Convention Center expansion – a fraud by our feudal lords?

I wrote this piece for Rick Rydell’s FaceBook page.

Rick is the host of the Rick Rydell Show, a conservative talk show, heard weekdays on KXLY 920 AM from 10AM – 12PM. KXLY is live streamed at: http://tunein.com/radio/KXLY-920-s26511/

Yes I’m being somewhat tongue in cheek regarding my analogy that Spokane is run by feudal lords who rob the serfs to fund their own self-dealing special interest public/private projects. On the other hand Forbes magazine has deemed Spokane, Fraud: Scam Capital of America. .

By hyperbole I’m trying to raise the taxpayer awareness of the real danger of bankrupting our region’s governments when these projects do not achieve their touted economic benefits and go bust leaving the public holding the bag.

For example I cite: the RPS Bond Scandals and the death of Jo Ellen Savage, Stockton, CA’s public improvements and Wenatchee PFD’s Toyota Center.

Mr. X IMO is quite right that these projects need to be well scrutinized to ensure they are worthwhile expenditures of public funds. The S-R, this region’s paper of record, has a poor track record of doing this scrutiny as its owners can be argued are the leaders of our feudal lords or more appropriately the legacy wealth holders trying to maintain the status quo. There are several examples where the S-R editorial opinions have been nothing more than PR pieces for these projects (See the Camas Magazine reporting archives)

We should evaluate local projects objectively – rather than by appearance – using, if possible, their own goals to determine if they are successful or not.

Lawrence Krauter, the Executive Director of the SIA, who I shared Mr. X’s work, had this following clarification of using SIA passenger data as a direct measure of these region’s economy health. I will share more of Mr. Krauter’s clarification if he gives me permission to to so:

. . . the actual demand for air travel is being artificially impacted in a negative way by the market behavior of the airlines, who are flying fewer seats into our local market despite overwhelming evidence that we can fill up more airplanes. This is why passenger activity cannot be depended on any more as an indicator of economic growth (or contraction).

Mr. X respects and agrees with Mr. Krauter’s clarification and replied:

I agree with Mr Krauter and respect his methods, as I have said before, including in emails with him.

But – what are the objective metrics for evaluating project success? That is the main point of the blog post and applies to numerous local projects.

I agree there have been significant changes in the airline industry to use smaller numbers of larger seat aircraft in many cases, resulting in fewer aircraft operations.

But then what is the objective measure of project success for on going expansion projects?

It seems that our measure of success is we successfully pour concrete rather than look at increase usage or other measure of ROI.

I subscribe to this truism:

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty (Thomas Jefferson)

When the cons have run their sting leaving the marks holding the empty bag, law enforcement seldom if ever can recover the stolen money. We have no one to blame but ourselves when we fall prey to a hustle.

I would also add that organized crime can’t exist without co-opted and or corrupt law enforcement. Ask why it’s taken so long to restore police accountability in Spokane? Is there a benefit to the legacy wealth holders in maintaining inept law enforcement leadership that lack professional ethics who condone and or cover-up serious cases of police abuse and misconduct?

See CFJ’s Tim Connor’s new report:

Civilian Oversight of the Spokane Police Department, A Timeline

We are a Nation of laws and not men (John Adams). No one is above the law including the law enforcers.

*****

[Note: Reformatted from original FB post e.g., bolding and paragraph indents]

EXCLUSIVE

Spokane Public Facilities District (PFD) Convention Center expansion project
A fraud by our feudal lords?

RTC – The Liberty Command Center

Mr. X of the Spokane Economic and Demographic Data blog went live with this special report today on the PFD and it’s current Convention Center expansion project:

http://inlandnw.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/if-you-want-to-improve-something-measure-it/

Mr. X uses data/statistical resources to counter the spin that our feudal lords use to justify these projects back by taxpayers funds. The return on investment (ROI) for these public projects have been largely negative for most of the taxpayers. These projects seldom if ever produce the benefits touted by their proponents.

These ventures in many cases tend to be self-dealing where the insiders benefit at the expense of the taxpayers. For example check the officers of the PAC formed to cheer lead the expansion project as bringing much needed jobs to Spokane – Citizens for Jobs Now. IMO this PAC is an astro turf organization. Check who the officers are employed by:

http://www.citizensforjobsnow.com/contact.html

From Mr. X’s new piece:
There are other large public projects that have been completed or are planned for Spokane which seem to lack objective measures of their success, including:

Spokane International Airport “improvements”: About one quarter of a billion $s worth of improvements have been made to the airports in the past decade. Next up are the addition of high speed taxiway exits fof the runways and eventually a third runway – to accommodate our “continued growth“! Yet the number of air travelers has fallen to mid-1990s levels and the number of aircraft operations has fallen steadily for a quarter of a century and is now less than half what it was in 1990. What are objective measures for these projects as it appears not to be, say, actual usage of the airport?

The heated pedestrian/bike bridge in the University district. What is an objective measure for this project?

The downtown electric trolley project. Define an objective measure for success.

The North-South freeway. The only objective measure seems to be that it is finished within a century.

Proposed (and voted down) light rail line between downtown Spokane and Liberty Lake.

Proposed light rail between the Spokane Airport and downtown Spokane.

What are the objective metrics by which these projects and their management will be judged and held accountable?

Who will hold them accountable?

See my cover letters to US Asst. AG Tomas Perez and formal criminal complaint alleges serious civil rights violations by former SPD Ofc. Alan Edwards:

Letter to Perez 08-06-12

Letter to Perez 08-28-12

Edwards Complaint 08-06-12

SCROLL FOR UPDATES

The American people need to see/hear this before the election.  Jennifer Griffen is now on this story that the pastor I quoted several weeks ago posted on his blog.  This is absolutely disgusting.  The WH needs to be pillared on this NOW!

It’s obvious the MSM except FOX is unwilling to report this story.  This is not a partisan issue.  This is a very serious issue for all Americans.  The POTUS not only has failed as the CINC he’s lied directly to the American people.

