This is a must read for all who live in Spokane, WA and have wondered about the status quo and the low prevailing wage base:

Recommendations 2 Part 3 – Wages and pouring concrete

See my comment I just posted in the thread:

Mr. X,

Excellent piece. I will take this several steps further. Here’s an email I just sent to some friends that think as I do. BTW here’s a link for the Francher Report – see right side rail for PDF copy.

Ron the Cop

*****

Mr. X has a new post up at his blog. Mr. X’s final installment will be posted tomorrow. I’ve warned Mr. X to watch his back as he’s letting the cat out of the bag a little too much for the comfort “of the few.” I sense the Deathstar may be energizing to target Mr. X.

FYI – I think Mr. X sees the same common element that we all do but from our discussions he wants to show the data and let others make their own conclusions. I think I’ll send him a copy of the Fancher Report:-)

In my opinion the wage base is artificially low in the Spokane Area because of the operation of the criminal enterprise “of the few” that engages in predatory, unfair and illegal business practices/competition. The cost of entry into this market for those that don’t want to play ball with “the few” is too high and they simply go elsewhere. These others would bring new jobs that would begin to raise the prevailing wage base.

We have a cluster of universities and colleges in this town but many upon graduating must go elsewhere to earn a decent living unless as Mr. X suggests they go to work for government and or the health care profession. I won’t even go into the national ranking of Gonzaga Law School (very low) but I will say this, most of their law students don’t attend legal ethics and or sleep through class from my observations of those in town that service “the few.”

Because of the regional hub nature of Spokane other sector businesses should be encourage to locate here as the health industry has, to draw business/clients from Canada, Idaho, Eastern WA & OR. Spokane/CDA are undiscovered country that is ready to grow substantially if we cast off the dampening yoke “of the few.”

Actually I chose to locate here because of the many fine amenities and other qualities of this area has to offer. Unfortunately I did not study local government but this is fixable if enough of us who “get it” choose to make a difference and demand better.

The downfall “of the few” has actually began with the new/alternative/social media ability to push information that so far “the few’s” lock on the local media has been able to control. The tipping point will soon come when the masses realize that they’ve been lied to for many years. Information is very dangerous thing. This is why the work of Mr. X’s is so damning as it quantifies/visualizes what we all know to be the truth of the operation of the criminal enterprise in this town.

As Mr. X notes re “the few”:

We pour lots of concrete partially because the Federal government hands out a lot of grants for pouring concrete. And we really like to spend money on downtown Spokane, delivering large benefits to a few. When we spend money on X it means we are not spending money on Y – and around here, Y is everything else.

I’ll go one step further – “the few” have so co-opted/corrupted local government (yes there a good argument this continues all the way up the food chain to the federal level) to ensure its gets the most of the public benefit for its own personal benefit to the detriment of all others. In the process this spills over into why we have incompetent law enforcement leadership. It would be too dangerous to “the few” to have uncoopted police leadership as they might not turn a blind eye to the criminal activity of “the few.” So “the few” have condone the status quo and are elected reps will not take action to correct the situation with local law enforcement.

OK in full disclosure I’m a capitalist and free market person. I’m not bent on a socialistic redistribution of wealth. However government exists to prevent the tragedy of the commons when a few impose significant negative externalities on the many. In short certain things are criminal and folks should go to jail e.g., Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and many others (Watch the movie Inside Job and read this article in the Rolling Stone).

This is why we have laws to provide a level playing field for all to succeed on their own merits, ingenuity and creativity. No one or a few should be above the law because they’ve successfully gamed the system. Looked I’m no big fan of corporate America either but the referees and the cops are on the take and off the playing field. This is not good as this makes us vulnerable to attack from the radical left to exploit the loss of hope and fairness within the general public.

Where the Hell are the sheepdogs that should be guarding the flock from the wolves?

OK and for the conspiracy theorists out there you can chose to go down this rabbit hole:-)

When our enforcers are toothless and or paper tigers and they don’t hang the hides of the financial cons on the wall that gambled with other people’s money and suffered no personal loss, the trust in the fairness of our system is greatly diminished in the eyes of the general public.

