“It was a politically correct news conference that really embarrassed me a little bit,” said Rochester Police Locust Club President Ron Evangelista. Evangelista went of the offensive Thursday, harshly criticizing Rochester Police Chief David Moore for comments he made at a news conference Wednesday. Chief Moore said and internal investigation has raised concerns about the possible misconduct of police officers in responding to an alleged “gay bashing” incident last month. "I am very proud of the officers of this department and will stand by them but I will not tolerate any inappropriate behavior," said Chief Moore. News Eight Now was the first to report the incident that occurred on South Goodman Street on June 1st. Six people claim they were attacked by four people who used anti-gay slurs. They also say they were mistreated by officers who responded to the scene because they thought they were gay. Evangelista says Moore's comments undermine the ability of the accused officers to have a fair hearing. He says the chief of "throwing his officers under the bus" in the name of political correctness. “We need the Chief to stand by us not just at awards dinners but when there's feeding frenzies to point the finger at an innocent cop,” said Evangelista. Evangelista is calling for a neutral party to review the incident. He also says it should happen within 30 days. Evangelista also wants a review of the internal investigation process. Evangelista also suggests the case should go to a grand jury to insure a fair hearing. News Eight called Chief Moore’s office. He declined comment.
