Ex-N.Y. police chief who once led Gilgo Beach probe charged with soliciting sex in park

[Jilly_in_VA]

The suburban New York police chief who once led the Gilgo Beach killings investigation and later went to prison for beating a suspect was arrested again Tuesday after authorities say he attempted to engage in sex with an undercover ranger at a Long Island park.

James Burke, Suffolk County’s police chief from 2012 to 2015, was arrested around 10:15 a.m. at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Farmingville after exposing himself to the ranger and saying he was interested in oral sex, according to an arrest report obtained by The Associated Press.

Burke, 58, then attempted to leverage his status as a former law enforcement official to get out of the arrest, which was part of a targeted operation spurred by complaints about people soliciting sex in the park, officials said at a news conference Tuesday.

As he was being taken into custody, Burke asked the rangers if they knew who he was and told them that getting arrested would be a “public humiliation for him,” Sgt. Brian Quattrini said. The ranger who arrested Burke did not recognize him, Quattrini added.

Burke is charged with offering a sex act, public lewdness, indecent exposure and criminal solicitation, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said. Burke was taken to a police station for processing. Information on his arraignment wasn’t immediately available.

Burke’s lawyer in his previous case died last year. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf regarding Tuesday’s arrest. The Suffolk County district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/ex-new-york-police-chief-led-gilgo-beach-probe-charged-soliciting-sex-rcna101409

Verrry interesting......

[GreenWave]

1. Just so much wrong with this.

Sorry I have to pass on this one.

[Effete Snob]

2. That's awfully disrespectful to our veterans

I don't know what Gilgo Beach has to do with it, but, c'mon, there are internet sites and apps for that sort of thing.

[mercuryblues]

4. Gilgo beach is where they found

The bodies of Rex Heuermann's victims, mostly prostitutes.

The guy arrested once led the task force to find the killer. He has been attributed to fucking up the investigating. It also led to allegations of covering up the murders and the killer.

[Effete Snob]

5. I get that

I just don't see what fucking up the Gilgo Beach investigation has to do with soliciting sex at a war memorial.

[Effete Snob]

8. Wow, thanks

Last edited Wed Aug 23, 2023, 08:42 PM - Edit history (1)

I didn’t get the impression from the article that he was soliciting an act of prostitution. I guess I had assumed the community complaints were about lewdness other than prostitution per se, and I had also assumed the “undercover ranger” was male.

I’m just too dense, I guess. Enjoy your day.

[mercuryblues]

7. The victims were prostitutes.

He was arrested for soliciting sex from prostitutes, after messing up the investigation of prostitutes. I find that concerning. The reason the article mentioned the park is that is where he was arrested. Much like if he was arrested at XYZ Park, they would have mentioned it.

They are also letting the citizens know that the police are trying to clean up the park.

[Effete Snob]

9. Oh, I meant that was a heck of a thing to be doing at a veterans memorial

[viva la]

3. He's a super creep, and was negligent in this case probably because they "were just sex workers"

Witnesses told his department that someone who could have done the killing drove a green SUV and was over 6'4". Apparently they didn't even check the motor vehicle registration records for the licenses of someone that height with a green car.

Criminal negligence by a criminal.