Below Carolyn’s link to this breaking news I’ve reposted the pastor’s account from his sources.
Ron
———- Forwarded message -!———

From: Carolyn
Date: Fri, Oct 26, 2012 at 5:26 PM
Subject: Fox’s Jennifer Griffin exposes Obama’s lies about Benghazi

Four years ago, the mainstream media buried all of the racism and corruption scandals about Barack Obama; as a result, he was elected.  Now the media’s trying desperately to get him elected again by burying a brand new scandal.  But this one is too horrible for words.  On September 11, 2012, Obama’s administration repeatedly refused to send aid to Americans being attacked in Benghazi, Libya, despite the Americans screaming desperately for help again and again.  The cold cruel response was always ‘stand down’, do nothing, don’t help them.  Even when the Americans gave the coordinates for the deadly mortars attacking them, the administration refused to authorize air strikes.  As a result, two SEALS met needless deaths.

All of the liberal mainstream are refusing to publicize this story – so it’s left up to you and I to do the job for them.  I beg every one of you to tell the truth about Benghazi to every person you know.  It’s only eleven days before the election – this story must get out.  The Obama administration has already killed four Americans; if Obama is re-elected, the entire country will share the same fate.

(Please click on the link so you can listen to Jennifer Griffin’s heartbreaking description of what really happened in Benghazi.  It will make you weep.)

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/10/26/report-cia-requested-help-during-benghazi-battle-were-denied-three-times/?singlepage=true

BREAKING: CIA Requested Help During Benghazi Battle, Were Denied Three Times (Updated)

by Bryan Preston

Fox’s Jennifer Griffin deserves a Pulitzer for the work she is doing to uncover what really happened during and after the assault at Benghazi. In her latest blockbuster, she reports on how American personnel were left without aid during the battle.

Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that three urgent requests from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack nearly seven hours later were denied by officials in the CIA chain of command — who also told the CIA operators to “stand down” rather than help the ambassador’s team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.
Former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a small team who were at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, they radioed to inform their higher-ups to tell them what they were hearing. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. An hour later, they called again to headquarters and were again told to “stand down.”

Who gave those stand-down orders? Was the CIA director, Gen. David Petraeus, aware of them? Did he approve them? Who specifically took any part on this decision?

A Special Operations team, or CIF which stands for Commanders in Extremis Force, operating in Central Europe had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but they too were told to stand down. A second force that specializes in counterterrorism rescues was on hand at Sigonella, according to senior military and intelligence sources. According to those sources, they could have flown to Benghazi in less than two hours. They were the same distance to Benghazi as those that were sent from Tripoli. Specter gunships are commonly used by the Special Operations community to provide close air support.

According to sources on the ground, the special operator on the roof of the CIA annex had visual contact and a laser pointing at the Libyan mortar team that was targeting the CIA annex. The operators were calling in coordinates of where the Libyan forces were firing from.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that there was not a clear enough picture of what was occurring on the ground in Benghazi to send help.

“There’s a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here,” Panetta said Thursday. “But the basic principle here … is that you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on.”

“Monday morning quarterbacking”? They had a laser on the target. An F-18 could have reached the scene from Sigonella in about an hour and destroyed it.

The denial of aid is criminal. Whoever gave those multiple stand-down orders may be an accomplice to manslaughter, at least.

The notion that there was nothing they could have done is absurd. The military has binders and binders — note that word — of contingency plans to deal with breaking security issues and attacks. But our troops, according to Sen. John McCain, were not even put on alert, and field operators on the scene were ordered to stand down.

More: When the 3 AM crisis phone call came in, Barack Obama hatched a plot to attack American free speech rights. And then he went to bed.

Update from Bob Owens: There was an AC-130U gunship on the scene in Benghazi, but it was not allowed to fire.

Update: The CIA denies Fox’s report.
*****

Dear Mr. Roots,

A portion of your post was sent to me from a high level source in the DOS without attribution.  I assumed he/she found it factually based.  From your previous military svs I would expect you have extensive contacts that want this story to get out.  I’m not requesting that you reveal your sources only that you have first hand sources and or can attest to the authenticity of your narration.

I’m a member of a blogger group (Media Mythbusters) that attempts to hold the MSM accountable when they knowingly or inadvertently run propaganda from the enemy.

Ron Wright

Here’s my latest post to the group:

I saw the author of this piece last night on Greta.  He nails what I’ve been thinking for a while about our President that leads from the rear and is in perpetual campaign mode.

Our CINC has been MIA.  What galls me the most is his lackadaisical attitude over the attack on our consulate.  IMO this was an act of war that deserves his full attention and response to our enemies that such actions will not be tolerated no matter what god they worship.

BTW no one responded on my earlier post to vet this piece I received from a very trust source who generally is in the know about this things as to what happened at the consulate.

Ron

September 28, 2012 12:00 A.M.

Barack Obama: Slacker-in-Chief
He has higher priorities than attending to domestic and foreign policy. By Deroy Murdock

About Author Archive Latest RSS Send

*****

Ron,

Thanks for your e-mail concerning my article, Courageous. As you properly surmised, I have many contacts. I also would not write something I did not absolutely believe to be accurate. Since I wrote this a week ago, several of the details I wrote about have been validated through other reporters and agencies. I suspect most, or possibly all the particulars will eventually come out. However, I am not in a position to name my sources.

Blessings!

Dr. Charles R. Roots
Senior Pastor
Ripon Free Methodist Church
www.chuckroots.com (web site)

Former Staff Sergeant, USMC
Captain, U. S. Navy Chaplain Corps (Ret)

*****

http://rootsinripon.blogspot.com/2012/09/courageous.html

Courageous

Recently I was teaching a class in my church on the biblical character, Joshua. You remember him – he’s the one who took over for Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. God made several promises to Joshua in the opening verses of this book of the Bible named after him. Three times God instructs Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” In fact, one of those times God instructed him to be “very courageous.” The road ahead was a tough one and Joshua would need to be up to the task.

The news has been full of the attacks on our embassies throughout the Muslim world, and in particular, the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others in Benghazi, Libya. However, apart from the shameful amount of disinformation willingly distributed by the Main Stream Media and the current administration, there’s a little known story of incredible bravery, heroics, and courage that should be the top story of every news agency across the fruited plain.

