Bourque Remains on Police Force

Granby Police Capt. David Bourque remains on paid administrative leave as he faces a federal charge of possession of child pornography, and the town may not be able to replace him until his case is concluded.

"Since he's still under investigation, the administrative leave with pay is procedurally the appropriate action," Granby Town Manager William Smith said.

Bourque was arrested last month after a search of his Suffield home and his office at the Granby police station as part of a joint federal, state and local investigation into child exploitation. Authorities said they found a hard drive holding thousands of sexually explicit photos of children and subsequently arrested Bourque on a federal charge of possession of child pornography.

According to his lawyer, Richard Brown, Bourque has pleaded not guilty to the federal charge.

"As far as I know he is presumed to be innocent until further notice; as far as I know, that's the way America works," Brown said.

The Hartford Courant has reported that Bourque, a member of the North Central Municipal Regional Accident Reconstruction Team, is also under investigation in relation to the team's  investigation of a fatal crash involving a Windsor Locks police officer last October.  Neither police nor Bourque's attorney would confirm that he is a target of  that investigation.

"It's an ongoing investigation, I have no knowledge of that case," Brown said.

Bourque will appear in Enfield Superior Court on June 9 on the marijuana charge, Brown said.   A court date has not been set for the pornography charge, but Brown said at this point the plea is not guilty.

Because the case is pending, the town can't dismiss Bourque and fill his position, Smith said. In fact, he said, it would be illegal.

Bourque also receives pension benefits from the town of Suffield, where he worked for 30 years in the police department before accepting the position in Granby. 

"We certainly need the position filled with an active officer," Smith said.  "We're working with our legal advisors and we're hopeful that we can come to a quick resolution."

The town can't afford to hire any extra officers to cover the workload and the department is also trying to fill a vacancy on its patrol staff. So police staff are taking on extra responsibilities to fill the void, according to Granby Police Chief David Watkins.

"While some might object to the costs associated with following the legal procedures, the cost of not following the procedures would be much worse," Smith said.

The Granby Police Department is not a large department and consists of the chief, a captain, four sergeants and nine police officers under normal circumstances, in addition to other administrative staff and dispatchers. The department is operating without Bourque, the captain, and has been short one officer since officer Timothy May transferred to the Simsbury Police Department in March, taking an opportunity for better pay, according to Watkins.

"Obviously we have a desire to be back to full staffing," Watkins said.  "We're not going to let this affect the way we serve the community."

"Everybody has stepped up to the plate," Watkins said. "The seargants have taken extra responsibilities, I've taken extra responsibilities, everyone has."

If convicted of the charge of possession of child pornography, Bourque faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

The conditions of Bourque's release on a $150,000 bond allowed him to continue seeking medical treatment for an unknown ailment. Bourque had been hospitalized after police searched his Suffield home on April 11.  The reason, according to WFSB Channel 3, was a suicide attempt.

Bourque was apparently still receiving medical treatment at the time of his arrest on April 26. If he is released from the hospital, he is subject to several conditions.  He must receive mental health counseling, have no Internet access, and have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18 without first receiving permission from the United States Probation Office. Bourque is not allowed to hold any position of authority or guidance over children or youth groups involving children who are under the age of 18, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Officials in both Granby and Suffield expressed shock at the charges facing Bourque and none could recall Bourque ever holding any positions that put him in contact with children.