I took the risk of going to one of the roll outs of candidates Jacquelyn MacConnell and Bart Louge. It was worth the risk as Deb Conklin did allow me to ask more than one question and some follow-ups, of course she did have to kind of hold me back so some of the very few people in attendance could ask their questions.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/aug/16/both-spokane-police-ombudsman-finalists-praised-af/comments/

 

I chose to go to the roll out at the ECCC for a number of reasons. First because the topic was supposed to be “Disproportionate minority contact” but there were only a couple of questions regarding that specific topic, and I did stay on topic until some folks opened up other topics. Also among the reasons was that East Central is my old “Hood”, and when SPD was actually involved in “Community Oriented Policing” I developed the concept of “Neighborhood Investigative Resource Officer”, so as a Detective for several years I investigated all the cases in that neighborhood from the theft of garbage can lids, all the way up to Murder. I was lucky enough to get to know the people of East Central and they got to know me. As a matter of fact, during that time I had an office all to myself in the ECCC and played the role of Santa Clause for the kids at Christmas for the ECCC Christmas parties.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/nij/cops_casestudy/spokane.html

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19930930&id=0mxXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5fADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6846,6036430&hl=en

 

 

Knowing the Hood, I wasn’t at all surprised at the very low turnout, I don’t even know if anyone from the East Central Community even attended. As far as minorities attending there were maybe two or three. But that is the way East Central is… they won’t bother as they feel they really don’t actually have a voice.

https://examplepro.me/2016/07/10/terry-vs-ohioive-got-the-power/

https://examplepro.me/2016/04/03/a-conversation-with-interim-chief-meidl-and-major-justin-lundgrepart-one/

 

Mike Fagan was there for a while, but he was the only Council Member I noticed. So far I have been to two meetings where Mike Fagan was present, and in both meetings there were free cookies. I don’t know if the free cookies were a factor or not (Just kidding Mike). 🙂 🙂

 

Given all of the recent discussion on “Disproportionate minority contact”, and the “Sanctuary City Ordinance” I would have thought there would be more people and Council Members present. But that’s the way it goes. My question, and I did get to ask the first question again, dealt with the crux of issues surrounding both “Disproportionate minority contacts” and the “Sanctuary City Ordinance”. The question was concerning the candidate’s knowledge of the controlling cases and subsequent case law regarding Terry v Ohio both at the Federal and State level, something the Community doesn’t have an understanding of nor SPD based upon all of the cases I have reviewed recently. Jacquelyn MacConnell had the upper hand on that one, but only as far Federal Law is concerned and not Washington State’s more restrictive laws in that regard. I did provide both candidates with a link I prepared for them from the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys “CONFESSIONS, SEARCH, SEIZURE, AND ARREST A GUIDE FOR POLICE OFFICERS AND PROSECUTORS MAY 2015 MANUAL” It would be a good read for a lot of people including SPD Cops.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/4d691826-7765-4a38-b26f-70ed384f1ec7

 

It is really important for the OPO to know this stuff, and especially since the OPO reviews Body Camera footage of Terry v Ohio contacts by SPD.

 

SO WHAT WAS MY IMPRESSION OF THE CANDIDATES?

*** Not that it really matters of course but here you go.

Keep in mind that my contact with them and my ability to interview them was limited, but my initial impression is that either one would be a very good candidate. As a matter of fact, the OPOC should consider finding a way to hire both as it appears to me they would complement each other and hopefully someday the OPO will actually have some powers. Don’t hold your breath though!

https://examplepro.me/2015/10/23/breaking-down-the-opo-ordinance/

You might wonder why I say hiring both would be good if the OPO doesn’t have independent investigative powers. Because the OPO, as a result of the Union contracts, is primarily a PR position with most of the Ombudsperson’s time being spent getting face time with the Community it is difficult for one person to devote all of the time necessary to do a real quality job of the actual OPO work.