So what actually happened at the U.S. embassy in Libya? We are learning more about this every day. Ambassador Stevens and Foreign Service officer Sean Smith, along with administrative staff, were working out of temporary quarters due to the fact that in the spring of 2011 during the so-called Arab Spring, the United States cut ties with then president Moammar Gadhafi. Our embassy was looted and ransacked, causing it to be unusable. It is still in a state of disrepair. Security for embassies and their personnel is to be provided by the host nation. Since Libya has gone through a civil war of sorts in the past 18 months, the current government is very unstable, and therefore, unreliable

A well-organized attack by radical Muslims was planned specifically targeting the temporary U.S. embassy building. The Libyan security force that was in place to protect our people deserted their post, or joined the attacking force. Either way, our people were in a real fix. And it should be noted that Ambassador Stevens had mentioned on more than one occasion to Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, that he was quite concerned for his personal safety and the welfare of his people. It is thought that Ambassador Stevens was on a “hit list.”

A short distance from the American compound, two Americans were sleeping. They were in Libya as independent contractors working an assignment totally unrelated to our embassy. They also happened to be former Navy SEALs. When they heard the noise coming from the attack on our embassy, as you would expect from highly trained warriors, they ran to the fight. Apparently, they had no weapons, but seeing the Libyan guards dropping their guns in their haste in fleeing the scene, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty snatched up several of these discarded weapons and prepared to defend the American compound.

Not knowing exactly what was taking place, the two SEALs set up a defensive perimeter. Unfortunately Ambassador Stevens was already gravely injured, and Foreign Service officer, Sean Smith, was dead. However, due to their quick action and suppressive fire twenty administrative personnel in the embassy were able to escape to safety. Eventually, these two courageous men were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers brought against them, an enemy force numbering between 100 to 200 attackers which came in two waves. But the stunning part of the story is that Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty killed 60 of the attacking force. Once the compound was overrun, the attackers were incensed to discover that just two men had inflicted so much death and destruction on their numerically superior force.

As it became apparent to these selfless heroes, they were definitely going to lose their lives unless some reinforcements showed up in a hurry. As we know now, that was not to be. I’m fairly certain they knew they were going to die in this gun fight, but not before they took a whole lot of bad guys with them!

Consider these tenets of the Navy SEAL Code: 1) Loyalty to Country, Team and Teammate, 2) Serve with Honor and Integrity On and Off the Battlefield, 3) Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit, 4) Take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates, 5) Excel as Warriors through Discipline and Innovation, 6) Train for War, Fight to Win, Defeat our Nation’s Enemies, and 7) Earn your Trident every day ( http://www.navyseals.com/seal-code-warrior-creed).

Thank you, Tyrone and Glen. To the very last breath, you both lived up to the SEAL Code. You served all of us well. You were courageous in the face of certain death.

And Tyrone, even though you never got to hold your newborn son, he will grow up knowing the character and quality of his father, a man among men who sacrificed himself defending others.

God bless America

UPDATE I:

First, Aid the Living

By Bing West

October 21, 2012 11:39 P.M.

Comments

163

A U.S. ambassador is missing and his diplomatic team is desperately fighting off terrorist attacks. Our commander-in-chief and his national-security team in Washington are listening to the phone calls from the Americans under attack and watching real-time video from a drone circling overhead. Yet the U.S. military sends no aid. Why? . . .

UPDATE II:

More reports from the Internet on the Benghazi attack:

Unfit for office [Reader Post]

Weekend Edition: IT WAS TREASON – Arrest Obama

MILITARY INSIDER: “Do The Math…Left On Own To Die Out There”

Hillary Asked For More Security In Benghazi, Obama Said No

These three are probably the best:

GAFFNEY: The real reason behind Benghazigate

Was Obama gun-walking arms to jihadists?

Questions for White House Over Benghazi Just Beginning

We have two likely possibilities for what occurred, plus a subplot involving arms to al-Qaeda, which could be treason.

Benghazigate: What is being lied about, going unasked? – UPDATE

Media cooperating with Benghazi cover-up?

UPDATE III:

These are the questions that the White House press corps are not demanding answers too from Real Clear Politics:

. . . This cover-up, like that in Watergate, goes right to the top. What’s being covered up is much worse than a “third rate burglary.” Why was security so lax? Why were the ambassador’s pleas for more turned down? Why did the president lie? Americans have a right to know. Few in the media have tried to find out . . .

UPDATE IV:

Today’s breaking new developments as the leaks from the inside continue.  This time from Hot Air:

Documents found in Benghazi consulate claimed “troubling” surveillance by Libyan guards; Update: Obama not participating in investigation; Report: State never requested military back-up during attack

posted at 4:41 pm on November 1, 2012 by Allahpundit

Report: Obama never convened counterterrorism task force during Benghazi attack

posted at 8:54 pm on November 1, 2012 by Allahpundit

From PJ Media:

Benghazi, American Honor, Little Caesar, and the False Dmitri

From the American Thinker:

Benghazi Reveals Obama-Islamist Alliance

From the Gateway Pundit:

CLINT EASTWOOD Slams Obama on Benghazi Massacre: “There Should Have Been an Attempt” to Save the Men (Video)

From the Jawa Report:

FP Exclusive: ‘What We Found In Benghazi: The Troubling Documents The FBI Missed

UPDATE V:

This one from PJ Media via the Summer Patriot, Winter Soldier is a must read – the order from the POTUS that never came:

the solution to the “stand down” controversy …. barack obama did not have to tell the military to “stand down” on any rescue mission, because he had never told them to “stand up” …

 From the Daily Beast:

New Details on Benghazi

Nov 1, 2012 4:19 PM EDT

Two U.S. officials tell Eli Lake that the State Department never requested military backup the night of the attack.

 From the American Thinker:

Benghazi Timeline: More Lies Exposed

Why Obama Chose to Let Them Die in Benghazi

May 21, 2012

President Stuckart and City Council

Re: Proposed resolution approving Otto Zehm Settlement Agreement

I wish to thank Mayor Condon, Council President Stuckart and the new City Council for making the Otto Zehm settlement a high priority unlike the previous administration and Council.   I also wish to thank the Spokesman-Review for keeping Otto’s story alive – Tom Clouse, Doug Clark, Shawn Vestal and many others.  The Center for Justice should be commended for taking Otto’s case and sticking with it even though the former administration tried everything possible to cover it up. 

The S-R with its coverage and the CFJ in launching of the federal civil suit is what caused the US DOJ to come in and play hardball in our bush league to ensure that justice was served. I hope the US DOJ is not done yet and will go after all who were complicit and or aided and abetted in the cover-up.

