NPH Partner Peter Perroni recently represented a veteran Massachusetts police officer charged by his own Department with extortion (by use of force), extortion by use of police power, assault and battery and threats.  A full hearing was held, and the Court found No Probable Cause to issue a complaint.

The charges stemmed from an interaction the the officer had, while on-duty, with an auto-repair shop.  The shop had attempted to severely overcharge te officer's wife for repair services.  After a lengthy hearing, Attorney Perroni was able to convince the Magistrate that there was no probable cause for the case to move forward to trial, and as a result, all charges were dismissed.

This case certainly highlights that officers are vulnerable to slanderous attacks from a certain segment of the population.  One important lesson from this case is that anytime an officer is faced with a situation in which he/she may have a personal interest, it is best to bring in a third party prior to moving forward with the matter, if only to guard against such outrageous claims.