The danger of not enforcing our laws and ensuring that no one is above the law is that we expose our financial/economic underbelly to attack by the leftist that will seek to sow the seeds of chaos to destabilize our government for the purpose of instituting their Utopian goal of the redistribution of wealth to achieve this desired fairness.

The only problem is that those in charge become corrupted, despotic and tyrannical – the USSR, the Third Reich, the NORKS, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Libya, Syria, the Iranian Regime and the House of Saud to name just a few. Is there a common element here – Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Maoism, Islamofasciam – I could go on but I think you get the generally idea. These ideologies have failed because power corrupts absolutely, they don’t recognize the universal truths that all men and women are equal and free will. These ideologies have failed to deliver an equitable distribution of goods, services and wealth.

See

The Left’s Economic Terrorism Playbook: The Chase Campaign by a Coalition of Unions, Community Groups, Lawmakers and Students to Take Down US Capitalism and Redistribute Wealth & Power

 SCROLL FOR UPDATES

I’ve been sharing emails with some friends re the tragedy of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami [See full text here]. It’s been apparent that the talking heads of the MSM including FOXNEWS have been hyping/sensationalizing the Fukushima nuclear event either intentionally or through ignorance.  It is clear that many commentators/anchors have very little understanding of the inner workings and engineering of a working nuclear power plant.  There is a constant drumbeat if this event will surpass the tragedy that occurred in Chernobyl.

To be sure the Fukushima event is a very serious event.  In the end this event will not be about the integrity of the nuclear reactor cores after all they survived a earthquake of magnitude 9 and the resultant tsunami but about backup secondary power to continue circulating the fluid through the reactor core.  The tsunami took out the backup generators not unlike the surge water took out the backup generators for the pumps for dikes in New Orleans in Katrina.  This was a foreseeable event.  The newer generation nuclear power plants have water gravity feeds but the US also has many older reactors nearing their useful life of similar designs to Fukushima.

More importantly the containment and security of the spent fuel rods stored on site is the real story because of the inability of reaching a political consensus to permanently store these nuclear wastes.  If spent fuel rods in the meantime are to be stored on site then more must be required to do this safely.  We have many sites in the US with many reactor cores of spent fuel rods stored on site that pose many of the same problems that have now come to light in the Fukushima event.

There is also a failure of Japanese governmental leadership to quickly address this rapidly developing event.  Some of this is attributable to the change of Japanese culture as William Saito, a LinkedIn.com contact/friend, who is in Japan linked to in this NYT article:

Dearth of Candor From Japan’s Leadership

TOKYO — With all the euphemistic language on display from officials handling Japan’s nuclear crisis, one commodity has been in short supply: information.

When an explosion shook one of many stricken reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Saturday, power company officials initially offered a typically opaque, and understated, explanation. . .

Is this an acceptable risk? NO!  There are fixes but will our governmental leaders have the courage to implement them.  This is a ticking time bomb.  Will we learn from this Fukushima precursor?

One of the essential functions of government is to prevent/mitigate the tragedy of the commons when externalities of others pose an immediate threat to the safety of others.  Our own government has been less than forthcoming regarding past nuclear hazards in our own country.  Read Larry Shook’s latest piece:

The Angel of Fukushima

While this is a very serious event as the Japanese work to stabilize these damaged nuclear facilities, the worst-case scenarios in the end probably will not rise to the level of a Chernobyl.  Certain special interests now are seizing on the moment to kill or severely limit nuclear power.  Fossil fuels have there own inherent risks and political consequences. The public debate whether to increase or decrease nuclear power needs to occur in a reasoned forum without this sky is falling is falling hysteria. 

Life is not entirely risk free.  The goal is to identify and understand those risks and make reasoned decisions and not to accept unreasonable risks.  Accidents have occurred in the past where the accumulating risk was ignored and or discounted that have cost many lives e.g., the Union Carbide – Bhopal Disaster [Note – correction from 3M] and the Space Shuttle accidents (See The Futurist).  The probability of systemic failure while low is also additive and eventually the dice will come up craps.

Below are excerpts from my email posts that link to sources of information in the new social/alternative media that have served the public well – more so than the traditional MSM sources.  These new alternative media sources including my own do have their own specific inherent biases however when these sources are taken as a whole a more clearer picture emerges than the hype the MSM sources are now reporting.  After the dust has settled the proof will be in the pudding regarding which sources of information provided more accurate information as to the extent of this event and the probability of future dangerous events occurring so the readers can take precautions to protect their own families.