Otto’s tragic death and the cover-up that ensued were the result of a total system failure much like the Nixon Watergate scandal to cover-up a third rate burglary. Some of the dynamics of this failure are beyond the control of the City but not the voters of this County – Steve Tucker. Unfortunately the tragic and unfortunate death of Otto was the catalyst that exposed the dirty under belly of the local criminal justice system.

And there is the issue infamous salute by may SPD officers that went unsanctioned … that Doug Clark failed to mention in his dead bang broadside on the Zehm, “… the serpents of the city’s legal department … the jackals we pay to serve us who refused that any wrongs had been done.”

The recent S-R Editorial Opinion (http://tinyurl.com/dyzo73k) was right on the mark. It was never about the money. All the Zehm family wanted was an apology and assurances that such tragedies wouldn’t happen again by cops allowed to go rogue by inept, incompetent and clueless law enforcement leaders, the City Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Mayor and the County Prosecutor’s Office. The Zehm family let the City off the hook very lightly.  In short high ranking members of the SPD, the City Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Mayor lied to the citizens.

The City should respond in kind in a strong showing of good faith that it is very serious about bringing real change to the SPD to regain the trust and confidence of the people instead of being afraid of their own police force as some occupying military force instead. All the happy talk on moving forward will do nothing to bring about the cultural, behavioral and organizational change that is desperately needed by SPD.

There are many fine men and women who are doing a very difficult job day in and day out that need our support to weed out the bad apples and to install a police command staff that has the intestinal fortitude to lead and to discipline the rank and file when appropriate. The City has not only failed WE THE PEOPLE but has failed its police officers for condoning and sanctioning poor police leadership. If there is no support from the top, officers who do speak out will find themselves without backup on hot calls

The Zehm case is not an isolated case of police mistakes, abuse and misconduct. There are many others where the system failed to catch and address as well – Quinton Dodd, Scott Creach (federal civil suit CRV 2:11-CV-00432-RMP) John Hudson (federal civil suit CRV 2:11-CV-00137-TOR). These cases would be few and far between if local law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office had moral, ethical and professional leadership with a strong desire to search for the truth instead of spending much effort to cover up mistakes, abuse and misconduct from public exposure.

One case that stands out in my mind is former SPD Ofc. Alan Edwards.

Why wasn’t SPD Ofc. Alan Edwards not charged under state law and or federal law or at least fired wasn’t after the SPD internal affairs investigation was completed for his egregious civil rights violation of a Spokane citizen?  Here are the criminal and IA reports – http://tinyurl.com/6ofnlwd and http://tinyurl.com/7g88hkq. Read them and form your own opinion. In my opinion this was a flagrant abuse of police power that violated the fundamental right of all citizens to be secure in our homes without unreasonable search and seizure without warrant – The Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution.

As a former police union president and strong supporter of defending the rights of officers, HOWEVER in my opinion the Spokane Police Guild has done its members no favors in the Thompson case. Police unions are necessary to protect the rights of officers especially when capricious police and city administrators go rogue on witch hunts. The Guild in my opinion has strayed into areas that historically are the rights and prerogatives of management e.g., a case of the tail wagging the dog.  What was Guild vice president Moses thinking when he testified in the Thompson case. It was apparent to me he was lying.  Ofc. Moses’ attitude and demeanor under direct questioning was very contemptuous and insolent.  

Further I have attached a number of actions the City could implement as a showing of good faith to return the graciousness of the Zehm family.  In the end it will be WE THE PEOPLE who will pay for the failure of our elected and appointed leaders to address this serious problem.

Thank you Zehm family for your graciousness!

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL ACTION

There are a number of actions that the City could take that  would be a showing of good faith to the community and the Zehm family that the City’s new leadership of Mayor Condon, President Stuckart and the City Council are very serious about seeing that meaningful change occurs within SPD:

1).  First and foremost because of the abdication of  County Prosecutor Steve Tucker of his duties and responsibilities in reviewing officer involved shootings and deaths (OIS/OID), a good way of quickly publicly vetting the evidence/testimony of these incidents would be inquest hearings when the criminal investigation is handed off to the prosecutor for review.

In my opinion up until now these investigations have been low balled and Tucker hasn’t bothered to send them back for further investigation before rendering his filing decision. This would quickly raise the professional bar of how these investigations are done any whether they warrant criminal filing or not. Well done criminal investigations would facilitate later IA investigations.  If mistakes were made, police policy, procedure and training can be changed quickly when necessary.  There has yet been an after action review in the Zehm case or at least publicly disclosed.

2).  An after action review of what led to the Zehm death is greatly needed. The cover-up and its aftermath have a lot in common with the Nixon Watergate. Both involve systemic organizational failures. This review must be done by professionals outside of the City of Spokane’s influence that include law enforcement professionals and not necessarily academics and legal experts.

3). The infamous SPD salute is still offensive to me and may Spokane citizens. City Attorney Nancy Isserlis could study the existing case law. In my opinion this was an actionable offense under current SPD conduct policy regardless of whether these officers were off-duty. This is not a free speech issue as case law is quite clear as a condition of employment police officers can be held to a professional conduct policy – off duty.

It disturbed me greatly that Chief Stephens didn’t take action on my complaint. All that was necessary was a letter to the officers’ personnel files that would time out in six months or so that such action would no longer be tolerated. I sense the hand of former Asst. City Attorney Treppiedi again as this is what Chief Kirkpatrick and Mayor Verner were parroting the same legal counsel the salute was protected free speech.  This would send a strong and clear message that the new City leadership is breaking with the past and intends to put its house in order.

4).  Recommend to the regional board that administers the multi-agency investigative team that currently responds to all officer involved shootings/deaths (OIS/OID), hire a law enforcement expert in OIS/OID investigations. This consultant could ride along with the team for a while. The consultant could give hands on training and make recommendations on how these investigations can be improved. What I saw in the Creach case did not impress me. In my opinion the team went through the motions but never really got to the truth of what actually happened that night.

The question is why?  Is a lack of knowledge and or lack of desire to ask the hard questions that need to be asked? Sometimes this could be a case of group think, failure to believe that officers will sometimes lie, dismissive of critique of perceived outsiders and not thinking outside of the box.

5). The City should set clear policy that it will not tolerate the continued employment of officers that are found lying.  Arbitrators fail to understand the necessity of holding officers to a higher standard because of court sanctions.  Arbitrators will order the rehiring of officers who lie if there is no set public policy preventing them from doing so. This may be a factor in hesitating to fire officers when it is well justified. As recently reported by the S-R there are Brady issues in retaining officers that have lost credibility in the courts – Officers Moses and McIntyre.