To be clear, I did tell Jacquelyn MacConnell that I would not hold it against her that she is of Scottish decent me being Irish and all. I will also not hold it against former Marine Bart Louge that he was unable to recite his 11^th General Order. Some of the folks in attendance will understand what I’m talking about. Jacquelyn MacConnell grew up in a Marine Corps family but made it clear her father didn’t force her to memorize the General Orders… and that is a good thing.

Realistically some short sighted people will hold MacConnell’s law enforcement background against her, and hold Louge’s military background against him, that is just the way some folks think.

The important thing is whether they are ethical, honest, and willing to call BS when it is appropriate. One thing to remember is that Bart Louge during his stint in the Marine Corps was a leader of Men and Women Marines. But by the same token Jacquelyn MacConnell in her law enforcement career also was a leader of Men and Women Cops. Both of them should know the good, bad, and ugly that goes along with that responsibility. Ordinarily I would give the advantage in that area to MacConnell because Cops are far more legally protected in labor issues than any Marine ever has been or ever will be. However, Louge has been in the Interim OPO position long enough to realize that it ain’t like the Corps and Cops have one hell of a lot more protection and power than any Marine and Louge actually admitted that during the forum… so I have to call that one a push.

I considered Jacquelyn MacConnell as a little more matter of fact than Bart Logue in this setting, which is, from my perspective a good trait but she also has had considerable positive experience in community interaction as a cop. Bart Louge on the other hand came off to me as less matter of fact and more interactive which is also a good trait. Like I said I think they would complement each other if they were working together.

You always have to keep in mind that in forums like this the questions for the candidates from the public are always, for the most part, well intended softball questions that are easily answered. One of those questions was a reiteration of a question asked and answered in a previous forum. “Is there an us against them culture at SPD?” The obvious answer is “There sure as hell is!” which Louge answered truthfully and MacConnell, with the proper qualifier, said that she hasn’t worked here so she doesn’t know for sure, but wouldn’t be the least bit surprised that there is given her experience and what is going on in Communities throughout the Country. Hopefully at some point both candidates will be subjected to some real hardball questions.

I did ask a question of Bart Louge regarding pulling public access to all of the IA Cases off of the SPD Website even though the UOFC and COPS/DOJ touted it.

https://examplepromeblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3129&action=edit

https://examplepro.me/2016/02/29/what-is-the-big-secret/

https://examplepro.me/2016/03/08/prr-update-lydia-mell-taylor/

https://examplepro.me/2016/03/26/furniture-gate-part-six-the-clean-up/

Bart Louge knew I already had the answer to my question from my Q & A with Meidl and Lundgren, but I asked the question to see if I could elicit from him some idea where the current SPD Leadership was headed with respect to transparency, and he did tip me off when he said he had looked at what Seattle does, and he was right, Seattle posts a short case synopsis with a link on how to get the entire file via a Public Records Request. So… look for it folks. What that means is that in all likelihood SPD will not be providing the public direct access to entire IA cases and if someone wants to read them and find out what is really there they will have to spend the time and money to do a PRR. That will cramp my style a bit but that’s okay, the problem is it will inhibit the average Citizen who wants the facts to go through the hassle of getting them.

My assessment, based on limited interaction is that either one would be a really good candidate, and both appear to be willing to dig in, learn, and call BS when necessary. Of course my opinion doesn’t matter it is up to the OPOC, but as you know I’m always willing to express my opinion… like it or not.

 

Good luck to both Candidates, and remember you can back out at any time! 🙂 🙂

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!!!

I guess you can ignore them and go out and help weed, or you could use writing a story as an excuse not to weed. Well…guess which one I picked.

 

I had three requests from readers to jump in on this SR story because they are aware I was involved in the legal issues surrounding Body Cameras, and actually wrote the questions presented to the Attorney General.

 

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/aug/12/body-cam-footage-of-downtown-spokane-tirade-calls-/

They also had read my story regarding the new law back in May.

 

https://examplepro.me/2016/05/03/officer-involved-shootings-and-the-new-body-camera-law/

 

The SR story linked above actually does have a bearing on my recent “Meidl Show” stories because the story seriously questions the judgement of the SPD in releasing the footage to pump the public perception of SPD at the expense of Mr. Count’s public embarrassment.

