Bad times here in Syracuse…see excerpt below:
Police chief resigns after DWI charge; Miguel named new chief
Syracuse police Chief Steve Thompson resigned this morning after being charged with driving while intoxicated after hitting a bicyclist in Geddes with his city-owned vehicle Sunday night. Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll appointed First Deputy Chief Gary Miguel to be the new police chief. Deputy police Chief Michael Heenan was named first deputy chief. Thompson, 53, whose salary is $85,430, refused to take a Breathalyzer test at the scene, police said. Neither Thompson, nor Bridget Scholl, an assistant Onondaga County district attorney who was a passenger in his car, could be reached for comment. State police spokesman James Simpson said a passing motorist called the 911 center to report an erratic driver heading east on West Genesee Street who had just grazed a bicyclist near Terry Road. Although the Geddes Police Department typically would have handled the call, Geddes Chief Michael Walsh said his officers were all out on calls at 8 p.m. Bicyclist John W. Sears, 54, of South Main Street, Minoa, injured his thumb. A witness told police Sears had been walking his bike on the south shoulder of the road when he was struck. Sears was treated at the scene but was not taken to the hospital. He could not be reached for comment today. Neither Thompson nor Scholl was injured, according to a state police report. Troopers are still investigating the accident, Simpson said, and can’t yet estimate how fast Thompson was driving. Heenan declined comment on the incident, referring all calls to City Hall. Thompson has been with the Syracuse police department since being sworn in in 1972 and was appointed police chief last August, replacing Dennis DuVal. Thompson, of 300 Robineau Road, was arraigned in the town of Geddes court by Justice Daniel Mathews III and is scheduled for another court appearance April 4. Simpson said Thompson was released on his own recognizance Sunday night. He said Trooper Leon Carrodegues has not yet completed all his reports on the incident and was not working today.