Boards and Commissions: A panel of your peers?

"If he did something, it would be contrary to everything I know about him. This was not the person I knew."



---Sam Goepp about Riverside County Sheriff's Department Investigator Kevin Duffy who killed himself. Duffy was the subject of a criminal probe at the time of his death.







There's been a lot of discussion about the appointment process of the Community Police Review Commission in the wake of the passage by voters in November 2004 of Measure GG which brought ward representation to the boards and commissions and also may have politicized the process. The city council to avoid appearances of doing this maintained the interview process for three boards and commissions: The CPRC, the Planning Commission and the Board of Public Utilities. Has it worked? One never leaves a Mayor's Nomination and Screening Committee meeting that addresses upcoming board and commission appointments thinking that it doesn't politicize the process, including the one in January where several city councilmen lobbied for candidates to be interviewed for several of the boards and commissions or be appointed for others who were on their campaign contribution and/or endorsement lists or had relatives who were on those lists. For one thing, you're dealing with politicians and often they just can't help themselves.

But then that's not exactly news even before the implementation of Measure GG into the city's charter several years ago during the same election which placed the CPRC in the city's charter.



The appointment process for commissioners is problematic because of the passage of Measure GG and because prior to that there was no uniform selection process for commissioners on the CPRC for several years. The city council members have a difficult time understanding let alone accepting that ward representation means geographic representation not elected official representation.

This became clear during a debate that took place during a recent meeting of the Mayor's Nomination and Screening Committee in January when Mayor Ron Loveridge and several council members had a disagreement about whether commission appointments who were chosen city-wide should remain city-wide or be converted to ward representatives if through attrition, they became the only person from their ward sitting on the commission. Some like Councilman Frank Schiavone said that if the city-wide commissioners became ward representative due to that attrition then it would give the mayor more power than city council members to appoint members of boards and commissioners who represent their own wards.

Loveridge of course disagreed. The charter gives him power to make an appointment on any board or commission if it's been vacant 60 days or longer after a notice has been posted in a public venue about the vacancy. This applied to both city-wide and ward representative spots in the wake of Measure GG. But in fairness to the mayor, he opts to consult with the councilman of any ward vacancy before making his selection which currently, he doesn't have to do. And for three of the aforementioned boards and commissions, it's an interview and selection by five elected officials out of eight (and if there's less than eight, a minimum of four votes are needed for an appointment). But Loveridge is fairly conciliatory, especially if you consider how few times he's vetoed the city council on its legislative votes.

He's never actually done a veto during his years as mayor. He's threatened twice in 2004 against former Councilman Art Gage's motions to defund the CPRC by up to 80% of its annual budget.

But what of the role of a city-wide appointed commissioner as compared or opposed to a ward-specific one? Who or what do they represent actually, and does that representation shift during their terms? And what impact does this "representation" have on their ability to remain independent as individual members and as a body?


And that's where the problem lies along with manipulation by several elected officials. They don't understand that under a "representative model", the commissioners who are ward-specific represent the people who live in those wards not the elected officials who represent these individuals But looking at their roles as being "representative" is fraught with problems. Still several of them think it's the other way around and that can easily lead to belief systems that somehow these commissioners are beholden in some way to these elected officials. That was the belief in a manner of speaking expressed by CPRC Ward Five specific Commissioner Ken Rotker at one meeting which caught the attention of the other commissioners present including Chair Brian Pearcy.

Actually, Measure GG never said that individuals had to represent their wards, it just stated that the boards or commissions had to include at least one member from each ward. Maybe that's because a ward is not a solid bloc of monolithic people but consists of many different neighborhoods. There's often more diversity within wards than between them. The implementation of Measure GG could actually work without politicizing the process or giving any elected official too much power but it has to be seen as promoting inclusion not representation. It's not likely that any of the city's elected officials could see it that way even if they wanted to do so. And some of them bemoan the politicization of the process by Measure GG while taking full advantage of it. If they were really all that concerned, they would work on making it more inclusive, less representative.

Still, there's this perception among some of the elected officials on the dais that the two statements mean the same thing. that ward inclusion means ward representation and they really don't. It was promoted in part because the composition of the city's boards and commissions were skewed heavily in favor of Wards One, Two and Four and included fewer or no members from Wards Six and Seven. Adopting a requirement for ward-specific appointments (which passed the muster of the city's voters) was one strategy for dealing with these imbalances.