This latest post in the comment thread of the PJM article I linked to below pretty much sums up this story on the MSM:

95. William Power

So…what happened to all the media hysteria? Seems we had almost three days of almost no coverage of the impending China Syndrome / blazing nuclear furnace. Perhaps the “story was exhausted” ’cause they couldn’t create more new fear out of cooling and contained reactors…or perhaps they really think Mohmar(sp? whatever spelling of the week you might choose to use…) getting his bootay spanked was really that dominating of a story.

March 21, 2011 – 4:56 pm   Link to this Comment | Reply

*****

[Other useful sources of information – you decide their worth on this subject]

The American Thinker – The Fall of the House of TEPCO

WSJ – At Plant, Repair Is Painstaking Task

Captains Journal – Status of the Fukushima Reactor Accidents

Hot Air – Shep Smith: It’s pathetic that some Americans are popping iodide pills over Japan’s nuke crisis

Blackfive – Japanese Reactor(s) Update(d) Yet Again

PJM – Fukushima update: get a grip part 2

Hot Air – Hope: Radiation levels beyond 12 miles of Japanese nuke plant are near normal

Popular Science – As Cooling Efforts Continue, Japanese Officials Consider Burying Fukushima Plant

Larry Shook – Fukushima, USA

Read More – [Full text MS Word.doc – emails and other references]

UPDATE I:

LA Times OP/ED piece by Robert Alvarez

These spent fuel rods not only pose a safety risk but more importantly a significant security risk from a well coordinated terrorist attack.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Ron Wright
Date: Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM
Subject: Re: L.A. Times: Nuclear crisis NOW

To: Larry Shook

YEP – Roger that!  It’s the temporary nature of the storage of these rods that poses the danger.  No one wants to spend the money to ensure the safety and security on site because this is temporary storage.

[From Larry Shook]

A specter is stalking humanity. Here it is, from today’s L.A. Times. This is nothing less than a mandate for a serious global fact-based discussion–and solution rooted in public understanding and consent. With the “propagating” crisis at Fukushima in mind, I encourage everyone to play a role. If you live anywhere on Earth, this specter has a very personal relationship with you. Larry Shook

Unsafe at any reactor

U.S. nuclear plants are storing increasing amounts of highly radioactive spent fuel in pools that are vulnerable to accident or attack. New safety policies are needed.

(Illustration by Wes Bausmith / Los Angeles Times)

By Robert Alvarez

March 23, 2011

The nuclear crisis at the Daiichi complex in Fukushima, Japan, has turned a spotlight on the severe dangers involved in storing spent nuclear fuel in pools. But the danger is not new.

In 2003, I cowrote a report with a group of academics, nuclear industry executives, former government officials and other researchers warning that spent fuel pools at U.S. nuclear power plants were vulnerable. The drainage of a pool might cause a catastrophic radiation fire, we reported, which could render an area uninhabitable greater than that created by the Chernobyl accident (roughly half the size of New Jersey).

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission hotly disputed our paper, which prompted Congress to ask the National Academy of Sciences to sort out the controversy. In 2004, the academy reported that U.S. pools were vulnerable to terrorist attacks and catastrophic fires. . .

UPDATE II

This just in according to this WSJ report the failure of the secondary power systems to the cooling water system was not unknown instead the risk was ignored.  As I mentioned before we saw the same flawed decision making re cascading failure risk in Katrina with the failure of the dike pumps:

Japan Ignored Warning Of Nuclear Design Flaw

Perhaps the Obama Administration can get out front on this potential revolt instead of waiting in the wings.  The single greatest threat to the strategic interests of the US besides the economic rise of China, is this fanatical theocratic Islamofascist regime using its oil money to fuel its all out quest for a nuclear weapon and it’s funding of Hamas and Hezbollah, its surrogates, to foster terror all through the Middle East.