6).  In addition to the memorial plaque in Mission Park that the Zehm family has requested, name the SPD Police Academy after Otto. This would serve as a daily reminder to all who serve us. By the way when was the last time there was an actual police academy class? Seems like all the SPD hires are laterals transfers. This is all well in good to save money but sometimes if you don’t do real backgrounds, you end up getting ringers. Unfortunately the local system as not been good at weeding them out once they are hired – Ofc. Thompson and Dep. Hirzel with fragmented work histories.

7).  The Mayor and the City Council can request that the US DOJ continue with its current criminal investigation in the Thompson case to charge when possible any and all who were complicit and or aided and abetted in the cover-up. They have a wonderful tool that Tucker fails to use when dealing with reluctant witnesses – a federal grand jury.

8).  The Mayor and the City Council could also ask that US DOJ formally investigate the case of Ofc. Edwards as to why he was never charged or at least fired after the IA investigation. The Thompson and Edwards cases are like peas in a pod and illustrative of the systemic problems of high level officials in seeking to cover up these cases.  I doubt any review of the findings in the reopened criminal investigation in the Ofc. Edwards case will lead to any state charges being filed.

9).  And lastly a way forward that may have a real chance of bringing substantive change within SPD and other local law enforcement agencies. What is needed is a real control mechanism that has instant credibility to challenge what goes for the professional law enforcement norm and best practice in our community.

In some cases local law enforcement is twenty years behind real time in other areas of the Country. The rules of engagement between a military in an active war zone and those of civilian law enforcement within a civil society have been allowed to become clouded and blurred. This watchdog mechanism needs to be divorced from what goes as politics as usual in this town.

 Create a center for excellence in law enforcement within the Center for Justice named after Otto.
This center could be funded with seed money from the City in recognition of the Zehm family’s graciousness. Further annual contributions by the City for operating expenses could be included for a few years to come. Once the center is created grant funding could be sought from the US DOJ and other organizations both governmental and private.

I would support this expense as opposed to all the money and resources used to support the Downtown Electric Trolley to nowhere, when our law enforcement agencies are killing citizens under questionable decision making and circumstances. I was gaveled down by President Joe Shogan for having the audacity of questioning City funding priorities during the recent trolley debate. I brought up the Scott Creach case and the pending closure of the SPD’s crimes against property unit (Burglary unit).  The recent reports on the SPD staffing levels and comparison crime rates are very disturbing.

The finances of such a center should be kept separate from the CFJ except for the sharing some staff and office space at the Community Building. The center should have its own board of directors that are largely independent of the CFJ. The board should be comprised of law enforcement experts from out of our area and could include some members of the community. The board should not contain the usual local power brokers.

The center would be a professional think tank both regionally and nationally for law enforcement best practices. The center could also draw from the criminal justice programs at WSU, EWU and Whitworth. Language could be included in the creation of this center that the SPD must be open to study and examination by the center and should seriously consider any recommendations by this center for policy, procedure and training changes. READ – the SPD could be sued successfully for failure to change training, negligent retention and other police policy issues as recommended by the center.

Such a center would side step the local political corruption. The center would have credibility when it speaks critically of the SPD and other local agencies instead of being dismissed and marginalized like those of us who have spoken out and have broken blue http://tinyurl.com/ykz9wcb.

Further no negotiations would be necessary with the Guild which would be out flanked.

Former Sheriff Tony Bamonte drops a bombshell on Spokane City Hall –

Nationally famous former Sheriff Tony Bamonte of “Breaking Blue” fame ( (http://tinyurl.com/ykz9wcb) dropped this bombshell on City Hall.

Sheriff Bamonte requested a grand jury investigation of organized crime in Spokane in a letter he personally delivered to City Hall addressed to Mayor Dave Condon and City Attorney Nancy Isserlis:

Wonder why the Spokane Police Dept. is perhaps understaffed by 100 officers as reported by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and Spokane is tops in total crime rate for WA? It’s second to Tacoma in the violent crime rate as reported by KREM (http://tinyurl.com/7pm9995)? (NOTE: I may have said violent crime in a previous post)

Our local government has allowed WE THE PEOPLE to be robbed in broad daylight many times, over many years of many $100M of dollars. Consequently the SPD an essential governmental service has been allowed to be attritted.

. . . I again request a grand jury involving the commission of organized criminal activity and corruption by public officials in Spokane. This activity involves members of Spokane’s most powerful family (specifically Stacey Cowles, Betsy Cowles and Jim Cowles) and numerous public officials named below. It involves mullions of public dollars channeled to members of that family that easily fall within the category of illegal donative intent: It also involves a death, which was deliberately and blatantly covered up by Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Kenzovich, Spokane City Attorney Howard Delaney, Spokane Assistant City Attorney Rocky Trepidi [sic], Spokane County Prosecutor Steve Tucker, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, and Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, U. S. Assistant Attorney Robert Westinghouse; and Spokane based FBI agent Frank Harrill. This demonstrates the ability and control of the Cowles Publishing Company, which also owns KHQ-TV/. . ., over our government from our city, up to and including our state and federal level government . . . .

Full text of letter – http://tinyurl.com/7hpdqm8

To All:

I just received this blog post by Patterico via Michelle Malkin a conservative blogger and syndicated columnist. This blogger who goes by the name of Patterico is a Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney has been a victim of this terrorizing tactic.

All law enforcement agencies should immediately get up to speed on this tactic. IMO this is a terrorist act as it invokes abject terror in the targeted victims. At least in CA this could conceivably come under 422PC and or cyber stalking crimes.

All 911 call centers should be briefed on this new domestic terrorist tactic.

http://patterico.com/2012/05/25/convicted-bomber-brett-kimberlin-neal-rauhauser-ron-brynaert-and-their-campaign-of-political-terrorism/

5/25/2012

Convicted Bomber Brett Kimberlin, Neal Rauhauser, Ron Brynaert, and Their Campaign of Political Terrorism

Patterico @ 12:54 am

You’re about to listen to one of the most bone-chilling pieces of audio you will ever hear. At least, it was to me when I first heard it.

It’s a phone call that could have gotten me killed.