 

Yes, SPD can legally pick and choose what is released to the public that is not prohibited by RCW 42.56.240 (14) and perhaps get away with it…I said “perhaps”. As many of you know I expressed my concerns of the City of Spokane being on the wrong end of Body Camera Litigation over and over.

Whether or not this case ends up in litigation or not remains to be seen, and even if it does whether the plaintiff prevails or not isn’t the issue. The real issue is why put the City of Spokane in jeopardy of civil litigation and the possibility of being infamous for being the Department that screwed it up for the entire State of Washington?

 

Any Law Enforcement Administrator knows for a fact that the old adage “BAD CASES, AND BAD JUDGEMENT, MAKES BAD LAW!”

 

Other agencies in the State have released PR video like this in the past except those releases did not identify the individual and faces were obscured which is a relatively simple software process. The new Public Records Act Law regarding Body Cameras only became effective on June 9th, 2016 and the new law is a direct result of the Washington State Attorney General’s Opinion so it is brand new, with NO established case law and Law Enforcement agencies in the State don’t quite yet have a handle on how they are going to play it, and playing it for PR purposes is downright DUMB.

The use of Body Cameras by Law Enforcement were intended to be for ACCOUNTABILITY PURPOSES, and certainly not PR PURPOSES, which SPD through their PIO clearly admits they are being used for.

 

Body camera footage of routine incidents gives the department an important tool to help the public better understand officers’ jobs, she said.

“Those didn’t make the news before because we had nothing to show for it,” Fuller said. “These types of videos are ones that our citizens want to – and should – see.”

 

Fuller’s above statement would make for great deposition questions if someone decided to file a lawsuit. Trust me the ACLU is looking for one so why be dumb enough to be the guinea pig?

 

As I mentioned in my earlier story, this law enforcement backed law covered law enforcement backs with this portion of the law.

 

(c) In a court action seeking the right to inspect or copy a body worn camera recording, a person who prevails against a law enforcement or corrections agency that withholds or discloses all or part of a body worn camera recording pursuant to (a) of this subsection is not entitled to fees, costs, or awards pursuant to RCW 42.56.550 unless it is shown that the law enforcement or corrections agency acted in bad faith or with gross negligence.

 

So if the ACLU or Mr. Cikutovich did decide to file a law suit they would have to show that SPD “acted in bad faith or with gross negligence” to collect. I’m not sure that stupidity reached the level of bad faith or gross negligence… but it could be a contributing factor.  🙂

 

Another cool quote from Officer Fuller is this one:

 

Spokane police spokeswoman Officer Teresa Fuller said the department has created a position with responsibilities that include finding and redacting body camera footage for public relations purposes. Fuller said she hopes the job is made a full-time position.

 

So SPD has created yet another public relations staffer? Male or female? SPD Budget or Park Department?  🙂 🙂

 

Taking the same scenario outlined in the SR Story and reversing the roles Sgt. Eric Kannberg being the Jerk and Cory Counts being the good guy would the public see the video? Of course not!

 

Well…I think you get my drift!

 

***Darn it…  I should have made this story longer…now the lawn needs mowed. (:

 

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!!!!!

In reviewing the press coverage of and making a cursory review of the available replay concerning “The Meidl Show” as far as press coverage is concerned this Inlander story stood out to me for a number of reasons, but primarily because it demonstrates some of the things I addressed in my story yesterday. I would NOT disagree that the questions listed were very good questions, but I would disagree in some respects with the rankings.

 

http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2016/08/12/the-best-questions-asked-at-chief-craig-meidls-public-forum

 

I think it is important to keep in mind that the issues regarding the Zehm Case, The Salute, The Facebook Postings are mostly ancillary to the real question, which is… Does Craig Meidl have what it takes to lead the SPD? In order to determine whether he does or not the City Council and Citizens must assess his leadership history past and present.

