"Initially this came I think it blinded everybody which raises the question where was the delay? Why was there a delay from the judge's decision to when we're finding out about it and then responding to it?” Mazzeo asked while noting he only became aware of it through 13WHAM News as well.
Mazzeo also responded to a 2011 email in which Monroe County Public Defender Tim Donaher raises concerns to City Hall about both Hartley and Osipovitch.
"I guess I'd ask what kind of review of the case did he do? Did he look at the subsequent hearings that were done? Did the officers get the ability to go to those hearings and testify to clear up any inconsistencies that might have been brought up?” Mazzeo asked. “I don't know if he has those answers.”
Mazzeo described Hartley and Osipovitch as “good cops” who are proactive in their jobs.
Hartley is also named in a second lawsuit that includes the RPD and the City of Rochester. It deals with a 2009 crash on Route 104 in which Hartley was reportedly injured while involved in a police pursuit. The plaintiff claims Hartley rear-ended her vehicle and acted with “reckless disregard” for the health and safety of other motorists.
When asked about that Mazzeo said it is irrelevant to any of the current drug investigations facing scrutiny and added, "You look at any officer whose got a track record for making a lot of arrests, a lot of good arrests, than these accusations are going to come.”