In this post you will hear that audio clip. You will also read about a months-long campaign of harassment carried out by at least three individuals: Ron Brynaert, Neal Rauhauser, and Brett Kimberlin — much of it directed at critics of Brett Kimberlin. This harassment includes repeated references to critics’ family members, workplace complaints, publication of personal information such as home addresses and pictures of residences, bogus allegations of criminal activity, whisper campaigns, frivolous legal actions, and frivolous State Bar complaints.

And finally, you will hear a comparison of one of those men’s voices to that of the man who made the call that sent police to my home. And you’ll read a declaration from a forensic audio expert comparing those two voices.

BREITBART TOLD THE STORY JUST BEFORE HE DIED

In the last radio interview Andrew Breitbart ever gave, on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show, Breitbart talked about a new ruthless tactic used by thugs against political opponents:

[O]ne of the things they’ve done to people who have worked with me in the past, including an L.A. prosecutor, is to “SWAT.” That means that they’re spoofing phones, pretending to be somebody else’s phone, calling 911, and saying “I killed somebody” and then the person’s home is met with the guns drawn, the SWAT and the helicopters, in a horrifying act. It’s happened twice: once in New Jersey, once in Los Angeles, with an L.A. County . . . prosecutor who [is] associated with me.”

I am that L.A. County prosecutor. And in this post, you’ll hear the hoax call that sent police to my house, pointing loaded guns at me.

THE NIGHT I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BECAUSE OF MY BLOGGING . . .

 [SCROLL FOR UPDATES]

Oh we got “T R O U B L E” ! ! !

Yes we’ve got real trouble – right here in River City!

That’s spelled “t r o u b l e” with a capital “T”!

“T” that rhymes with “C” that stands for “C o w l e s” – [oops sorry banned word in polite company] – AKA Citizens for Jobs Now !*

Protect your woman and children from these hustlers in our midst!Heed this warning before it’s too late!Watch for the tell-tale sign of corruption!Guard your pocket books from those fast talking politicians that will spend your hard earned money at a drop of a hat!Those same politicians in the pockets of those Downtown Boss Hoggs who roll the dice with your money on the line for their own benefit!

[OK protected free speech – political satire for your amusement only:-)]

More news to follow –

* http://www.citizensforjobsnow.com/ – Yeah alright – ASTROTURF. See WA PDC filing for this PAC click on button for “C1PC Report” at top of donor table –http://tinyurl.com/6mvb3yg

*****

I’ve expressed my views on Measure 1 in other posts. I rather doubt this expansion will bring the business touted by this expansion. Read the work of Mr. X at the Spokane Economics and Demographics Data blog:

Spokane Convention Center Expansion by the Numbers

The creation of the Spokane Public Facilities District (PFD) was for a worthwhile cause to replace the old Spokane Coliseum that had fallen into disrepair. The citizens of Spokane were very concerned about issuing any new City and or County bonds to fund a new facility.  Since that time the PFD has morphed through a series of actions and interlocal Machiavellian agreements that has subverted the original intent as approved by the voters.

Some of the usual suspects involved in the RPS bond frauds and the now failed Wenatchee PFD event center  (Bond Buyer) were involved in the creation and funding of the Spokane PFD.

Regarding the proposed Measure 1 by the PFD and as supported by the PAC, Citizens for Jobs Now, here are the critical questions yet unanswered in the PR and ad campaigns. Are the revenue projections based on reasonable assumptions? Has financial due diligence been done by the PFD  to ensure this is a good deal and the continuance of this funding authority will not go tilt when the projected revenue fails short of projections?

For an excellent account on the murky past on the formation of the PFD and the subsequent interlocal agreements involving the Arena, INB, Convention Center, Fair and Expo Center and Mirabeau Point read this four part series by Tim Connor and Larry Shook:

Part 1
THE GATE CRASHER (06-26-2003)
How the ghost of River Park Square haunts the convention center project

Part 2
The Note-Taker and the Wizard

Part 3
“Skullduggery”UPDATE I:

Part 4
Two Grumpy Old Men

UPDATE I:
A comment from Dick Adams, one of the, “Two Grumpy Old Men,” in the latest S-R thread on Measure 1:

Its noteworthy, District CEO Kevin Twohig said “the district has an obligation to inform the public about the projects”. Recently Twohig has been on Local TV selling?? I have seen Twohig several times the last few days and wonder who is paying the TV tab?? I posted what`s going on in Olympia once, and I will repeat it. I have noticed our legislators are resurrecting HB 2106 and have added a companion bill because of the stupids in Wentchee overspending on the convention center. My assessment of this crap concerns me because to allow Wentchee`s PFD to increase the amount of money they need to help out the huge debt, the companion bill provides the city a chance to sell muni nonvoter bonds. It must have sounded so good the legislators decided to include not only Wentchee to get more money, but every PFD in the state. Another guess on my part is, if the ballot fails the jerks will fast track the companion bill and to heck with the voters did turning it down. That shell game has been around for many years.

Here’s another comment from my friend Dick Adams in the S-R Editorial puff piece in support of Measure 1:

How dare the PFD sell nonvoter muni bonds, by non-elected officials sitting on the PFD board. For crying out loud, the first expansion of the convention center the members of the PFD had to pay off, in cash, $300,000.00 to pay off contaminated muni bonds before they could get approval of the financial package. And as usual, the Spokesman Review covered up the illegal muni bonds purchased that were paid off in cash for some unknown reason. It does not take much imagination to figure it out.

SCROLL FOR UPDATES:

Interesting.  The question is whether Ms. Isserlis will distinguish herself from her predecessors and staff of the City Attorney’s Office.  See the challenged issued by Larry Shook that I posted below.

A welcome new challenge for city attorney

Ron_the_Cop on March 08 at 5:54 a.m.

WOW I’m impressed!

Perhaps the City Attorney’s Office now has a leader, one with high moral and ethical standards, that has been sorely lacking in this office for a long time. The Guild should take note. They won’t have a Treppiedi that comes running to cover-up their mistakes in the interest of minimizing civil liabilities that in some cases is not in the best interests of the City.

And most of all one that won’t tolerate special favors to the legacy wealth holders in this City with taxpayer dollars.

*****

A challenge from Larry Shook of www.larryshook.com:

Thank you, Det. Wright.