 

I personally would have moved question number “8.” to the number “1.” position. The reason I would move it to the top isn’t because it was posed by Rick Eichstaedt, the Center for Justice lawyer I have obliquely mentioned in previous stories, or the fact that Rick tried to sneak in two questions instead of the ONE he was allotted while suffering the wrath, as many did, of Moderator (Not Facilitator) Rev. Canon Karen Schomburg while she held up one finger, emphasized the one question rule, and told Meidl to only answer the first question. No… not for those reasons but because the questions posed go directly to the problems facing the City of Spokane and the Spokane Police Department. There is NO legitimate independent oversight of SPD, and Meidl’s position in establishing legitimate is very telling.

 

This excerpt from the Inlander story although just a paraphrase of Meidl’s answer says it all. The paraphrased answer alone is 86 words Meidl used a lot more when he could have simply answered with a “NO” as his long answer clearly demonstrates.

 

 

_________________

8. Do you believe the police ombudsman needs more authority to conduct investigations? Are you willing to pressure the administration to do that and will you include the community in efforts? Meidl: I don’t get the sense, from my conversation with (Bart) Logue, the ombudsman, that he needs more authority. He’s authorized to send back a case he doesn’t agree with, and can sit in on internal affairs interviews and ask questions that the investigator doesn’t ask.  My sense is that he can get the information he wants by compelling the department to re-interview and ask questions that he feels did not address the issues, or he can compel them to interview other people that IA did not interview. My sense is that he actually has a fair amount of ability to compel interviews and questions.

___________________

Based upon Meidl’s NO answer to Eichstaedt’s first question the truthful answer to the second unanswered question would have to also be a long winded placating NO.

 

Most folks are not familiar with Meidl’s conflicts with the OPO while he was a lieutenant in IA. His statements here might give you some clue.

 

“If he wants that authority, he’s going to have to get the ordinance changed,” Meidl said. “It’s the law, and we’re all expected to uphold the law, whether it’s labor law or criminal law.”

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jan/25/use-of-force-case-leaves-questions/

 

 

As someone who has considerable background in Garrity Issues I can tell you that this statement is for lack of a better terms…. JUST PLAIN SILLY!

 

“My sense is that he actually has a fair amount of ability to compel interviews and questions.”

 

 

https://examplepro.me/2015/10/23/breaking-down-the-opo-ordinance/

 

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!!!

 

 

What the hell…since someone is apparently just going to read my questions to Meidl and have him answer without any follow-ups and since I will likely never have a multi-question shot at him why not just give him a heads up in this story… right?

 

I fully intended to quickly go through my 29 questions for “Meidl Show” which took place at the West Central Community Center, between 6-8 PM August 11^th, 2016, but the format made it impossible so I will go through them here…you can decide. I had intended to ask questions like these at both “Shows” but there is no sense in bothering with the one at the East Central Community Center if it is the same format.

 

https://examplepro.me/2016/08/12/i-should-have-known-better/

 

I have been told that my short story yesterday didn’t provide enough explanation regarding Meidl’s approved public statement. Just so you know I intended to clarify today, but you folks need to do a little Sleuthing on your own:

 

Of course the Salute was a long time ago, I know that there were a lot of emails back and forth, so even though it was a big deal perhaps Meidl just forgot the email to Mayor Verner.

Here is Meidl’s email to Verner:

 

Guess where this was posted, and note the date and time:

 

Note the dates and times on the email interaction.

 

So here is a question for you folks to answer… “Was the Salute clean-up public statement by Meidl made before or after his infamous “505 Facebook Post”?   🙂

 

It is important to remember that although Meidl and Mayor Condon want to “Move On” from the Salute and the “505” Facebook Page comments, what the Community and the City Council should be evaluating is how Meidl in his role as an SPD Leader and Third in Command at SPD handled those issues and not necessarily the issues themselves. The questions I had for Meidl were intended to primarily address how he as an SPD Leader reacted to and led in his role at that time. How a “Leader” has responded to issues in the past is one way to evaluate how they will respond in the future. Does the “Leader” have a history of confronting negative issues head on, or does he run away?

Some folks might remember all of the evidence available to Mayor Condon regarding Frank Straub’s inability to lead yet he completely ignored all the warnings and hired him anyway.

