Brea Cop Cleared. Now for the Lawsuit

Brea officer cleared of wrongdoing in shooting death The Orange County Register

A Brea detective involved in the shooting of a robbery suspect was cleared of wrongdoing. Of course, the family thinks the facts, a thorough investigation by the DA, was incomplete. There is no doubt that the family will be contacted by some sleazbag shyster lawyer looking to make a dime off this tragedy.

But, where was the family for this young man when he got hooked on oxycotin? Where were they when he hooked up with so-called friends to commit robberies and terrorize people? That is the real tragedy of this story. Be careful what you bring into the courtroom because this time the police did it right.

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Anaheim Gives Pass To Pervert Cop

Anaheim Gives Pass To Pervert Cop
Go figure. A former police chief in Huntington Park seems to have been given favorable treatment by city attorneys who reduced charges against him that would have placed him on the Sex Offender Registry. So, since this happened, according to Steve Greenhut, who did not provide a link to the story, all cops are bad.

It is clear that Greenhut has no love for police. Not many people do, nowadays. But, since leaving the Register, he seems to have unleashed his inner hatred for cops everywhere by singling out a few bad ones. He also thinks cops are overpaid, but that is another story.

What Greenhut fails to acknowledge is that, for every cop who gets hooked up for a criminal beef, there are ten thousand that do their job everyday, quietly and without fanfare. And, if Greenhut were to look around and pick a new target, I bet he would find just as many judges, lawyers, reporters and other professions per capita that transgress society's laws. So, why pick on law enforcement?

Freed from GPS, Parolee Invades Home and Shoots Homeowner - Allegedly

Now, of course, I am only going by the news story from Sacramento. But, it looks like that early release program isn't working so well. Seems a 20-something on GPS supervised parole was deemed a low enough risk to remove his bracelet. Not too long after, he (allegedly) commits a home invasion robbery, bungles it, shoots the neighbor while the neighbor shoots both him and his buddy.

How many more of these are going to happen because the Governor and the Legislature cannot come to terms on a budget. Forget all the Rep rhetoric about balancing the budget on the "backs of victims", etc. The fact is, all programs have taken a hit and like it or not, corrections, seen as a bloated blister on the toe of the state, is taking it's hit. But, how low can you go? Next to no supervision, GPS supervised parolees at least give the parole agents something to work with to keep track of their charges. The department needs to re-think the release of these criminals from supervision. GPS was touted as cheap and effective. If it's so cheap, why did they release this parolee? How much will the pain and suffering of the victim in this guy's latest fiasco pay in medical bills? How much will the state pay?

A Sad Day for a Good Man

http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_state_worker/2011/06/former-ccpoa-president-files-b.html
It's sad but true. Don Novey, the once all-powerful head of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, has filed for bankruptcy. Don led the relatively unknown CCPOA into the limelight during California's prison building phase that brought hundreds of correctional officers into the system and into the union. He is credited with building the most influential public safety union in the state. He was later ousted by succeeding presidents although he maintained a consulting contract for a few years. Don't feel too bad for Don. Much of his assets are protected and it isn't as if he and his wife will be destitute. Still, this must be a blow for a man of his caliber. Good luck in the future, Don.

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Chalk One Up for the Good Guys

The latest news in Orange County is that Costa Mesa Chief of Police,Steve Stavely, resigned. He was pretty upfront about his reasons for resigning. It seems, Steve is one of the good guys in Costa Mesa who hasn't sold his soul to the devil.... or Monahan. In a very explicite letter to his troops, he outlined his reasons for leaving.

The letter, which you can find on Voice of OC's website by clicking here, tells a tale of implicit corruption and collusion by the majority of the city fathers to crush union opposition under the guise of balancing the budget.

It is clear from his letter that Stavely has been thinking about this for some time. While he does slam the 3@50 pension of public safety officers, he places the blame squarely on the shoulders of those who should be responisble. And, while we don't agree with him bout how to change the situation, we applaud his upfront attitude toward his department. It is clear he is (rightfully) proud of the department and it was not easy for him to resign.

Stavely, appears to be a man of substance and a dying breed in the political world. His ethics overtook his sense of survival and the City will be at a loss for some time. To be sure, he left the department in able hands but, how will that play out when the Costa Mesa Council again interferes with daily operations?

Unfortunately, he gives tribute to Tom "Hatchetman" Hatch. We don't see it. Hatch, in his role as City Manager, should be able to simply tell the council that what they propose is not feasible in a manner in which they would listen. He not only kow tows to the Council, but readily does their bidding. He is "one of them".

We wish Chief Stavely well. He is right. He probably will never hold another chiefs job but he will continue to impact law enforcement as teacher in mentor for some time to come. Good luck and May God Bless.

Vernon - Corrupt or Visionary?

The Original Sac Bee Story is here.
The legislature is readying to vote for the dissolution of the City of Vernon. More rightly, they are voting to disperse any city with the population of less than 195 people. It's the same thing, of course, since Vernon is the only town of that size.