Please copy me on all requests you make of new City of Spokane attorney Nancy Isserlis to redress aspects of the RPS fraud– e.g. the fraudulent settlement by the city’s legal department of the RPS securities fraud case, evidence that implicates the City of Spokane in what Sheriff Bamonte alleges is the first-degree manslaughter death of Jo Ellen Savage in the RPS parking garage, and ample evidence of deeply entrenched systemic public corruption and racketeering in Spokane. There’s no better example of the extent to which this corruption threatens public safety than the continuing hazard represented by the RPS parking garage.

I sincerely hope that Ms. Isserlis turns out to be a public servant with the “high moral and ethical standards” you refer to. What concerns me, of course, is that this flattering article about her in the Cowles-owned Spokesman Review is exactly the kind of carrot that the Cowles family has used for more than a century to install corrupt public officials willing to tolerate and cover up Cowles activities. This long-standing pattern of practice, as you and Sheriff Bamonte have pointed out, satisfies both state and federal statutory definitions of organized crime. No less a federal authority than the IRS seemingly concluded this in its June 2004 Adverse Determination against the RPS bonds. The Cowles family and various City of Spokane and other public officials sold those bonds in order to fraudulently finance the Cowles family’s downtown Spokane shopping center. “It is clear from the facts of this case, the developer [the Cowles family] had and continues to have, a particular relationship with the City of Spokane … such  that it was in a position to control or influence its activities,” wrote the IRS on p.17 of the Adverse Determination linked above.

“Control” is the operative word in that IRS sentence and is the reason that the civil RICO litigation recommended by you, Sheriff Bamonte and others has merit, I believe. How the Cowles family used its media to control the City of Spokane in the RPS fraud is partially documented in “All in the Family.” How that control has operated historically in Spokane is documented in a 1977 Harvard economics thesis. This is a portrait of the reign of terror the Cowles family has visited on Spokane for more than a century. How that terror produced the RPS scandal and its continuing aftermath was the subject of a national prize-winning investigative reporting series called “How the Spokesman-Review Subverted Democracy in Spokane, Washington.”

As Sheriff Bamonte has also documented, the Cowles family/City of Spokane pattern of racketeering has corrupted American government all the way to the White House. In other words, Ms. Isserlis assumes her important public office, inheriting the public trust that goes with it, in the presence of a rogue elephant of public corruption that even President Obama and his attorney general have been afraid to confront. It’s unfortunate for the public that you and Sheriff Bamonte are no longer wearing the badges that you wore with demonstrated honor and courage throughout your careers.

As with other correspondence of this nature from me, you and all other recipients are free to circulate it as you choose. Think of it as a kind of trip-wire wildlife camera on the rogue elephant in our midst.

Sincerely,

Larry Shook

UPDATE I:

The following comment was scrubbed by S-R Allison Boggs:

Ron_the_Cop on March 08 at 11:20 a.m.

Ms. Boggs,

I concur with the other posters after she gets her feet on the ground – Mr. Treppiedi needs to go for all his well known sins. Further it wouldn’t surprise me if Mr. Treppiedi is indicted for obstruction of justice in the Zehm cover-up case.

Seer, Shelala, Brian and Albert –

DITTO! Time will tell. Seer she does have a nose for following the money. In this town if she is of moral and ethical character this skill will serve her well to restore the faith of the citizens in Spokane government.

Ms. Boggs,

Larry Shook who you know is a very credible investigative journalist of www.larryshook.com has this challenge to Ms. Isserlis. Sorry if we’re a little gun shy re glowing recommendations from the S-R. Things as reported by the S-R sometimes may not be as rosy as they seem esp., when stories filed by reporters are edited by those in the Tower.

Capice?

From an excerpt on my blog:

http://tinyurl.com/7zglpgb

I sincerely hope that Ms. Isserlis turns out to be a public servant with the “high moral and ethical standards” you refer to. What concerns me, of course, is that this flattering article about her in the Cowles-owned Spokesman Review is exactly the kind of carrot that the Cowles family has used for more than a century to install corrupt public officials willing to tolerate and cover up Cowles activities. This long-standing pattern of practice, as you and Sheriff Bamonte have pointed out, satisfies both state and federal statutory definitions of organized crime. No less a federal authority than the IRS seemingly concluded this in its June 2004 Adverse Determination against the RPS bonds. The Cowles family and various City of Spokane and other public officials sold those bonds in order to fraudulently finance the Cowles family’s downtown Spokane shopping center. “It is clear from the facts of this case, the developer [the Cowles family] had and continues to have, a particular relationship with the City of Spokane … such that it was in a position to control or influence its activities,” wrote the IRS on p.17 of the Adverse Determination linked above.

The Spokane City Council is meeting to consider a resolution of reform actions for Spokane PD.  I sent the following letter to the City Council:

February 6, 2012

President and City Council

City of Spokane

RE:  Council Resolution RES-2012-0017 – Reform of the Police Department

By way of introduction my name is Ron Wright.  I am a retired police detective from Southern California having served almost thirty-five years.  I chose to relocate to Spokane for its many fine attributes.  I was a two-term president of a large police union.  I have taught criminal justice including community oriented policing, controversial issues in law enforcement and forensics and crime scene investigations at the college level.  I have a master of public administration from the Univ of Cal, Riverside and a political science degree from Cal State Univ. Fullerton.

I have followed some of these local problematic officer involved shootings/deaths (OIS/OID) from both my academic interest and also for clients that have not been satisfied with the actions of local law enforcement.  In my opinion there are indeed issues with the police rank and file however the real problem lies with inept, incompetent and or corrupt police leaders that have failed to take action. 

The job of a police officer is very difficult indeed requiring split second decisions.  Inevitably mistakes will be made, as police officers are only human. In Spokane there is a pattern of covering up mistakes to minimize public liability.  Elected leaders have buried their heads in the sand and or were so shaking in their boots of what the Guild might politically do also failed to act.   The Spokane Police Guild circled the wagons,  “them vs. us [citizens].” It would have been cheaper in the long run to we the taxpayers to simply acknowledge and to apologize when mistakes were made, learn from them, take action to ensure that they don’t happen again.

I recently wrote Mayor Condon with my recommendations of how to bring about real change quickly within the SPD (attached).  I have expanded upon those recommendations and they are attached.

In the end the community and the police must trust each other – we are the police and the police are us.

We are a nation of laws and no one even the police SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW.

