Ron The Cop

A lie told often enough becomes the truth.

May 28th, 2010

Fagan/McGrath KTW Radio Show “The RIGHT Spokane persepective” – WHO RUNS BARTER TOWN? (The Cowles Co., Spokane, WA)

UPDATE – Media Alert (Scroll for additional updates)

For some unknown reason the livestream  instructions did not work as provided by the KTW. Another religious program was on the livestream of ACN network. The live broadcast on KTW 630AM aired just fine.

This first installment of Mr. Shook’s interview on Mike Fagan’s and George McGrath’s, “The RIGHT Spokane Perspective,” will be rebroadcast at 5PM tonight. The next three segments are scheduled to air next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9AM and 5PM (May 28, June 1, 2 and 3).

I have most of the segment that aired and will try for the complete show at 5PM.

Here’s the audio I do have.  Sorry because of the above I lost the first segment of the show.  For now I have uploaded the audio below.  I’ve left the show’s ad segments in to support Mike and George’s Spokane based local advertisers.  There may be an embedded ad sorry but this is a free site.

Partial Audio File of today’s segment ( http://tootiny.net/v7f86k )

*****
MEDIA ALERT –  Award winning investigative reporter Larry Shook will appear in four installments on beginning this Friday on Mike Fagan’s and George McGrath’s radio program, “The Right PERSPECTIVE Spokane with Mike and George.”

Mr. Shook has told me this interview will be hard hitting than his previous appearance on the Mark Fuhrman Radio Show.  You can listen to portions of Shook’s appearance as excepted on the the following week  when US Attorney Jim McDevitt appeared and tried to rebut/refute what Shook had alleged:
Fuhrman Show 08-06-07  [This should temporarily work.  I will try to find a better host for my MP3 file]

Ron the Cop

*****

Hi Folks,                                    KTW  AM  630, American Christian Network

 

Look at the email subject line again. Remember the Mad Max movie “Thunder dome” starring Mel Gibson & Tina Turner?

 

Well, If you have ever had a suspicion as to who really runs Barter Town (Spokane) you don’t want to miss a series of interviews with Mr. Larry Shook of Camas Magazine.  Larry is a 30 year veteran of investigative journalism, and together with the likes of former Sheriff Tony Baumonte and Ron the Cop, they have amassed alot of evidence implicating the Cowles family and some of our local electeds in such things as;  Racketeering, 1st degree Manslaughter, securities fraud, and more.

 

Read the stories and see the evidence by visiting;  www.larryshook.com    or   www.camasmagazine.com  

 

You will learn the answers to the following questions and more;

 

Did US Senator Patty Murray issue a fraudulent fax noting that the $26 Million HUD loan for RPS was approved before HUD actually approved the loan?

 

Was the Spokane police chief, the county prosecutor, and others complicit in 1st degree Manslaughter?

 

Why during an interview would the CEO of the city of Spokane, Mayor Verner, decline to act on something because of “the powers that be”?

 

Mike & George were blown away by the revelations exposed during this interview and we know that you will be also.

 

Please plan on listening in to “Right Spokane Perspective” beginning tomorrow, Friday 28 May at 9 AM  or 5 PM

 

BE THERE,  OR BE SQUARE!  

*****

UPDATE II:

Larry Shook’s four part interview series can be heard here:

Part I
http://tootiny.net/uicq2r

Part II
http://tootiny.net/03jm8t

Part III
http://tootiny.net/608vyy

Part IV
http://tootiny.net/my77uz

May 24th, 2010

Ron the Cop addresses Spokane City Council on Police Ombudsman Ordinance


May 24, 2010

 

Mary Verner, Mayor
City Council Members
City of Spokane
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
Spokane, WA 99201

 

Re:  Councilperson Apples’ proposed ordinance to revise the SPD Police Ombudsman’s authority (C34593)

 

Mayor Verner and City Council Members:

 

As a former two-term president of a 350-member police union I would normally be opposed to the expansion of the authority of the Police Ombudsman (OBO).   I do support Mr. Apple’s proposed ordinance as an interim step to regain the trust of Spokane citizens in the Spokane Police Department.  My former department went through a similar experience after a tragic office involved shooting that resulted in a federal criminal civil rights investigation.  The US Attorney’s Office after a lengthy investigation found that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a criminal complaint.  A police review commission was created to monitor the activities of my former department. 

