules and the suspect hit a parked car. Gochros’ vehicle was also damaged.
Stanko notes that the officer’s ‘extensive’ disciplinary history, coupled with the allegations of assault, preclude him from suggesting a punishment.
“… I recommend discipline above my level,” he concludes in the IA report.
The internal affairs report with the above information was made public after The Valley Indy filed a complaint against the Derby Police Department with the state’s Freedom of Information Commission.
A lawyer representing the department said Derby police had no issues with making the internal affairs report public, but could not do so because Gochros objected.
State law says the department should have released the report regardless of the officer’s objection.
Public officials, including police officers, have a lower expectation of privacy than the general public. Personnel records, for example, are public documents.