In Meidl’s case, does he have a long history of running away from issues or not? Is he capable of standing up to Union Pressure and Political Pressure in the interest of the Community and SPD or NOT? My own answer to the that question is a resounding NO! But you can decide for yourself.

I don’t have a copy of “The Meidl Show” yet but I will get one and may have more information later.

 

Okay let’s get started!

Forum Questions for Meidl

Preface:

1) I have limited time and most of my questions can be answered with a yes, no, or a refusal to answer would you please show me the curtesy of not going into long detailed answers simply to use up my time?

 

With a packed room and only two hours for a big crowd to ask questions eating up time in long winded answers is a given, it is even easier to eat up time when a person can only ask one question so I anticipated that would be one ploy, with what limited chance I got to see of “The Meidl Show” at this point it is clear that those long winded answers Meidl provided ate up a lot of everyone’s time. One viewer told me they timed one response at 8 minutes.

 

2) Are you willing to go through a typical “Assessment Center” made up of Current and Former Experienced and knowledgeable Law Enforcement Officers who would evaluate your ability to lead SPD and provide their evaluation to the CC?

 

With the utmost respect to our Community knowledgeable and experienced Cops who know when the BS is being pitched are in a far better position to judge a Cops Leadership abilities, much like the Law Enforcement Panel that accessed Frank Straub and unanimously (Despite what McDevitt says) told the Mayor not to hire the Jerk. Were they right or not?

 

3) SPD needs a strong leader able to confront issues head on and NOT run away from the issues, would you be willing to withdraw your name from contention because of the tremendous controversy involved with your nomination, suggest that the Mayor and City Council utilize one of the many organizations that provide temporary Police Chiefs for situations like Spokane’s, renew the search, and if you truly are interested submit your application for consideration at that time?”

***My understanding is something similar to this question is being floated by the City Council as somewhat of a compromise…we shall see.

 

Salute/505 Facebook Questions:

 

SALUTE

 

4) You have admitted saluting Karl Thompson,  was your wife present and did she also salute?

The answer to this one is YES, and my follow-up would have been… “How long was she in the Military?” Keep in mind that Craig Meidl recently promoted his wife to one of the most important SPD positions, Captain of Investigations, so despite being promoted over other candidates with far superior investigative experience she will be responsible for overseeing such things as SPD Cases on the Spokane Regional Investigative Response Team. Some of my old Captains of Investigations who suffered through having to supervise me had a pretty good laugh on this promotion. So at this point it must be Tracie Meidl who is running the third or fourth Ryan Holyk investigation.

 

5) You have publicly stated that after the salute took place you immediately went to the officer who yelled “Present Arms” and that officer was mortified to learn the Zehm family was still in the courtroom. Who was that officer?

The Officer was Detective Bryan Tafoya.

6) The Zehm Family and their lawyer were sitting directly behind you when the salute took place. How did you personally NOT know the Zehm family and their lawyer were NOT in the courtroom?

 

I would have liked to heard his answer to this…what happened to all those powers of observation cops are supposed to train on? I should note that I had fun last night “Reading the Room”, it is something most cops learn to do early on.

 http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/mar/20/hurt-lingers-10-years-after-zehms-death/

7) You publicly stated that your salute to Karl Thompson was instinctive based upon your military experience. How many officers were present and saluted that DID NOT have military experience?

 

There were a lot of cops there that just instinctively on que Saluted Thompson like Meidl says he did…pretty instinctive right? My follow-up would have been… Do you expect the Community to believe all 50 or so Cops “instinctively” saluted Thompson on cue?

 

8) Even though you have publicly stated the Salute was not planned isn’t it true that the salute was in fact organized and planned in advance by Detective Bryan Tafoya and others?

 

I anticipated an answer of NO to this question, so I was ready with email documents which are hold backs at this point.

9) You spent approximately two years as the Lieutenant in charge of IA, during that time you supervised then Sgt. Dave McCabe is that correct?

The answer is YES, and I’ve read some of their IA Reports. Dave McCabe is now the President of the SPD Union and Captains Association as we all know, and my follow-up would have delved into that relationship a little more.

