James Burke is an American convicted criminal and former law enforcement officer from the state of New York.

Biography

Burke was a New York City police officer in the 1980s. He later began working for the Suffolk County Police Department in Suffolk County, New York. In 1995, a Suffolk County Police Department internal probe found that Burke had "had a relationship with a woman engaged in prostitution and drug dealing, and had engaged in sex acts in police vehicles while on duty and in uniform".[1]

Burke was appointed chief of the Suffolk County Police Department by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in 2012[2] and served in that capacity until 2015.[3] During his tenure as chief, Burke supervised the investigation of the Gilgo Beach serial killings. Burke's work on the Gilgo Beach case, "including a decision to end cooperation with the FBI",[4] drew criticism from other law enforcement officials.[1]

In May 2013, the FBI and the US Attorney's Office opened an investigation into Burke's alleged beating of a suspect in police custody, a subsequent cover-up, and coercion of witnesses.[5] Burke was charged with assaulting Christopher Loeb after Loeb was arrested for allegedly breaking into Burke's unlocked vehicle and stealing a "gun belt, ammunition, a box of cigars and a bag containing sex toys and pornography".[4] Burke pleaded guilty to reduced charges in February 2016.[5] Following Burke's guilty plea, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone commented, "'Jim Burke, someone I entrusted with great responsibility, lied to my face for nearly three years and orchestrated a cover-up to perpetuate that lie'".[2] In November 2016, Burke was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison[6] for assault and obstruction of justice.[7] In January 2017, Burke began serving his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood Low. He was released to house arrest in November 2018.[8] His sentence was completed in April 2019.[9]

In August 2023, Burke was arrested for public lewdness, offering a sex act, and unlawful solicitation after allegedly exposing himself to a male plainclothes park ranger at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Farmingville and propositioning him.[3][10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Former Suffolk County police chief James Burke arrested for allegedly soliciting sex at park". www.cbsnews.com. August 22, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Ex-police chief admits beating man over theft of sex toys". OneidaDispatch.com. February 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Ex-New York police chief who once led Gilgo Beach probe charged with soliciting sex in park". AP News. August 22, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Ex-Suffolk County police chief who oversaw Gilgo Beach murder investigation arrested". ABC7 New York. August 22, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Dollinger, Arielle; Santora, Marc (2016-02-26). "James Burke, Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief, Pleads Guilty". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  6. ↑ Goldstein, Joseph (2016-11-02). "James Burke, Ex-Suffolk County Police Chief, Is Sentenced to 46 Months". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  7. ↑ "Eastern District of New York | Former Suffolk County Police Chief Sentenced To 46 Months In Prison For Assault And Obstruction Of Justice | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  8. ↑ "Police chief in sex-toy beatdown released from prison". New York Post. November 26, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ex-Police Chief James Burke To Be Released From Prison Thursday". Smithtown, NY Patch. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  10. ↑ "Ex-Suffolk PD Chief Tried To Get Out Of Arrest: Officials". Patch.com. August 22, 2023.
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