The Achilles heel of this despotic regime is its dependence on imported gasoline stocks even though it has considerable oil reserves.  Iran has diverted by funding its nuclear program and its terrorists surrogates, it has allowed it’s domestic gas refining infrastructure/capacity to seriously deteriorate.  There were riots in the street when the regime allowed the price of gas to float up.  Gas in Iran is heavily subsidized.  Hence the importance of this report by Timmerman of an attack on one of the last functioning oil refineries.  I worked with Timmerman with CA Assemblyman Davis to force the CA pension behemoths to work to divest from third party entities that continue to do business with the Iranian Regime e.g., Royal Dutch Shell.  I’ve long said a way to toppling this regime would be several well placed IEDs with plausible denial in these last functioning oil refineries.

Unfortunately many Americans do not pay much attention to world geopolitics beyond what is reported by the talking heads of our MSM.  Perhaps giving an example in popular cultural terms would be useful.  Allegorically consider Iran as the dark lord and Hamas & Hezbollah as the death eaters in the world of Harry Potter.  Not unlike the rise of the Third Reich and the battle of Good vs. Evil in Tolkien’s Ring Trilogy even though he denied this connection.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kenneth Timmerman
Date: Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 8:59 AM
Subject: News from FDI – Azeri militants torch Tabriz refinery.

Dear friends:

This news, from the Azerbaijan Movement for Democracy and Integrity in Iran, is extremely important. As we note at the end of our news article, the 1979 revolution began in Tabriz. Please read all of this post, which includes excerpts of our interview with movement spokesman Loheasb Zeinali in Europe, at www.iran.org

Kenneth R. Timmerman
President and CEO
Foundation for Democracy in Iran
Www.iran.org

Read the full story here:
Www.iran.org

See this recent article in the Inlander regarding SPD’s ninety day wait time to receive copies of simple police reports:

Paper Jam

Last fall, Ken Hoeche and his family constructed a simple wooden cross to mark the grave of his son, Jerod Hoeche, who died Nov. 18 in a rollover crash near Medical Lake.

Hoeche says he would like to place a more permanent marker on Jerod’s grave, but he is still awaiting a final accident report to send to an insurance company.

On Monday, Hoeche (pronounced “hay-key”) learned his records request is being processed and he should get the report — on or about May 1.

I too have encountered this delay in my investigation of the Creach OIS.  I recently wrote Tim Ford, the WA  Assistant Attorney General for Government Accountability (AKA Ombudsman):

Re:  Spokane Police Department’s routine delay of 90 days to release simple police reports

Dear Mr. Ford,

I see you were quoted in this latest article by the Inlander re the substantial delay by SPD in complying with PRRs under the WA Public Records Act.  I have first hand experience that this delay approaches 90 days.  This includes request for simple police reports.  I believe such a delay violates the intent of the PRA.  In the case of Spokane this also is a means the concealing questionable acts by SPD and its government from the public

I’m currently researching the tragic Creach Officer Involved Shooting by a Spokane Co Sheriff’s Deputy that was investigated by SPD per a regional protocol for the investigation of OIS/OIDs.  See my blog report on my investigation.   I too was in this queue until I complained.  SPD Asst. Chief Nicks later instructed Police Records Manager Theresa Giannetto to put such PRRs at the head of the line for redaction.  Ms. Giannetto has been very helpful with my requests but unfortunately she was placed between a rock and a hard place by her superiors re cuts in her departments staffing.  The Inlander article says Ms. Giannetto will received additional staffing.  I will remain skeptical until this additional staff is in place.  In some cases I don’t think this was a benign simple budget cutting action on the part of the City.

I openly copied you with an email I sent to City Clerk Terri Pfister and Ms. Giannetto that I felt a delay of 90 days was potentially a violation of the PRA (See below).  Breean Beggs suggested that I bring this to your attention.  I have since been provided the additional supplement report by SPD Det. Hammond that I sought in the Creach OIS.  If I were a citizen just wanting to get a simple police report I would be highly irate that not only would I have to wait 90 days to get a copy of the report but I would have to wait out a long line to file my PRR as the records’ office hours are limited as well.  I’m encouraged that SPD is considering triaging these requests to speed the release of simple reports.

I’m just bringing this to your attention.  Should this happen again I may file a formal complaint with your office.

Sincerely,

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

*****

Teri,

Could you ensure this message reaches internal City email addresses?  Also since I just replied to Ms. Giannetto’s email the subject header is a little misleading.  Perhaps you could title this more appropriately when you forward it.