 

10) You both received IA training?

The answer surely would have been YES!

The IA Training, I received back in the day apparently was a heck of a lot different than they get now days. My training empathized the importance of confidentiality during all stages of the investigation and especially in the beginning. The lack of SPD’s ability to maintain the necessary IA Confidentiality is legendary and well documented. It is also one of the BIG reasons SPD is incapable of running “parallel” Criminal/Administrative Investigations like the UOFC and Cops/DOJ recommended. There is an easy fix…but we won’t see it.

11) Isn’t it true that during that training you learned the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of complaints received by the department until such time as a preliminary investigation can be conducted?

YES. 

See Question 10, and understand that question 11 was a lead in to Question 12. Keep in mind Meidl’s wife was his choice to supervise SPD Investigations. Also keep in mind that Meidl has stated the only one who can promote someone is the Chief of Police.

Craig Meidl won’t respond to me after our Q & anymore so needless to say I’m a bit suspicious of this whole new “Transparency” thing with folks at SPD they just don’t seem to want to answer the tough questions… and there are many that need asked and answered. 

12) Isn’t it true that despite that background and knowledge as well as the fact that at the time of the salute you were an SPD Leader and Member of the Command Staff, on November 8^th, 2011 immediately after you were provided a copy of a lengthy complaint by then City Attorney Rocky Treppiedi which had been made to the OPO regarding the salute you immediately informed your wife via email and provided her with a copy of the complaint?

The answer is YES!

 

13) Was doing so a violation of policy and procedure?

YES.

Read Anne Kirkpatrick’s Policy 1020 “Personnel Complaint Procedure”

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/666f3f4a-c5e6-4bbe-8111-ea50f533ab1c

 14) Aside from the Salute have you told your wife about other ongoing IA Cases?

The answer is YES, how many times we don’t know. The time above is one but there are more. One of the more notable ones is when Meidl immediately informed his wife of the Scott Stephens Investigation. You might recall that one cost us a lot of money not only because of the lousy investigation but also the way it was handled from the get go.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/1ebcac1d-c03e-4d18-af33-9c5674448d8e

 

When the Stephens issue was big news and I read this statement by Meidl in his report my first thought, aside from Meidl telling his wife, was what fool would put that in a Police Report. It has no bearing on the investigation and anyone on the Stephens side in a litigation would easily bring out that it’s intent was simply to portray Stephens in the worst light possible in the initial complaint.

____________________________

“My wife and I discussed this event that evening. She was very concerned based on her experiences with Stephens over the years. That night she gave our children a warning about safety issues and would not allow them to remain home the following day while she ran errands. Under other circumstances, she would have allowed them to remain at the house; however due to the comments from Stephens, she took them to a different location while she ran errands. She explained to them in watered down terms about what had occurred (no names) and that this was the purpose behind the extra safety precautions. She also told me the following morning that she did not have a good night’s sleep as she was worried about Stephens coming to our house and hurting our family.”

_____________________________

Of course a number of aspects of Meidl’s report turned out to be BS.

http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2013/06/26/spd-denies-selling-stephens-firearm-full-statements-detail-department-fears

 http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jun/27/police-department-didnt-sell-stephens-a/

 

Why do I feel it is important to point out the Stephens case? The answer is simple Meidl’s past judgments and ethics MUST be questioned in order to evaluate whether he is fit to lead SPD.

The handling of the Stephens case was classic Straub. Stephens, because of his popularity within the SPD represented a threat not only to Straub, but also Meidl, so Straub handled Stephens the same way he did time and again with people who were threats to his leadership. Simply find a Go Boy or Go Girl to handle the dirty work. In Indy Straub had a Go Girl named Ellen Corcella. 

 http://wishtv.com/2014/01/22/ex-dpw-chief-files-defamation-lawsuit-city-employees/

***Corcella’s lawsuit went nowhere by the way… the same way I suspect Straub’s will.

If you really want to know what went on in Indy…talk to the reporters and not just the cops like some of us actually did.

