The Vestal Fire Department Chief has confirmed his resignation following an improper traffic stop near his home in Vestal.
After 42 years with the department, former chief John Paffie confirmed that his resignation from the service went into effect on May 2, three days after reportedly stopping a speeding vehicle on April 29.
In an incident report provided by the Vestal Police Department, Paffie contacted police and reported that he observed a vehicle that drove by his house at a high speed and was passing vehicles in a no passing zone at about 6:42 p.m.
Paffie confirmed that he followed the speeding car in his fire vehicle, used his lights and stopped the vehicle. At the scene, police reported that Paffie was parked behind the stopped vehicle on Old Vestal Road with his emergency lights on. The officer told Paffie he “did not have the authorization or the right to conduct a traffic stop on any vehicle,” according to the report.
The driver of the vehicle told the officer that he was on his way to Wilson Hospital for a medical emergency of a family member, according to the incident report. The driver was released with a warning.
Following the incident, the Vestal Board of Fire commissioners became aware of the situation and an investigation was started, according to Paffie. Paffie had to hand in his chief’s car on April 30.
After meeting with an attorney, the board gave Paffie the option on May 1 to either resign or be suspended and terminated at the next board meeting. Paffie said he chose to resign.
“I made a split-second decision, and it just happened to be the wrong decision,” Paffie said on May 22. “That’s all it was. In the eyes of public safety, I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Paffie said he is currently experiencing “many mixed emotions” regarding his future with the fire service and whether he will reapply and try to volunteer for the department again.
“This is something that I gave my life to,” he said. “For 42 years of blood, sweat and tears just to be taken away from me in the blink of an eye like that — it hurts, it stings.”
Paffie’s brother Chuck Paffie, who was previously serving as the department assistant chief, is now the acting fire chief in the interim.
The department will hold a special election during a meeting on June 1, according to Paffie.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: ‘It hurts, it stings.’ Vestal fire chief on resignation after 42 years
Reporting by Jillian McCarthy, Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
