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| Prison officers fired for joining biker gang |
| By Ottawa Citizen |
| Published: 05/24/2004 |
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Three Connecticut prison officers have been fired for joining the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, a membership that officials worry can create problems between inmate and jailer. The Department of Correction fired the officers May 6, saying their association with the Waterbury Outlaws chapter was enough to incite gang violence among inmates. The officers have filed grievances through their union and a civil lawsuit against the department seeking to overturn their firings. "It's not fair," said Gary Piscottano, who was an officer for 18 years before being fired. "It's a violation of our First Amendment rights." The Outlaws - with their emblem of a skull and crossed pistons - are one of the nation's four largest motorcycle clubs, along with the Hells Angels, the Pagans and the Bandidos. They also have chapters in Canada, Europe, Australia and Thailand. Prosecutors have brought a series of Outlaw leaders to trial during the past decade, alleging the Outlaws are a drug-trafficking operation that uses murderous tactics against other biker gangs. More than 30 Outlaws have been convicted of federal crimes since the crackdown began in 1995. Still, a state trooper testified in federal court that the Outlaws chapter in Connecticut has never been a source of trouble. And all three officers - Piscottano, James Kight and Randy Sabettini - said they were never told they couldn't join. Two other officers, Mark Vincenzo and Walter Scappini, received formal counseling for attending Outlaws-sponsored parties; neither had been a member of the club. Department of Correction Commissioner Theresa Lantz said the firings come under the prohibition against "unprofessional conduct." She spoke during a hearing in which a judge denied the officers' request to be paid while their lawsuit is pending. No jailed Outlaws members were being held in the prisons where the fired officers worked, according testimony at that hearing. |
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