Impersonating charge filed against ex-cop

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Former Kingston police detective Daniel Griffin feels charges he impersonated a police officer in Berks County were filed in retaliation because he has an ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit against his past employer.

Griffin, 45, identified himself as a retired Kingston police officer when he was stopped by a Fleetwood police officer in Richmond Township, Berks County, on May 7, according to arrest records.

The police officer in Berks County confirmed Griffin was no longer employed as a Kingston police officer and filed charges of impersonating a public servant and providing false identification to law enforcement on Tuesday.

Handcuffed and shackled to a restraint belt around his waist, Griffin told District Judge Michael Dotzel in Wilkes-Barre Township during arraignment that he had an unemployment compensation hearing involving Kingston, and police knew where he’d be.

“I’m a 22-year veteran policeman,” Griffin told Dotzel. “This matter is a matter of schematics.”

Griffin was released on $2,000 unsecured bail, and ordered to respond to the charges in Berks County within three to 10 days.

Afterward, Griffin said the charges in Berks County were filed in retaliation to his eight-count federal lawsuit he filed alleging he was wrongfully terminated by Kingston officials.

Griffin filed the suit in December, claiming he was denied a promotion from detective to sergeant because he had been on inactive status due to an on-the-job injury. He filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2007 claiming Kingston officials conspired against him.

In July 2007, Griffin was charged with forging the name of a former Kingston police chief for reimbursement of a shotgun he personally purchased. A jury convicted Griffin of criminal attempt to commit theft and forgery in September 2008, and he was sentenced to 6 months probation, according to court records.

“I can assure you, this has no merit,” Griffin said of the Berks County charges.

Fleetwood police said in the criminal complaint that Griffin’s car, a Ford Crown Victoria, had a front black license plate that read, “POLICE,” and a K9 sticker on the trunk. Griffin was stopped for speeding and immediately got out of his vehicle waving a badge and identifying himself as a Kingston police officer, according to the criminal complaint. Griffin told the officer, the complaint says, that he uses his personal vehicle for occasional police work.

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Fired Kingston detective allegedly said he was retired when stopped for speeding in Berks County May 7.

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