Vernon, which was incorporated in 1905 for the exclusive purpose of keeping industry next to the railroad tracks, became home to the worst kinds of industry. No one wanted
slaughterhouses and rendering plants near their homes. But a few industrial visionaries saw the right way to go.

Other industries have replaced many of the slaughterhouses and there is a huge tax base there. Through the years, Vernon has been the epitomy of company town. There is virtually no sales tax base so they must rely on property and corporate income taxes which, as others have pointed out, LA's Villagarosa wants to claim for his own via his cuz, Perez. This is the
democratic push. That may seem hard for some to take, but no republican would attempt to dismantle a city in the manner in which these two have contrived.

There are laws that prevent corruption. But,corruption is in the eye of the beholder. If the city fathers want to pay their council 6k a month plus benefits, that is their doing. If they
want to pay their city manager over a million dollars in compensation because he has the expertise, then so be it. This isn't like the City of Bell, where they attempted to pull one over on the residents and take them for all they could. Industry runs Vernon and they gladly pay them what they think they are worth. That's a big difference. The Dems, led
by Perez, are trying to dismantle a city that actually works. I have felt from the start that there is no basis in law to do what they are attempting to do. If there were, what would be to stop them from dismantling any town or city on a whim, simply because they didn't like their politics?
Hopefully, if this comes to a lawsuit, the judge will see this for what it is and prevent through injunction, the wholesale rape of this small city.

Three deputies accused of breaking jail rules out of jobs

Looks like the OCSD can't stay out of it. You would think that, after the Chamberlin incident, deputies would get with the program and do their job. It seems that even cameras and electronic logbooks can't keep some of them out of trouble. To be sure, these are the exception and not the rule. But, it sure does make the department look as if it has taken a step backward.

Time to Renew

I know it has been awhile sine I have posted to this blog. Frankly, I have been trying to decide just what this blog will be and it has taken awhile to figure that out. So, here goes. In the future, expect to see commentary on issues surrounding law enforcement and Orange County Probation in particular. I may open the comment section up to unmoderated comments but the rules still apply. We don't want another incident where staff got butt hurt enough to sue, do we?

The Big Lie Comes to Roost in the OC

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Pervert Cop Wants Preferred Treatment

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New Rules for Inmates at OC Juvie

New directives have come out of Juvenile Hall administration concerning the so-called "rights" of their charges.

It seems that juvenile correctional officers will now have to escort even the highest risk inmates from their cellblocks to outside school because the CSA decided they are not getting enough school. Beginning Monday, deputies will escort wards to outside school classrooms and stand outside the doors to...... well, do what? They are precluded by policy and procedure from entering the room if a fight breaks out until adequate staff have arrived. Of course, administration could be counting on the fact that many of their younger gun-ho deputies will forgo safety and enter the room without adequate backup. When that happens, and a staff member gets hurt, you can bet the department will cry foul and discipline the staff member for not following procedure. But the heat will still be on for these young men and women to put themselves in danger for the sake of "the job".


Sounds like a win-win situation for Chief Sentman.

Just in case, we will keep tabs on the number of fights that break out among these minors. Remember, we are not talking about curfew violations. We are talking about murderers, rapists and arsonists. Hard core gang members. Yes, that is the face of juvenile hall wards. And you all thought they went home at night to be tucked in by June Cleaver.

Correctional Workers Stage Protest at CCPOA Headquarters

State correctional officers are staging a small protest at CCPOA's West Sacramento headquarters, calling for the union's executive council to step down over a series of legal and leadership miscues that the protesters say reveal ethical and possibly legal lapses among their leaders.

Looks like the prison guards are tired of their own leadership. No doubt that Mike Jimenez thought that he could weild the whip like his predecessors. Unfortunately, he is no Don Novey and the officers are fed up with the tactics their union is taking and they want to get rid of the current leadership.

This is a good lesson learned and a clear message for other union leaders to make sure they are listening to their constituency or they may find themselves in the same boat.

The Shit Hits the Fan

The anticipated school schedules and directives for handling SR & XSR minors has come out and will start Monday. Let's see how long before our first fight breaks out. I figure about 10 minutes after the school bell. More to come.

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County's Office of Independent Review Gets Into Probation Business

It seems the Gang of Five doesn't like to be kept in the dark. When they wanted to look at the tape of the riot that occurred at Juvenile Hall a couple of months ago, they were told by the Department that it was forbidden. Campbell, seems to believe that bringing the OIR in will create the kind of attorney-client privilege needed to be able to view the tape. There really shouldn't be any concern about viewing the tape. The cameras in the Hall are 20th century technology and the tapes are so grainy you couldn't identify Santa Claus if you wanted to. Still, it will be interesting to see if this does what they want it to. It is doubtful that this will suffice and the Gang of Five will probably remain out in the cold. If, by chance they are successful, it will only take one lawsuit by the PLO to stop it.

What should be of real concern is the OIR's involvement in probation affairs. The department, historically, does not like anyone telling them how to handle their affairs... even internal affairs.