I believe the Spokane Police Guild does have some valid issues with Chief.  These are procedural related issues involving discipline of officers that the Guild is alleging Chief Kirkpatrick has not followed not followed established law and practice.  The Guild has not taken issue with the actual discipline Chief Kirkpatrick has given in the recent high profile cases.   The Guild’s issues however were lost in the Spokesman-Review’s spin on the Guild’s vote of no confidence.  The Guild, I admit, did itself no favors in the manner the vote was taken.

I’ve met Tim Burns, the Spokane PD’s Ombudsman, several times now.   I invited Mr. Burns to speak to my Controversial Issues in Law Enforcement and Community Oriented Policing criminal justice classes.   In a normal political environment Mr. Burns, is fully capable of monitoring police Internal Affairs investigations.  Spokane though does not have a normal political/government environment.  The Catch-22 of the current OBO ordinance is that the Ombudsman is dependent upon the Internal Affairs Unit, the Police Command Staff, the Chief, and the Mayor to carry out the OBO’s duties.  Mr. Burns if he remains to true to his duties/responsibilities to the people, is well qualified to determine if an IA investigation of a critical incident and/or a complaint is a sham or cover up.

The OBO ordinance however provides no formal authority and or direction for Mr. Burns when a complaint is lodged against the Command Staff, the Chief, the Mayor and or in essence the City Council for failure to act as have former Sheriff Bamonte and I have recently alleged.  Sheriff Bamonte’s complaint involves Chief Kirkpatrick’s refusal to take an initial police report on Sheriff Bamonte’s criminal complaint regarding preferential property tax appraisals by the County’s Assessor’s Office.  Chief Kirkpatrick simply returned Bamonte’s complaint to “return sender.”  Whether this complaint has merit or not, Chief Kirkpatrick’s action was unprofessional and potentially illegal.  My complaint involves Spokane PD’s refusal to do the complete and thorough criminal investigation that was necessary into the death of Jo Ellen Savage in the RPS Parking Garage after repeated letters and warnings by both Sheriff Bamonte and me.  See my report for the grounds to bring a federal civil RICO prosecution (Link here and Table of Evidence).

As we’ve have just seen with the federal criminal investigation into the Otto Zehm death, police testimony/reports and statements to the media have change over time in the face testifying under oath before a federal grand jury.  This also extends to high-ranking members of the Police Command Staff in particular Asst. Chief Nicks who Mr. Burns directly reports to.  What is Mr. Burns to do in these circumstances to carry out his mandate to the people?  To regain the trust of the public in Spokane PD, must have the confidence in the Police Command Staff to carry out its duties to ensure police policy, procedure, practice, and training are changed after a critical incident like Zehm case if necessary to prevent repeat occurrences.  With the City’s dragging in of its feet in the Zehm case, the public has no assurances that such review occurred and necessary changes were implemented if deemed prudent.

Mr. Burns must also seek legal counsel from the City Attorney’s Office.  With Mr. Treppiedi’s actions in the Zehm case that the US Attorney’s Office was outraged by as outlined in their recent motion, it is clear the City Attorney’s Office is not acting in the best interests of the citizens of Spokane.  Mr. Burns should have the discretion of seeking outside legal counsel when he feels it is appropriate particularly when it involves issues of malfeasance of the Police Command Staff.

 

Sincerely,

 

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

Riverside PD, CA

 

Thirty-five year law enforcement professional
Economic crimes detective as well as other complex investigative assignments
Past two-term president of the Riverside Police Officers’ Assn.
Professional Vitae with significant case histories of complex criminal cases worked

May 21st, 2010

ALERT – Spokane Council to consider expanded Police Ombudsman role

The Spokane City Council will consider expanding the role/authority of the Spokane PD Police Ombudsman.  Tim Burns was hired for this new position after several critical incidents in Spokane rocked the trust and confidence in the police department.  The Ombudsman position was not given authority to conduct independent investigations, as the Ombudsman may deem appropriate.  The new proposed ordinance will expand the authority of the Ombudsman to include independent investigations (Link to ordinance here in Tim Connor’s article).

There are many important issues that are enmeshed in this important community debate.  Please plan to attend the Council Meeting if at all possible this Monday night starting at 6:00 PM, May 24, 2010 (See City Council Agenda here).

Please contact your City Council member by email to express your opinion.

The Council’s meetings are broadcast on Cable Channel 5 within Spokane if you are a Comcast subscriber.  The meetings are also livestreamed (See left side rail “Watch it Live“)

Here are several articles/commentaries on the Ombudsman that frame this debate:

An Eye for the Watchdog?
Inside the Ombudsfarce

Here’s the link to Kevin Taylor’s article at the Inlander

WatchMan
The city’s first ombudsman finds himself in uncharted territory

Some of the previous articles by the Spokesman-Review  can be found here.