Thanks again,

Ron Wright

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Ron Wright <detronwright.retired@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: HEADS UP – SPD Lt. McGovern responds to my email re my opinion re the Cage Fight emails
To: “Giannetto, Theresa” <tgiannetto@spokanepolice.org>

 

Ms. Giannetto,

Thank you for this information and your continued support. Please give me a call on my cell [redacted] when Det. Hamond’s report will be available for pick up.

As a suggestion I would forward this information to SPD PIO Ms. DeRue for release to her media contact list.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 8:30 AM, Giannetto, Theresa <tgiannetto@spokanepolice.org> wrote:

 

Mr. Wright,

 

Yesterday Chief Nicks came to my office and made me aware that the Administration has decided that public record disclosure reports of officer involved shootings will be expedited. In other words, he’d like that type of public record disclosure request/s completed before all others.  We will certainly do this in the future.  You and all other requestors will now receive those reports much sooner.

 

I thought you would like to know about this change.

 

Thank you

Theresa

 

 

From: Ron Wright [mailto:detronwright.retired@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 6:20 PM
To: Giannetto, Theresa

Subject: Re: HEADS UP – SPD Lt. McGovern responds to my email re my opinion re the Cage Fight emails

Thanks Ms. Giannetto,

You have been very supportive and attentive to my PDR requests in the past.  I know your staff has been decimated and the time you have to redact police reports is severely limited.  Seems to me because of the significant community interest in this case that someone in SPD police leadership would direct you to put this report on the top of your queue to redact.  Also since Det. Hamond’s report of 01-26-11 is probably in response to my briefing memo I gave to WSP Sgt. Ken Wade on 01-14-11, there shouldn’t be much to redact as I only mentioned several potential witness names.

This issue is really for the police command staff but 90 days is really pushing the envelop of the language in the PRA re promptness.  In my opinion this borders on being non responsive and a way of concealing information important to this community discussion.  I may file a complaint to test if this delay is reasonable.

As you may note I’m cc’g WA AG Ombudsman Tim Ford and will be following up with an email.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Giannetto, Theresa <tgiannetto@spokanepolice.org> wrote:

Mr. Creach,

 

I will log this public record  request for the follow up report written by Detective Hammond.  Mr. Wright has also requested this report some time ago.  Please consider this your 5-day response letting you know we have received your request.   This report will be ready for release the same day as Mr. Wright’s request because once it is prepared for release, we can release to all requestors.  We estimate we will be able to provide this report in approximately 90 business days. 

 

Thank you

Theresa Giannetto

Records Manager

UPDATE to the original post

Email sent to Spokane County Sheriff’s IA Det. Gere on 03-07-11 in response to recent supplement report by Spokane PD Det. Brian Hirzel in the Creach OIS investigation.  The SCSO’s is currently doing its IA review/investigation into this very tragic shooting for all involved both the family and officers involved.

Det. Gere

SCSO Internal Affair Unit:

Re:  Creach OIS Investigation & Det. Hamond’s Supplement Report of 01-18-11

Dear Det. Gere,

I have since reviewed the sup rpt by SPD Det. Hamond dated 01-18-11 that Sheriff Knezovich referred to at our meeting on 02-04-11.  Here are a couple of key passages from my letter which is attached on MS Word .doc form:

I will eventually write an addendum to my Report and Analysis – Creach OIS Investigation in response to Det. Hamond’s new supplement report.  Since SCSO IA investigation/review is now underway, I’m providing my thoughts and insights in response to Det. Hamond’s supplement in advance of writing an Addendum III.

I will repeat again the Creach family has not retained me.  I am acting independently of the Creach family.  Please see my disclaimer in my email to Prosecutor Tucker. . .

I have read Det. Hamond’s supplement as well as the attached documents.  I do agree several of the issues and concerns have been resolved or were referred to police administration for further discussion. Regardless – my over all findings regarding the Creach OIS investigation as given to Mr. Tucker remain the same:

The OIS investigation as prepared by SPD is so flawed and incomplete that it poses a serious legal liability for the citizens of Spokane County. It left so many unaddressed and unanswered issues/questions as to actually raise the question of whether it is an attempt on the part of law enforcement to cover up a policeman’s crime. If that is not the intent of this embarrassingly poor investigation, the only other conclusion I can draw is that it reflects professional incompetence that the public cannot accept. As a member of the public who served as a police officer for 35 years, I certainly do not accept it. . .

