You always find some degree of Nepotism and Cronyism in government the extent of which is sometimes hard to determine. I have run across a couple of things that are both funny and sad at the same time, and things you probably wouldn’t know about unless you follow this Blog.

NEPOTISM AND SPD RECORDS?

Just for background it is important to understand that that there may be more folks down at City Hall being paid from the Police Department budget, who and how many we really don’t know. What is really evident is the City and SPD are having one heck of a time with PRRs including how to legally handle them. Mine of course have to be easy for them though…right??

 

BACKGROUND

I brought this up in a previous story but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate it here. In an email on March 16, 2015 Tim Schwering sent to the two SPD legal advisors Muramatsu and Jacobson he seems to making light of a very legitimate union complaint made by Beth Gleason an SPD Records Clerk.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/b0e3adc7-caf5-4b5d-8571-ff3a26c8c60e

 

Both Muramatsu and Jacobson are lawyers in the City Attorney’s Office who are advisors to SPD. The question I have always had regarding both lawyers is, are they actually advising the SPD in the public interest or are they just protecting the SPD in the interest of the current administration. Ms. Muramatsu IMO demonstrated her position in this very public case involving the release of a very dangerous criminal (Jerry W Clark) back on the streets when she orchestrated the dismissal of charges along with former prosecutor Marianna Wright of steroid fame. Muramatsu’s position of course was complete and utter BUNK.

 

Police Chief Frank Straub, who has pledged to make Spokane the safest city of its size in the nation, said he supports the legal efforts to keep Quarles’ internal investigation closed, even if it means giving up prosecution of an ex-convict with a history of violence.

“I don’t support giving information about open cases to anybody,” Straub said. “We have an obligation to protect the due process rights and privacy rights of our officers during the course of an administrative or criminal investigation.”

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/may/31/officials-mum-on-cop-let-felon-off/

 

NITTY GRITTY!

 

The City of Spokane Bureaucracy is made up of husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, which often ends up in conflict of interest issues much like the problem that exists with Heather Lowe the head of Human Resources being married to a cop, so I thought it would be interesting to share an email where Marvin Tucker, Police Communications Supervisor making well over 100 Grand a year battles to get his son hired in Police Records. I have found some interesting information regarding SPD Records and Ms. Pfister’s Office which I will do a story on if and when I receive the records I have requested via PRR, but I thought this email pretty much says it all as far as Nepotism is concerned.

 

CRONYISM AND THE OFFICE OF POLICE OMBUDSMAN

For those that aren’t familiar COPS/DOJ Recommended that the OPOC write policy for the Ombudsman and Commission. No problem Right? Well apparently there is even though the OPOC is made up of bright people who we have spent money to send off for training in Internal Affairs. Someone decided that wasn’t enough so entered into a contract with a Condon Supporter and PR Consultant Susan Ashe.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/a8f40070-b04e-4567-ae31-787da15cdc37

I’ve known Susan Ashe and Artis her husband for a long time, and she is very capable, as a matter of fact she would have been a far better choice by Condon as City Administrator rather than Teresa Sanders. She still has a shot once Condon gets enough guts together to throw the connected Sanders under the bus as more of the truth comes out. The problem I have is that Susan Ashe has NO experience in Police Internal Affairs, Police Oversight, or the operation of a Police Ombudsman Office so why in the world would we be paying her an amount not to exceed 20 Grand to write policy for the OPO when there is plenty of experienced people on the payroll that could easily do it, or the choice of a consultant with the proper background could have been made (There are a pot full of consultants out there with the appropriate background).

 

The only answer I can come up with is since Susan Ashe is a Condon supporter, and very friendly with Nancy Isserlis through their relationship at the Health Sciences & Services Authority (HSSA), she got the contract. That is the way things work in Spokane.

UPDATE!!!

The Captain Brad Arleth IA case is evolving into some real political infighting for who gets the job of kissing up to Condon as Chief of Police. The latest news out of SPD is that Mayor Condon has decided that we are going to pay for Condon/Straub Crony Tim Schwering to attend the Basic Law Enforcement Academy so Schwering can receive law enforcement certification with the State of Washington. Schwering has absolutely NO law enforcement background what so ever, was never vetted when Straub and Condon hired him as one of their Cronies after Straub met him at a big wig party, has never taken a polygraph which is a requirement to obtain State Certification, and sources tell me has been looking for another job. Remember Selby Smith another Crony hire…where is he today?

Anyone that has followed the SPD Drama knows that Tim Schwering has had his fingers in every screw-up that has taken place at SPD.

What does this mean? It could very well mean that the “search” for a new Chief of Police will be just like that last one and Condon will pick whomever the hell he wants. The most pliable and go boy group made up of Dobrow, Meidl, and Schwering is now in first position, how long they remain top dogs depends upon how much truth becomes public.

 

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!