Former Harrison Cop Arrested in Port Chester for Drug Possesion, Impersonating Police

An embattled former Harrison police officer will appear in Port Chester court Monday morning after he was arrested for drug possession and claiming he's still a cop, authorities said.

Ralph Tancredi, 45, was booked at Westchester County Jail on Saturday, where he's being held without bail.

Tancredi was charged with felony second-degree forgery and first-degree criminal impersonation, as well as lesser charges for drug possession and disorderly conduct, according to Westchester County Jail. A supervisor at the Port Chester Police Department said he was waiting on approval from the department's public information officer to release details of the arrest.

Tancredi is a former Harrison PBA president and a plaintiff in four federal lawsuits against Harrison, all of which were eventually dismissed. Among those lawsuits -- which were among more than a dozen filed against Harrison police in the past four years -- was a highly-publicized case in which current police Chief Anthony Marraccini and former Chief David Hall were accused of planting a video camera in a locker room at police headquarters. Another lawsuit accused Harrison police brass of infringing on the civil rights of police officers during an investigation.

In addition to the lawsuits against the town, Tancredi faced legal trouble of his own when he was accused of attacking his then-ex-girlfriend, Sofia Saenz, on June 15, 2007. According to legal documents, Tancredi became enraged when he saw Saenz leaving her home to meet another person, hurling obscenities at her and pulling down her tube top as he struggled for her car keys. A month later, Tancredi was accused of starting another altercation when he saw Saenz in the company of another man in front of a Harrison Avenue cafe.

After agreeing to an initial order of protection against Tancredi, Saenz said she'd been pressured by Harrison police and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office, and the charges against Tancredi were eventually dropped without the cooperation of the victim. Tancredi and Saenz were later married, and Saenz filed a lawsuit against the town for allegedly forcing her to sign the earlier order of protection.

Tancredi is due in Port Chester village court Monday morning for a preliminary hearing.