I’m glad to see Spokesman Review Columnist Shawn Vestal is keeping track of just how bad Mayor Condon and Chief Meidl’s newly established Lesser Use of Force Policy and the need for legitimate oversight of SPD actually is.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/nov/01/shawn-vestal-initial-internal-reviews-watchdog-ass/
When you are very aware that the “Culture” at SPD is worse than it was after the cover-up of the Otto Zehm case and the subsequent conviction of SPD Officer Karl Thompson and you review and bring to light all of the continuing problems with SPD one can easily conclude the reason those problems continue is that SPD leadership hasn’t changed the attitude they expressed during the Otto Zehm era. When Mayor David Condon bypassed everything and everyone to hire the very pliable Craig Meidl to lead SPD the handwriting was on the wall even though he was able to convince some people that he had seen the light and had changed since his very public and inexplicable admiration for his beloved mentor and friend Karl Thompson. The same is true for Major Kevin King who people should remember was not only the founder of the infamous “505” Facebook Page but also the lead on sales of those wristbands all the Cops wore in support of Karl Thompson. King of course was also instrumental in the exoneration of Dan Lesser and the establishment of the new Lesser Use of Force Policy.
Needless to say, I will be doing more stories on the new SPD Lesser Use of Force Policy and the extreme problems with the SPD Patrol Anti-Crime Team, but for now I just want to add a little more information to Shawn Vestal’s column.
To be perfectly clear even though I have received many of the Lesser case documents I requested way back on April 22, 2019 SPD has not fulfilled my request and now tell be that they won’t until sometime “on or about December 2”, of course there will likely be yet another 30 delay beyond December 2, 2019 once we have a new Mayor.
Was there cover-up of the Lesser case like there was in the Otto Zehm case? Well of course there was, SPD did not under any circumstances want the public to see the Body Worn Camera Video, and the only thing that got in their way of covering it up was the good Cops on SPD.
Shawn Vestal in his column documents the fact that Lt. Rob Boothe the SPD Use of Force Expert found the deployment of Lesser’s K9 out of policy as did Sgt. Wheeler, but here is the kicker Boothe went above and beyond his own assessment by asking IA Investigator Sgt. Everly to review the BWC Video and the Use of Force on 2/19/2019 because of Boothe’s concerns about a bias he might have due to his previous experience with Dan Lesser’s Use of Force issues. So, who caught on to the fact that IA was aware of the case on 2/19/2019 and didn’t inform him…none other than OPO Logue.
Yes, indeed IA knew on 2/19/2019, and yes IA knew on April 22, 2019 when I submitted my first Public Records Request…yet SPD said no such case existed.
Imaged below are the documents every member of the Public, and every Candidate for office should read, Mayor Condon, Chief Meidl, and Major King surely were hoping I would simply overlook these facts…it is a good thing OPO Logue didn’t.
Buffalo Brian Breen 