I’ve expressed my opinion in these comments I’ve posted in Larry Shook’s new blog:

Ms. Wilton,

Here’s the reason why it’s so important to have this public discussion that I promised I would comment earlier.

The following is an excerpt of email I sent regarding having Tim Burns the SPD Ombudsman into speak to my college class on Community Oriented Policing.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

. . . My class is somewhat up to speed with the Savage case as I’ve been using it as a teaching moment in my class on Community Oriented Policing (COP). I’ve given the class an extra credit assignment re the ongoing the Ombudsman (OPO) issues as it relates to COP. I’m having Tim Burns come in and discuss code enforcement’s role in COP projects to regain control of a neighborhood in my class Friday night.

I’ve provided my class with Tim’s (Connor) and Larry’s previous commentaries on the OPO. As I said I’m not willing to write off Tim just yet. We all know all too well that the powers that be will work to shut down any involvement of Tim Burns in the matters that they so far have concealed from the public e.g., the Savage case, the RPS bond frauds et al, and Sheriff Bamonte’s latest venture into preferential property tax appraisals by Co Assessor Baker’s Office. The true test will come when Tim runs up against this brick wall.

Should Tim encounter the tentacles of the criminal enterprise/organized crime, we have given him an alternative action/solution. Will Tim succumb to the powers that be or will he speak out to the people in his true sense and responsibility to the citizens of Spokane and demand a special prosecutor/grand jury? This will be the divining nut crunching moment:-)

COP if you don’t know is the new buzz word in police circles (Last twenty years) for re-establishing a beneficial/positive relationship with the community. With the traditional form of policing, the police became detached from the communities that they served and became very isolated and response driven. While some of COP is very idealistic and manpower intensive, it can be a powerful tool to force leverage scarce police resources. In a sense its teaching/developing the community to police itself.

However critical to this process is developing and regaining the community’s confidence and trust in the police – Spokane? There are many parallels with COP and our developing military counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq/Afghanistan.

The ideal situation is for both police/community to implement COP together. Unfortunately in many neighborhoods there is a general sense of apathy re government in general. Citizens don’t feel it’s their responsibility to intervene. Further in some neighborhoods people don’t have a well developed sense of belonging/commitment/community or empowerment to become involved. And in some cases not unlike certain neighborhoods in Iraq et al., there are terrorists embedded/entrenched in the community, and the people are hiding in their residences out of fear. In those neighborhoods the police must first develop a sense of community before moving into more advanced COP programs with a shared role of police and the community.

The literature suggest in most situations its the police who alone at first imitate COP, followed by joint police/community action and lastly and rarely by the community itself. I would argue what we’re trying to do in Spokane is the third. The community is forcing the police to change re critical incidents such as Zehm/Pete. The community senses something is wrong here hence their outrage re Zehm/Pete, however they don’t know what the real problem is. This has been concealed from them by the Spokesman-Review that is an instrumentality of the criminal enterprise that operates to conceal its criminal activity from the people. . .

In the text for my class, Spokane is highlighted for it’s innovative COP shop programs. Unfortunately for a number of reasons the COPs program became its own nonprofit entity and SPD has drifted away from involvement to the point of only giving lip service. Does this sound like Spokane? . . .

Ms. Wilton I only ask you keep an open mind. Please read Sheriff Bamonte’s and Mr. Shook’s information/evidence thoroughly and completely. Please read my evidence too. See my comment in Mr. Shook’s commentary “American Serbia”:

This is the very corrosive impact organized crime has on government. In my 35-year career as a criminal investigator, this is certainly one of the most blatantly criminal enterprises I have ever encountered. It’s hard to find words to adequately describe it. This is no appeasing of organized crime. It must be thoroughly destroyed.

The people have been repeatedly victimized by this criminal enterprise – this is organized crime. Organized crime cannot be appeased but must be destroyed because of its corrosive impact on government. The citizens of Spokane and the family of Jo Savage have a fundamental right to ensure that justice is served when their political/ governmental law enforcement bodies and decision makers because of their systemic co-option/ corruption can’t or won’t act to protect them from criminal victimization and from imminent public hazards.

In our legal system the law is of, for and by the People – NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

Ms. Wilton Spokane’s government is so dysfunctional because of its systemic corruption by the criminal enterprise led by the Cowles Co.’s, it is incapable of fixing itself. If you agree after reviewing the evidence please join with Sheriff Bamonte and me in calling for the appointment of a independent/impartial special prosecutor and grand jury whether it be federal and or state to further investigate our complaints of corruption in Spokane. What is there to lose?

