Waterford — Three police officers and a sergeant have been suspended after an internal police department investigation found that the officers were spending time at home during their midnight shifts instead of working.

Police Chief Murray Pendleton would not release the names of the suspended officers and sergeant or release the details of the investigation. He said the matter is being adjudicated through the union grievance process, which could take a month.

A police union representative could not be reached to comment, and Board of Police Commissioners Chairman Robert Andreoli said the matter was not vetted through the commission.

Union grievances filed with the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration are not available to the public until a decision is filed, a Department of Labor spokesman said. The Day was unable to confirm that a grievance had been filed.

Police sources said the officers were investigated for sleeping during their shifts, but Pendleton said that was not one of the violations the officers were cited for.

The investigation was launched in November, Pendleton said, after lieutenants in the department came to Pendleton and Deputy Chief of Police Maximilian J. Thiel with concerns about the professionalism of officers on the night shift, which comprises nine officers. Once the inquiry began, Pendleton said, the officers were aware of the investigation.

Pendleton said the investigation included “whatever technology is available” to the police department. Police cars are equipped with global positioning and other technology that makes it possible for supervisors to track where a cruiser is parked and for how long.

“This all has to do with what they do from the start of the shift to the end,” Pendleton said.

The investigation found that the officers had acted unprofessionally, according to Pendleton, and that the sergeant in charge was responsible by proxy. The sergeant and two of the officers were suspended for 10 days and the third officer received a three-day suspension.

Pendleton said the other officers on the shift were found to have done nothing wrong. He said none of the violations was “criminal” and that no emergency calls were missed as a result of the officers' behavior.

“All of the violations encompass patrol performance, the way we do business,” he said.

New protocols have since been enacted to better monitor officers on the midnight shift, Pendleton said.

j.wernau@theday.com

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