The question now is whether the SCSO will do a complete and thorough IA review/investigation.  Will SCSO actually search for the truth or will it simply follow the path set by SPD?  I encouraged you to very carefully consider my analysis and recommendations as you proceed with the IA review and investigation. 

As before if you have any questions or need any clarification please call me on my cell at any time or send me an email.

Sincerely,

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

*****

As investigative reporter Larry Shook previously commented on my work:

Det. Wright:

As a journalist following this matter, it occurs to me there is another compelling question at this moment. Does an inadequate work product by Mr. Tucker expose the taxpayers of Spokane County to gratuitous financial loss that could result from the Creach family suing over their father’s death? As a veteran police investigator, what’s your view? The people of Spokane are entitled to know if they are being needlessly exposed to financial loss resulting from unprofessional police work. This is a completely different matter than the tragic needless loss of life.

I am very skeptical about the need to have killed Rev. Creach. I’m not saying the deputy wasn’t justified, but were I a member of a jury weighing the justification of his killing I would begin with this understanding: Rev. Creach was an old man responding to a noise in the night on his own property. And a Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy killed him. You’d better believe I would demand the most professional possible justification for his death. I am a strong supporter of the police. I even had a little police training and did a little police work myself as an Army MP. But nobody supports poor police work. There’s no excuse for it. And there’s no excuse for saddling innocent taxpayers with the liability of it. It seems to me that you have been begging the prosecutor and sheriff to do their jobs. In your professional opinion, are they? These aren’t rhetorical questions. . .

Thank you. Sincerely, Larry Shook

SCROLL FOR UPDATES

I completed my Report and Analysis – Creach OIS Investigation.  This report was given to Sheriff Kenzovich in a meeting on 02-04-11.  A cover letter was attached to the report (See below).  Since neither Sheriff Knezovich or WSP Sgt. Ken Wade complied with my demand I am now making this report public.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)

*****

February 4, 2011

Ozzie Knezovich, Sheriff

County of Spokane

Ken Wade, Sgt.

Washington State Patrol

Re:  Report and analysis of Creach OIS

Dear Sheriff Knezovich and WSP Sgt. Wade:

Please find attached my Report and Analysis of the Creach OIS Investigation, which includes my recommendations for further necessary investigative work and my findings.  In my email of 01-18-11 to County Prosecutor Steve Tucker, I clearly stated my interest in this case, my concerns and the reasons for my involvement in this case.  I believe each of you owe a legal duty to study my report carefully. I request you do so immediately. 

My principal findings are:

·      The OIS investigation as prepared by SPD is so flawed and incomplete that it poses a serious legal liability for the citizens of Spokane County. It left so many unaddressed and unanswered issues/questions as to actually raise the question of whether it is an attempt on the part of law enforcement to cover up a policeman’s crime. If that is not the intent of this embarrassingly poor investigation, the only other conclusion I can draw is that it reflects professional incompetence that the public cannot accept. As a member of the public who served as a police officer for 35 years, I certainly do not accept it.

·      No informed decision can be made about whether the shooting death of a Spokane County citizen by a Spokane Sheriff’s deputy that is the subject of this investigation was justifiable. Because of that, it raises the question in this veteran investigator’s mind of whether the deputy himself was engaged in criminal activities that the victim was investigating at the time the officer shot him to death.

One unfortunate result of Mr. Tucker’s unprofessional conduct is that it has severely complicated any subsequent voluntary interviews with the involved deputy.  As I understand, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will now begin its internal affairs review and investigation of this incident.  Compelled statements of the deputy generally can’t be used in a state criminal proceeding, however in a federal case (Criminal and or civil rights case 18 U.S.C. 242 & 42 U.S.C. § 1983), such statements may come in if they are relevant to lying to a federal investigator e.g., this is now the situation in the Otto Zehm Case.