As we are just now witnessing in the Otto Zehm case, a competent prosecutor using a grand jury to compel testimony from fearful, reluctant and/or complicit witnesses/suspects has an amazing affect of getting to the truth.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Riverside PD, CA

May 12th, 2010

EXPLOSIVE – Chief Kirkpatrick – America’s Most Dangerous Cop as reported by Larry Shook

To All,

I would encourage all to thoroughly read investigative reporter Larry Shook’s riveting new blog post:

America’s Most Dangerous Cop

Read Shook’s reporting first and then you can read my comments below.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

Spokane, WA, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick is failing to investigate the organized criminal activities of Spokane’s powerful Cowles family in return for favorable coverage in the media dynasty’s press, charges a famous ex-sheriff.



Among other things, former Sheriff Tony Bamonte finds evidence that a massive property assessment fraud costing Spokane County property owners tens of millions of dollars appears to be underway. Bamonte’s research suggests that Cowles family members may be primary beneficiaries. “When you give some property owners a break, you have to make other property owners pick up the difference in order to meet the county’s budget,” says former Spokane County appraiser Debi Mason. Mason recently blew the whistle on $20 million worth of fraud she found in her single assigned area in the county assessor’s office. Mason says all three Spokane County Commissioners are ignoring the crisis in the county assessor’s office, and she supports Sheriff Bamonte’s call for a grand jury investigation.

1915 Spokane Press cartoon

Kirkpatrick illegally refused to investigate evidence of the assessor fraud, charges Bamonte, just as she refused to investigate evidence that public corruption revolving around the Cowles family caused the first-degree manslaughter death of a patron in the downtown Spokane shopping mall owned by the Cowleses. It’s part of an organized criminal enterprise that has gripped Washington’s second-largest city for more than a century, charges Bamonte, one of the most distinguished policemen of his generation.

Bamonte then and now

Does that make Chief Kirkpatrick the most dangerous cop in America? Read a new blog post about the situation here and judge for yourself.

http://LarryShook.com

*****
I only played a very small role in Sheriff Bamonte’s latest investigation of Spokane County’s Assessor Ralph Baker alleged preferential property tax assessments.  I am acutely aware though of the cover up of the first-degree manslaughter death of Jo Savage at the hands of the Cowleses in the River Park Square Parking Garage by all segments of our law enforcement community with the exception of the Washington State Patrol.

All law enforcement agencies involved in the Savage investigation have turned a blind eye to her death.  Why? 

They all failed to do and or compel the complete and the thorough criminal investigation that was necessary that followed the evidence wherever it would lead to its logical conclusion.  County Prosecutor Steve Tucker’s decision not to file any criminal charges in the Savage death was the crowning blow and culmination of a long series of failures by law enforcement professionals that have abrogated their sworn duty to the citizens of Spokane.   See my criminal complaint I filed with Governor Chris Gregoire re Prosecutor Tucker’s rendering of criminal assistance (See Evidence Item RW 22 Criminal complaint of 05-05-09 ).

As a former police union president, I’m not hearing that the Police Guild was at all disputing Chief Kirkpatrick’s discipline in certain high profile cases.  The Guild President stated on the Fitzsimmons Radio Show, they have no issue with and welcomed the investigation of critical incidents (Officer involved death of another) by outside law enforcement agencies. In my opinion the Police Guild has some legitimate issues  with Chief Kirkpatrick regarding her not following well established rules/procedures in disciplining officers. This has been costly to Spokane taxpayers.  These significant issues have all but been lost in the spinning of the public narrative on the Guild’s recent vote of no confidence story by the Spokesman-Review.  Why?   Since when is an election won by a majority of all potential voters and not just those who actually voted?  Sheriff Bamonte believes this preferential treatment of Chief Kirkpatrick by the S-R is a pay back for her aiding in the burying of the Savage case and Cowleses potential criminal involvement from public srutiny.

I concur with Sheriff Bamonte’s findings as reported by Larry Shook.  Chief Kirkpatrick’s one foot in and one foot out the door of Spokane is both unfair to the rank and file of Spokane PD and the citizens of Spokane.  Chief Kirkpatrick has besmirched the members of Spokane PD as a distraction from her own questionable professional actions.  The Spokane PD and the Police Guild have substantial issues regarding the trust of the public. The Police Guild most assuredly could have handled this vote better.  The S-R has tried to paint the Guild as as whiners and snivelers. In so doing the S-R is laying down a smoke screen to conceal more substantive issues of governmental corruption at the highest levels as led by the Cowleses.

