U. Police to reveal ruling on officers

Suspended University Police officers Frederick Ricelli and Antonio Serrano will be notified of the outcome of their misconduct hearings today, according to Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon. Seamon said the outcomes have already been determined, but he declined to comment on what decisions were made regarding the officers. Ricelli was allegedly involved in the beating of Drexel University alumnus Gregory Peifer outside FUBAR on September 16. Former University Police officer Thomas McDade, who was dismissed from the force Wednesday, has been charged with aggravated assault in that incident. Serrano and McDade were allegedly involved in the beating of two homeless men -- while in uniform and on duty -- on September 16. Ricelli and Serrano appeared at pre-disciplinary hearings before University Police Chief George Clisby late Tuesday night, Seamon said. He added that the department has now reached its decision about further disciplinary actions against the officers. The department has also developed a new policy regarding off-duty employment, Seamon said. Although Seamon met with officers to explain the new policy yesterday, he declined to discuss its particulars because the policy has not yet been distributed to all members of the force. The new policy is the University Police's first-ever effort to regulate off-duty employment. Seamon said he discovered this fact while reviewing the department's procedures. The off-duty employment policy is "crucial for the protection of the officers and the entire department," Seamon said. "I've seen a lot of police officers over the years have their careers ruined because of problems with their work in secondary jobs," he added. Seamon said he crafted the new policy based on his experiences in other police departments. The policy is similar to the "standard basic procedure that most departments follow," he added. According to Seamon, who was second in command at the Philadelphia Police department before coming to the University last month, the city's policy sets a number of limits on off-duty employment. Philadelphia Police officers are not allowed to work for any establishment involved in a current labor dispute. They also cannot work at an establishment with a liquor license. Furthermore, officers may not work more than 30 hours a week off-duty and must apply to the department for permission to work in each off-duty job. University Police will notify Ricelli and Serrano of their hearings' outcomes -- which could include losing their jobs -- through telephone calls and registered mail today, Seamon said. David Ball, president of Lodge 113 of the Fraternal Order of Police, pledged the group's "full support" to the suspended officers. "It is the FOP's position that after both the criminal and internal hearings are concluded, the officers will be exonerated," Ball said. Ball said the FOP wants the public to "remember that everyone has the constitutional right to the presumption of innocence." Before the hearings, Seamon said any disciplinary action taken by the department "sends a message out to the University community" about the integrity of the police force. "That's why it's important to do what we have done, to aggressively investigate allegations and issue strong disciplinary actions when they are sustained," he added. Seamon said he hopes his department's handling of the allegations will demonstrate to the community that "we are a professional police department -- that won't tolerate misconduct." Daily Pennsylvanian reporter Lisa Levenson contributed to this article.