 

Besides making the high profile Stephens complaint Meidl also made the high profile Arleth complaint (Furniture-gate) …same story, a liked and respected cop who represented a threat, however this time Dobrow having learned from Straub used the same classic Straub move.

Here is the kicker on ethics, leadership and judgement as far as Meidl is concerned and Furniture-gate. Meidl who made the complaint against Arleth used extremely poor judgement by NOT recusing himself from the first step of Arleth’s appeal of his discipline regarding Furniture-gate. That first step is “Mediation” in the Arleth Mediation there were two people that were mediators for the City of Spokane, Craig Meidl who made the complaint against Arleth, and Meghann Steinolfson. Anyone with common sense would have to ask… “Did that demonstrate good judgement?” … “Was not recusing himself unethical?”.

 

Furniture-gate has now gone to Arbitration because Meidl and Steinolfson stood by the finding so it will be interesting to see what the Arbitrator has to say.

 

15) Did you inform your wife of a complaint made alleging she had a physical confrontation with Review reporter Tom Clouse?

I sure would like to know the answer to that question, given the allegation and the fact at the time he was a member of the SPD Leadership.

See emails here:

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/ce2e1b39-45b1-404b-b8cc-0e4d06d17363

 

In my follow-up with Gary Graham he told me that the SR had decided not to make a formal complaint and Kirkpatrick was going to talk to Tracie Meidl. Understand that there may have been some confusion on whether or not it was Tracie Meidl or this Officer who obviously doesn’t know anything about RCW 9.73, as well as the requirement for an officer to identify themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEj2fNOUZ3M

 

The Officer in the above video is John Gately’s wife Kellee Gately.

 

If I had follow-ups we could have cleared it up. We also could have cleared up what Meidl reveals in his recent press statements…like… “You recently stated that you volunteered to take a demotion, to whom did you volunteer to take a demotion?” … “If you were willing to take a demotion for being the ranking officer present and participating in the Salute obviously you felt your conduct as well as all those present was a big embarrassment to the Department and the City…isn’t that true?

 

 

 

16) After the Salute there was evidence which began to surface that although it was a national embarrassment to the City of Spokane and SPD, Officers under your command made a big joke of it, not only in email communications but also by awarding a Snickers Bar to an Officer at a roll call to mock Otto Zehm’s last words “I only wanted a Snickers Bar!”. Did you in your leadership role as a member of the SPD Command Staff make any effort to stop that type of conduct?

Here is just a couple of examples:

https://storify.com/blushresponse/tweet-cap-a-ride-along-with-spokane-police-southsi

 

Boy I had some great follow-ups to this one, which was a lead in to some of the next questions. 

FACEBOOK

17) The notorious “505” Facebook page where you posted your well-publicized comment in support of Karl Thompson was started by and administered by your newly appointed Major Kevin King isn’t that true?

 He would have to answer “Yes”!

 

18) Isn’t it true that at the time the “505” Facebook page was running you were in a leadership role as member of the SPD Command Staff?

YES.

 

19) Did you as an SPD Leader and member of the Command Staff consider the “505” Facebook page an embarrassment to SPD? 

I don’t know how he could not honestly respond “YES” but if he didn’t and went into a long winded explanation of Free Speech Rights as you read on you can see I was ready.

20) Many of the comments on the 505 Facebook page including your own as an SPD Leader and member of the Command Staff demonstrated a complete lack of respect for the Community as well as the DOJ and included de-policing comments isn’t that true? (“It could happen to me.”)

 

I Don’t know how Meidl could not answer YES to that one. But even if he didn’t my notation above “It could happen to me.” was a follow-up reminder for myself to ask “Wasn’t that statement a reference to your being in agreement with other cops who continually blamed DOJ for crucifying Karl Thompson, and that your friend Thompson was a victim?”

 

Other cops like Officer Rick Atkins who posted this as one example:

 

Officer Rick Atkins…505 Facebook Page.