I join too in calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor and the impanelment of a state grand jury under existing WA State Law as I outlined in my previous criminal complaint to Governor Christine Gregoire  and or the impanelment of a federal grand jury.   I too have met with Ombudsman Tim Burns and am in the process of filing a formal complaint  regarding the Spokane PD’s handling of the Savage manslaughter investigation.

The federal prosecutors chose not to impanel a federal grand jury in their review/investigation of the RPS Bond Frauds et al.  They could have chosen to investigate the Savage manslaughter case an unindicted state offense as one of their required predicate offenses to establish the existence of a criminal enterprise in filing a federal criminal RICO case.   The cause of her death is very much entwined in the RPS Bond Frauds.

It’s obvious from the media reports that the federal grand jury in the Zehm case is working to get to the truth in a morass of lies by those involved:

Now we are learning that initial statements and reports do not reflect the truth – Asst. Chief Nicks and his accounts to the media. There remain issues of proper police policy, procedure and training that involve the police administration that are not being discussed. Are they being dealt with so this doesn’t happen again? Is police administration be held accountable or are we simply making Ofc. Thompson the scapegoat for a failure of management.?


Why did the federal prosecutors choose to impanel a grand jury in the Otto Zehm Case and not in the RPS et al matters?

While Spokane citizens are righteously outraged by the death of Otto Zehm at the hands of Spokane PD, the should be similarly outraged at the death of Jo Ellen Savage and cover up too.  The Zehm and Savage deaths are only symptomatic of a much deeper and darker problem –  the dysfunctional Spokane government that has been so thoroughly corrupted by an ongoing criminal enterprise.

As I conclude in my recent report in support of bringing of a federal civil RICO prosecution, “RPS Bond Frauds and Jo Savage Manslaughter RICO Case” and “RPS Table of Evidence“:

This is the very corrosive impact organized crime has on government. In my 35-year career as a criminal investigator, this is certainly one of the most blatantly criminal enterprises I have ever encountered. It’s hard to find words to adequately describe it.  This is no appeasing of organized crime.   It must be thoroughly destroyed.

The Cowles Co, the developer of RPS et al., in my opinion by a clear pattern and practice of ongoing criminal activity, is a criminal enterprise as defined in the Federal RICO Act (See, “Causes of action for RICO prosecution” E-RW27). This criminal enterprise has systemically co-opted/corrupted the City of Spokane government. . .

I find it detestable and contemptuous that my colleagues in the law enforcement/prosecutorial community at all levels have failed to perform their sworn duties on behalf have the public especially with regard to the Savage manslaughter case.

And in my concluding statement:

The people have been repeatedly victimized by this criminal enterprise this is organized crime.  Organized crime cannot be appeased but must be destroyed because of its corrosive impact on government. The citizens of Spokane and the family of Jo Savage have a fundamental right to ensure that justice is served when their political/ governmental law enforcement bodies and decision makers because of their systemic co-option/ corruption can’t or won’t act to protect them from criminal victimization and from imminent public hazards. 

In our legal system the law is of, for and by the People – NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

I voted for Mayor Mary Verner in the last election as I believed she would bring about the change that is so desperately needed in Spokane government. I was wrong as Shook quotes Sheriff Bamonte in his earlier piece, “American Serbia,” Mayor Vener turned her back on the people who elected her. So far Mayor Verner has been unwilling to confront the insidious influence that the Cowles Co. has on Spokane government. In the RPS frauds alone the Spokane taxpayers were robbed of $87.5 million dollars.

In a recent S-R article thread on the death of Otto Zehm I posted a “punch list” of things that Mayor Verner has the authority/power to do immediately or can use her bully pulpit to lobby for that would be helpful.  I would encourage all to email Mayor Verner and demand that she do so:

Mayor Verner – mary@spokanecity.org
City Council – CityCouncil@spokanecity.org


Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

Riverside PD, CA

Masters of Administration, University of California, Riverside, CA
BA Political Science, Cal State University, Fullerton, CA (With Honors)
AA Administration of Justice, Riverside Community College, Riverside, CA (With Distinction)

Riverside Sheriff’s Academy – graduated academically No. 1


Past two-term President Riverside Police Officers’ Assn, Riverside, CA

Former planning commissioner City of Grand Terrace, CA

Past multi-term president of a CA statewide investigators’ association.
Instructor in criminal justice, ITT Technical Institute (Spokane Valley) – Forensics and Crime Scene Investigation, Controversial Issues in Law Enforcement and Community Oriented Policing
Professional Vitae with significant case histories of complex criminal cases worked

|