CSA's, Gifts for Guns & the Aftermath

Today's press release on the Sheriff's blog, amplified by the touting of OCEA about the new class of Correction Services Assistant is very interesting. As I perused the article, I noticed they go through a ten week "academy" that includes such topics as laws of arrest, arrest procedures, and the use of pepper spray. Whooa, wait a minute.... I thought these were civilians? So why are we wasting time giving them lessons on arrest? Could it be that Sheriff Sandy has a hidden agenda? Could it be that she plans to eventually make these officers.....dare I say it...... peace officers (with limited authority, of course)? I guess time will tell. One course they went through is certain to serve them well. The "Will to Survive" course will come in handy when they are getting their asses kicked and the sheriffs deputies are too busy texting from their phones to go help them.

Arnie is up in Fresno, today, promoting the "Guns for Gifts" program that, as he puts it, "will make our communities safe". One might not know it until they read the article, but Fresno has a huge gang problem. I guess Arni is reaching out to the bad guys, hoping they will trade their hard-earned guns in for Christmas gifts for their homies. A better way to handle this would be to find better ways of enforcing the current gun and gang laws that make it illegal for gangsters to own guns in the first place. Admittedly, that is more difficult than signing new, useless laws into effect, smothering society with our nanny-state blanket. Good luck and good riddance, Arnie.

Brown is in, Nutmeg is out. Several political pundits are blaming (who else) the unions for foiling Meg's power grab. Apparently, most of the ultra-conservative nut cases haven't finished with the unions yet. So, they will continue to blame them for everything from the State's ever imminent bankruptcy status to global warming because the liberals think they should do something about the environment. No one seems to know for sure what Meggie and her billion dollar buddy Carly are going to do now. Could be a run for President? then she can join the ranks of Ron Paul. She has already surpassed him in the political spending arena. Why not? President Nutmeg Whitman.... hmmm, has a nice sound to it.

T-rack v. T-Spitzer

If you did not have the pleasure of seeing the dueling press conferences, you owed it to yourself to watch the panel discussion on KOCE. I'm still trying to digest the hyperbole from all sides. I should have an analysis worthy of a stinking badge shortly.

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The DA Does It Right........ For Once

News Flash!!!! The most corrupt DA in California refuses to prosecute another political crony! News at.....

Seriously, for once, the DA is probably right. If there was an actual physical altercation between Norby and his wife, you can bet the police would have hauled his keester to jail. DV has no leeway. If an accusation is made and there is the slightest threat of evidence, then the police will drag you off to jail, if for nothing else than to let you cool off. Since Power Ranger Chris is still free to sleep on Sacramento's finest park benches, I would say this one was a good call.

Still........

So Nutmeg Whitman has managed to cull a few self-serving peace officer unions out for herself. It's a shame that they can't see the real ploy of divide and conquer. Wayne Quint, President of CCLEA, once threatened any association thinking of dumping all public employees for the sake of public safety with expulsion. I hope he still feels the same way. The union portrayed in the Youtube video (guess who?) is the same one that wanted to cut and run the last time pension talk got heated just a few years ago.

As we slide into the final days before the election, it is important to remember that we, as public employees, must stand together completely and not let them divide us for our own selfish gain. Oh yeah, and vote for Governor Brown.

Should Police Have to Play These Games?

This is the kind of stuff that the old Keystone Cops movie shorts were made of. You might expect this coming from some small town in the middle of nowhere USA. But, here in Orange County? Then again....

It seems some candidates in Los Alamitos, that Western-most city of the Real OC, are playing games with each other. It would be funny, but they are actually taking up the time of Los Al's small and overworked-as-it-is police department to put up with this stupidity.

If you haven't heard, the politics heated up in Los Alamitos over the weekend. It seems some candidates can't keep their hands off of other candidates property. One candidate, George Briggerman jr., is stupid enough to be caught on tape (later viewed by several hundred people) taking another candidate's sign and dumping it. Another candidate is stalked by a woman claiming to just be making sure he doesn't steal flyers of another candidate. He calls the cops because of the stalker and later the stalker calls the cops because he allegedly did steal the flyers. The cops come out but no one gets arrested.

Is this really what you want your police to be doing? Crime may not be rampant in Los Alamitos, but I'm sure their police department has better things to do than run around chasing people running for office and acting like they are running for middle school president. Come to think of it, even the kids know better than that. Oh, the video? here

Can He? Will He?

Could it be that Shawn Nelson is rethinking his pension? The article in the Voice of OC indicates he may be doing just that. Without naming names, the OCERS Chief, Steve Delaney, said that a high ranking elected official had inquired about changing the terms of his pension. So, who else could it be?

There is no doubt that the revelation that Shawn took the best pension available has injured him with his republican cronies. I am sure they were all aghast when they found out he did it....... by accident, of course.

In any case, as was pointed out, he has multiple opportunities to fix this if he really wants to. Of course, one has to ask, this guy is a lawyer. Didn't he read the fine print?