A Costly Walk Over 'Thin Blue Line'
Spa City lawyer says his honesty forced him out of police force.
By DON LEHMAN
dlehman@poststar.com
Saturday, August 23, 2003
The wall behind Broadway lawyer Gerard Amedio's desk is adorned with the usual lawyerly certificates, his 2002 diploma from Albany Law School chief among them.
Two plaques stand out, though. One is from the Rensselaer Police Department, naming him the department's "officer of the year" in 2000. The other is from the union that represents Rensselaer police officers, bestowing a similar honor upon him for "leadership, integrity and guidance."
Amedio took an unusual path to his newfound career in law.
He spent more than 16 years as a police officer, the last 13 of which came with the Rensselaer Police Department.
While he had long planned to become a lawyer after he retired from police work, his departure from law enforcement was hastened after he found himself on the other side of the so-called "thin blue line."
Amedio retired from the department after one of the saddest – and most publicized – chapters in Capital District law enforcement history, the alcohol-related car crash death of a Rensselaer detective in an unmarked police car driven by his police partner.
Amedio found himself called as a witness in the criminal case against the driver, a fellow Rensselaer officer. Having seen the officer in a drunken condition at a hospital after the crash, he was a witness for the prosecution as it pursued a vehicular manslaughter case. The case ended with a conviction and the detective who was driving sentenced to state prison.
That didn't sit well with some of his brethren.
"I told the truth and quite a number of police officers didn't like that," he said. "They felt I should have protected my fellow officer. Some came right out and said I should have lied."
"At that point, I decided this wasn't an agency I could be involved with anymore," he said. "After that, I knew I was going to get out as soon as I graduated (from law school)."
Two full-time jobs
When Amedio, 44, reached the breaking point, he already had something to fall back on.
He had been workinghis way through school for nearly a decade, starting with his under-graduate degree. He would take classes during the day, then work a night shift as a police officer.
The Delmar resident had risen to the position of detective. He was the department's forensics specialist, collecting evidence at crime scenes.
Then came the day of May 19, 2000, when his home phone rang at 3:30 a.m.
As the Rensselaer police union president, his presence was requested at the hospital as police sorted out the events that led to the death of Detective Mark Goca.
"That was the beginning of the end," he said.
His name may be familiar to some longtime Lake George residents.
He spent some time in the mid-1980's as a village police office, working for then-Chief Ed Litwa before the department was disbanded.
He fondly recalled directing traffic on Canada Street in the days before the thoroughfare.
Know the Law
Amedio's Knowledge of criminal law and experience with a badge can come in handy. It also can surprise some prosecutors.
He recently found himself taken aback at the attitude of a local prosecutor as he tried to advocate on behalf of a client who was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance, who police would not arrest because they believed the evidence was not sufficient.
She tried to tell him the case couldn't be handled a certain way, when Amedio knew from his law enforcement experience it could be.
When he decided to pursue a career in law, Amedio initially the right choice.
While police often see people at their worst – either as victims of crime of suspects in a crime – defense lawyers have an opportunity to help.
"It was a very easy adjustment," her said. "I'm comfortable her. This is where I belong, helping people. It's fulfilling, to know you're doing something for somebody."
Amedio also has taken to helping students, having begun teaching criminal law and law and legel process at Russell and legal process at Russell Sage College.
Kindred spirits
Soon after his law school graduation, Amedio applied for a part-time job in the office of Saratoga Springs lawyer Kurt Mausert.
Mausert said he saw a lot of himself in Amedio. Both are passionate about what they believe in and are willing to take a stand if need be.
Mausert likened Amedio's experience to his in Warren County in the early 1990s when he crossed judges and then-District Attorney William Montgomery III in the infamous "flag pin case."
That case focused on Mausert's belief that Montgomery shouldn't be allowed to wear a flag pin on his lapel in court.
"I respected his courage and integrity," Mausert said Thursday of Amedio. "There's the blue wall and he took a stand and told the truth. He got ostracized by a lot of officers for that."
After working with him for a few months, Mausert hired Amedio full time earlier this year.
Though being criticized by his police colleagues was difficult, he said he fondly recalls a member of the public coming up to him to let him know he appreciated his taking a stand and that his testifying against a fellow police officer "had restored my faith in law enforcement."
Despite his travails, Amedio is quick to point out that the majority of the police officers he's known and worked with are good, honest people who do the job right.
Unfortunately, he said, they're not immune to misdeeds.
"Law enforcement isn't different than any other field. You have some bad people everywhere," he said. "The problem is, when they're bad, the public suffers."
