LUCARELLI RESIGNS, TO GET $25,000 IN ACCUMULATED TIME

Following a police version of the game hide-and-seek, embattled Depew
Police Officer Joseph Lucarelli resigned from the force over the weekend,
ending a divisive legal and political battle over his fate.

The resignation, two sources said Monday, allows Lucarelli to collect more
than $25,000 in accumulated sick leave and vacation time he had accrued
during his 12 years on the job. Had he been fired, he would have lost that
amount.

Heading into the weekend, it had remained unclear whether Lucarelli would
resign, be fired or somehow hang onto his job after accumulating a lengthy
disciplinary record within the department.

The most serious charge, detailed in Monday's Buffalo News, was an
allegation that he tipped off a drug suspect's mother that her son was a
target of an undercover investigation into Ecstasy sales.

Thursday, in a complicated legal battle over a "Last Chance Agreement" that
Lucarelli had signed with village officials, State Supreme Court Justice
Kevin M. Dillon ruled that Depew Police Chief James A. Brennan could fire
Lucarelli.

But just before Dillon handed down his ruling, Lucarelli left the courtroom
and reportedly stayed with some relatives and friends, while Brennan and
others tried to find him, in order to fire him.

"He was hiding out, attempting to avoid notification of termination," one
official said Monday.

"Let's just say he was unavailable for termination," another source said.

Meanwhile, attorneys for Brennan, Lucarelli and the village kept talking
and reached an agreement over the weekend that had the police officer
resigning from the force. That agreement prohibits Lucarelli from returning
to the force but doesn't preclude him from being employed by the village.

The attorneys in the case had different reactions to the resignation
Monday, although all seemed to support the end of the long political and
legal battle.

"The chief was adamant that (Lucarelli's) conduct warranted that he be
discharged," said attorney Paul D. Weiss, representing Brennan. "But he
agreed to let him resign, because he thought it was in the best interests
of the Police Department and the village."

Weiss said the chief's decision allowing Lucarelli to resign shows that
Brennan was not unforgiving, as some have claimed. "The chief, rather than
being vindictive, thought it was in the best interests of (everyone) to
allow Lucarelli to resign," Weiss added. "He understands Joe Lucarelli is
still a husband and a father who has to take care of his family."

Terrence M. Connors, the police officer's attorney, had a different
explanation for the resignation.

"Rather than continue the storm of controversy that has disrupted the
village and the Police Department, Joe decided that resigning was the
better course of action for him," he said.

Lucarelli had strong backing on the Village Board, due largely to his
family's political ties, critics have charged.

"There was a great deal of pressure put on his supporters, and Joe decided
to relieve them of that pressure," Connors said. Attorney James N. Schmit,
representing the village, also supported the resignation agreement.

"Lucarelli resigned, and that's the end of it, as far as the village is
concerned," Schmit said. "I think this serves the best interests of everyone."