“The Department of Justice that locked up Karl is the same DOJ that engaged in witness tampering and intimidation to do so. This is the same DOJ that refused to prosecute the black panthers for voter intimidation. The same DOJ that is locking up Border Patrol Agents. The same DOJ that supplied drug cartels with thousands of firearms leading to the murders of over 200 Mexican nationals, two Americans, and dozens of violent crimes here in the U.S. Now you tell me who the criminals are and who needs to be locked up”

 

21) Although there is NO EVIDENCE that the “We Support Karl Thompson Movement” filed as a non-profit they sold Bracelets to the public in order to collect monies for Karl Thompson, isn’t that true?

Yes, or I don’t know…either answer is damning from the perspective of Leadership.

22) Your newly appointed Major Kevin King lead that effort by hawking those Bracelets on the “505” Facebook page isn’t that true?

YES.

23) In your role as an SPD Leader and member of the SPD Command Staff did you purchase one or more of those Bracelets?

YES.

Follow-ups would be questions like:

“Who did you give the money to?” “Where did the money go?” “Was there a bank account and who set it up?” “did you wear the bracelet on duty?” … you know the usual type of follow-ups that need asking.

*** I don’t know if the City Council will take my suggestion to talk to Kevin King or not… but they should.

 

24) As an SPD Leader and member of the SPD Command Staff did you ever take steps to confront, discipline, or direct any of the Officers who were making those embarrassing public statements to cease and desist as well as remove them?

The answer would have to be NO. As the “505” Page stayed up even after Thompson was led away in handcuffs. 

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/2011/nov/04/thompson-supporters-express-outrage/

 

The “505” Facebook page wasn’t the only place cops expressed their vitriol toward the public and the DOJ. As one example here is just a few of some comments made by one SPD Cop, Detective Jeff Harvey who posted in the Spokesman Review Comments Section. Detective Jeff Harvey you may remember was also involved in the Thompson case and at that time was the Guild Vice President. Harvey wasn’t alone of course there were several others.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/91a8d8b5-1574-40a2-85e9-7bfc7894b011

 

The last organization chart I saw had Harvey assigned to the Criminal Intelligence Unit, which given his background would have to make one wonder.

Did SPD leadership including Meidl know about the SR and 505 postings as well as who was making them? If they didn’t it sure as hell doesn’t say much for their leadership as nearly every law enforcement officer and associate in town did.

Did Meidl step up and say stop? Did Meidl inform the rest of the leadership how bad this was? Apparently not no one did a damn thing.

25) Isn’t it true that the case law at the time of the Salute would have would have allowed SPD to discipline the Officers involved as well as those making some of the comments on the Facebook page because it was a “National Embarrassment” to the City and SPD?

If I got a chance to ask this question, I know I would have to deal with the Free Speech BS that SPD was putting out at the time. I had some lawyer buddies back during that time look at the law, the FB Page and SR comments to see if they were actionable… they were!

 

26) Isn’t it true that in 2010 prior to the “505 Facebook” postings IACP along the Bureau of Justice Assistance established a “Model Social Media Policy” consistent with SCOTUS opinions that was adopted by most US Law Enforcement Agencies and was made available to SPD? 

YES.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/35d5b292-3140-4218-ad81-06849c2e825c

27) Isn’t it true that as a result of the ICAP/BJA Model Policy, SPD adopted SPD Policy Number 1060 which was in effect at the time and the Officers including yourself who took part in the Salute and some Facebook posts made by SPD Officers clearly violated that policy? 

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/8e7e70dc-2ca4-4b26-9524-0fb3f3cc172e 

The truthful answer is YES.

 28) Subsequent to the “505 Facebook Postings” have any SPD Officers ever been disciplined for posting something on Facebook?

YES.

And to top it off the case law hasn’t changed from the Salute/”505” Facebook/SR Comments days.

Here are both P & Ps: together so you can compare:

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/c15f3e3a-abce-4de9-864f-70bf013cdbb6

 

This is the IA case of Detective Stormi Koener, you might find this real interesting, and note the harassment claims.

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/d4c2a3ba-ebd8-4b4c-82e0-99ae04f76190

 

29) Do you have any questions of me?

Probably a NO!!! 🙂

 

***I have lots more documents but this is enough for now.

 

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!!!