Regardless of how flawed the SPD OIS investigation was as it was given to Mr. Tucker and Mr. Tucker’s lack of further inquiry and subsequent decision not file, this does not absolve either of you personally and or the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol of civil labiality.  You have a separate sworn duty and responsibility to the people to ensure a proper investigation is done for the reasons I outlined in my executive summary:

OIS investigations must be A+ level work not only for the important criminal review but also for the subsequent Internal Affairs (IA) review/investigation regarding police policy and procedure. 

The purpose of the IA review is to identify if mistakes were made, to prevent further like events by changing policy, procedure, tactics, and training. When law enforcement fails to identify, acknowledge and or recognize when mistakes are made and take corrective/appropriate action, not only do the potential civil damages in the instant case increase substantially but in future cases as well.  

Lastly the public must have confidence in the OIS review process or collectively the law enforcement community will lose the trust of the public.  The taxpayers must ultimately bare the cost of such poor decision-making by law enforcement leadership to identify and to mitigate risk.

 I request that both of you, on behalf of your separate agencies, issue a statement within two weeks regarding the receipt of my report and your intent to correct the deficiencies it outlines. If you do not honor this request, I will make the report public in order to assist the public in holding you accountable to your legal duties.

 As fellow law enforcement professional, I regret the necessity of doing this. I consider it necessary, however, because in the matter of the First-Degree Manslaughter death of Jo Ellen Savage in the Riverpark Square parking garage, evidence suggests that Mr. Tucker by his actions was derelict in his sworn duties and responsibilities to the point of rendering criminal assistance.  The Spokane Chief of Police and Spokane County Sheriff by tolerating and condoning the actions of Mr. Tucker are both potentially guilty of rendering criminal assistance.

 I will not stand by while such illegal actions are taken in the matter of the tragedy at hand. So long as the community of Spokane does not draw a line in the sand regarding such police misconduct needless tragedies, and erosion of public confidence in local law enforcement, will almost certainly continue.

Sincerely,

Det. Ronald Wright (retired)

Cc:  Tim Burns SPD Police Ombudsman

        Andy Wilson, ITT – Chair Criminal Justice Program

*****

Title Page

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Report

Table of References

Addendum II

*****

UPDATE I:

Email sent to Spokane County Sheriff’s IA Det. Gere on 03-07-11 in response to recent supplement report by Spokane PD Det. Brian Hirzel in the Creach OIS investigation.  The SCSO’s is currently doing its IA review/investigation into this very tragic shooting for all involved both the family and officers involved.

Det. Gere

SCSO Internal Affair Unit:

Re:  Creach OIS Investigation & Det. Hamond’s Supplement Report of 01-18-11

Dear Det. Gere,

I have since reviewed the sup rpt by SPD Det. Hamond dated 01-18-11 that Sheriff Knezovich referred to at our meeting on 02-04-11.  Here are a couple of key passages from my letter which is attached on MS Word .doc form:

I will eventually write an addendum to my Report and Analysis – Creach OIS Investigation in response to Det. Hamond’s new supplement report.  Since SCSO IA investigation/review is now underway, I’m providing my thoughts and insights in response to Det. Hamond’s supplement in advance of writing an Addendum III.

I will repeat again the Creach family has not retained me.  I am acting independently of the Creach family.  Please see my disclaimer in my email to Prosecutor Tucker. . .

I have read Det. Hamond’s supplement as well as the attached documents.  I do agree several of the issues and concerns have been resolved or were referred to police administration for further discussion. Regardless – my over all findings regarding the Creach OIS investigation as given to Mr. Tucker remain the same:

The OIS investigation as prepared by SPD is so flawed and incomplete that it poses a serious legal liability for the citizens of Spokane County. It left so many unaddressed and unanswered issues/questions as to actually raise the question of whether it is an attempt on the part of law enforcement to cover up a policeman’s crime. If that is not the intent of this embarrassingly poor investigation, the only other conclusion I can draw is that it reflects professional incompetence that the public cannot accept. As a member of the public who served as a police officer for 35 years, I certainly do not accept it. . .

The question now is whether the SCSO will do a complete and thorough IA review/investigation.  Will SCSO actually search for the truth or will it simply follow the path set by SPD?  I encouraged you to very carefully consider my analysis and recommendations as you proceed with the IA review and investigation. 

As before if you have any questions or need any clarification please call me on my cell at any time or send me an email.

Sincerely,

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)