Sincerely,

Ron Wright

*****

RECOMMENDATIONS:

My recommendations are based on my experience and education of what I believe will bring about the change we all desire in the shortest amount of time.

The City Council by resolution join with Mayor Condon in requesting that the US Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights initiate a pattern and practice investigation of the Spokane Police Department.

The City Council by resolution call upon US Attorney Michael Ormsby to expand the current criminal investigation into the death of Otto Zehm to include any who were complicit and or aided and abetted in the over cover-up and to prosecute them where possible for obstruction of justice.

There should be no discussion of any consolidation of the SO/SPD until the remedying of the immediate problems with SPD are well under way.

The City Council by resolution call upon the Spokane County Board of Commissioners to require all officer involved shootings and deaths (OIS/OIDs) be reviewed by an inquest panel once the OIS/OID criminal investigation is handed of to the Co Prosecutor for review.   This inquest panel under existing law will be presided over by a superior court judge under the rule of law and evidence in front of a random jury pulled by the existing jury pool.  This action will bring the real change and transparency of these investigations quickly without requiring any MOU negotiations with the Spokane Police Guild and or increasing the authority of the SPD Ombudsman.

The City Council by resolution call upon the Mayor to immediately order a top down review of the SPD academy’s curriculum especially the use of force training/instruction. In some of these recent problematic OIS/OIDs cases, the officers through poor police tactics created the exigent circumstances that lead to the use of lethal force.  From the testimony at the Thompson trial, the current SPD instructors should be reassigned. 

What we are discussing is the difference between the rules of engagement (ROE) of our military in an active war zone and that of civilian law enforcement in a civil society. 

In the end to be effective the community and the police must trust each other – we are the police and the police are us. We are a nation of laws and no one even the police SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW.

Make it a top priority to hire a new police chief quickly.  This chief should be a change agent.   His/her contract should be for no longer than two-years to weed out those who are not willing to change. Then a chief can be hired for a longer term.  A chief that is a strong leader but also is a consensus builder that can bring the department back together again and also secure the trust of the community once again.

In addition to requiring the use of personal lapel video cameras I recommend that dash cameras with audio be installed too.  Until the technology is available to record a full shift, I would recommend that these dash cameras be set on an endless loop at whatever length is currently practical e.g., as is done for current commercial aviation cockpit recorders.

Background investigations should not be hurried in the hiring of new or lateral transfer police officers.  The fact that a candidate comes from another state with extensive police experience should not lesson the need for in-depth investigations of the employment history of these candidates at their former employers.

Currently because of staffing levels the SPD Record’s Unit informs people making PDR requests that it will take up to 90 days to respond.  The queue is on a first come first serve basis.  In my opinion this is not in compliance with the existing WA Public Records Law and is an open invitation to suit and possible punitive sanctions against the City of Spokane.

*****

Documents –

Letter to Council

Email to Mayor Condon

Council agenda package containing SPD Resolution

I sent an email to Spokane Mayor Condon with specific recommendations on what he could do to change the culture and behavior of SPD.  Here’s a comment I just posted in S-R Tom Clouse’s most recent article in which I included my email to Mayor Condon:

January 24, 2012 in News, City

Thompson seeks sentence reduction

@Truthhurts

I agree with you about ensuring Mayor Condon keeps his campaign promises – Treppeidi. I think the feds are paying for Thompson’s defense now. It’s still taxpayer money though.

Here’s my email to Mayor Condon with my punch list including my recommendations for SPD. I forgot to include personal cameras. I also suggested tightening up the background investigations of lateral hires esp for short termers from Cali – they may be problem children e.g., perhaps Hirzel and Thompson:-)

Punch list:

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jan/13/condon-team-big-on-ideas-and-jargon/?comments#c398489

Here’s a list of addresses where interested citizens can also write to encourage the US DOJ do a P&P investigation of SPD. Also the address of the US Attorney’s Office address to encouraged them to expand their current criminal investigation into the Otto Zehm cover-up and to prosecute others culpable for obstruction of justice:

Addresses:

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jan/13/condon-team-big-on-ideas-and-jargon/?comments#c396977

Dear Mr. Condon,

I attended your recent meeting where you received the reports from your transition committees. My specific interest is with regaining the trust of SPD with the citizens of Spokane.

First see my comments directly related to restoring the fiscal responsibility and integrity of the City’s stewardship of the taxpayer money and my analysis of why the Spokane economy fails to launch in my blog post:

Condon team big on ideas – and jargon
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jan/13/condon-team-big-on-ideas-and-jargon/

I would strongly recommend a read the comment thread of Shawn Vestal’s column on your meeting. See my comment below in this very active thread regarding the SPD. This thread is now over 140 comments.

I was shocked but not surprised that the City’s financial accounting system is fragmented. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND bringing in an outside forensic auditor to audit the City’s accounts both enterprise and general fund. I can personally recommend Tiffany Couch who has uncovered significant irregularities with the Columbia River Crossing Project (CRC) in Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA:

Acuity Group PLLC
Forensic Accounting and Financial Investigation
http://www.acuityforensics.com/

It continues to amaze me why City Attorney Howard Delaney and Asst. City Attorney Roco Treppiedi are still employed by the City. A read of the proffer filed by the US Attorney’s Office in the Thompson case in April of 2010 says it all. Further in the filing last week by AUSA Tim Durkin who prosecuted the Thompson case, was shocked to learn that video forensics work paid for by the US DOJ was released to Asst. City Attorney Treppiedi et al (See the attached new filing). It would not surprise me if the US Attorney’s Office continues with its current criminal investigation, that Treppiedi is indicted for obstruction of justice e.g., the overt cover-up of the death of Otto Zehm by the SPD.

My recommendations for SPD can be done quickly and do not involve MOU negotiations with the Guild. I’ve heard though I have not researched it yet that outgoing Mayor Verner has precluded any substantive SPD MOU negotiations on the OPO for a few years out.

It continues to amaze me that there has been no official disciplinary action taken by the City against those SPD employees that saluted Thompson in the Federal Courtroom. Unlike former Chief Kirkpatrick and Mayor Verner characterized as protected free speech, this was a clear violation of SPD policy. Case law is very clear that public employees and esp. police can be disciplined for public statements and actions that bring embarrassment to the agency.

Also see my comment in this thread as to why Fire Chief Williams should be fired.

Ron Wright