But as stated, the CPRC shares a selection process with two other "special" boards and commissions rather than direct appointment.



All the commissioner applicants for any opening on the CPRC go to a screening process by the Mayor's Nomination and Screening Committee and then selections are interviewed and then voted on by the city council. The "at large" positions should theoretically be less political than the "ward representation" (because the majority of the council often votes in accordance to the wishes of the city council member of that ward which may mirror direct appointment) but actually it's not worked out that way at all.





The only exception to the new trend was former commissioner Linda Soubirous who was a straight political appointment for ward representation despite undergoing a similar interview and selection process. But then her background as a candidate for office had already politicized her. She was appointed to the commission by the city council despite having received $30,000 in PAC funds from the RPOA (and several hundred thousand from the Riverside Sheriffs' Association) while running for Bob Buster's seat in 2004. Several council members claimed they knew nothing about her receiving these contributions which considering that they also received financial contributions from the same union, is a bit difficult to believe. Only former Councilman Art Gage (who also received RPOA PAC money during two campaigns) said he didn't cast his vote in support of her appointment because she had accepted this money as part of her political campaign. He did vote against her appointment.



Soubirous never was mentioned during an earlier screening meeting even when Schiavone was asked by Loveridge for suggestions to fill the Ward Four vacancy. She was slipped in at the last minute before the interview process got started. Her selection saw a softening in Schiavone's stance towards city-wide appointment, Chani Beeman and he switched his "no way" vote to a "yay" vote and pulled others in that direction after the appointment of Soubirous facilitating Beeman's eventual appointment which was stumped by former Councilman Dom Betro. Maybe the appointment of one changed the fortunes of the other.

The two men did vote for each other's candidates in the final rounds of their respective selection processes.



Peter Hubbard, who manages AMR which has a public safety contract with Brad Hudson's office and who makes findings on cases involving AMR employees as witnesses, was another political appointment who was city-wide. It would seem that his involvement with the city as a management employee of an independent contractor would create a conflict of interest situation and limit his expression during meetings or at least provide that perception.

In contrast, John Brandriff is the only commissioner who was actually chosen by his ward's council member (which would seem to make him the perfect tool) but he's the one who got letters along with Beeman from Schiavone and was sent to spend three hours with Priamos as part of special "ethics training" b/c of his criticism of Hudson and Priamos to the PE. Besides Jim Ward, he's the closest to being his own person on the panel. Commissioners have been harassed, threatened with lawsuits and pressured to lose their independence by City Hall in various ways and Brandriff's stances that he's taken as a commissioner have elicited negative responses from at least one city council member.








Here's a list in brief of the commissioners, their particular paths to appointment by the city council and their issues which present potential problems. This is under the current system of citywide appointments potentially converting to ward-specific through attrition of the involved board or commission.











Linda Soubirous (Ward Four) by interview and vote process. While running for the District One Riverside County Board of Supervisor in 2004, received an endorsement and financial contributions from law enforcement unions including the Riverside Police Officers' Association. Resigned to take a job in the Sheriff's Department.



Sheri Corral: (alternate, at large appointment-turned Ward Three representative) Active law enforcement officer with Riverside Community College District Police Department. She's backed the police and been threatened with a lawsuit by one police officer during her tenure on the commission but swung about 180 degrees about a year ago.




Peter Hubbard: (at-large appointment by city council) Manages American Medical Response, which has an ongoing public safety contract with City Manager Brad Hudson. Involved in same police department training program that got Riverside County employee Claudia Smith disqualified from consideration for a Ward Four appointment interview by City Attorney Gregory Priamos at the recent Mayor's Nomination and Screening Committee meeting. Priamos' declarations of what constitutes a conflict of interest and what doesn't are fascinating to witness but seem a bit opportunistic in favor of reducing civic liability risk to his primary client, the city.

Jim Ward: (alternate, appointed in at-large position, turned Ward Two representative)Former state corrections officer and counselor but also active community leader.

Chani Beeman: (at large appointment by city council) Founder of Riverside Coalition for Police Accountability, former Human Relations Commission member and has son who has been employed with the Riverside Police Department since 2004.


John Brandriff: (appointed as Ward Seven representative by Councilman Steve Adams to fill vacancy) Former Human Relations Commission member

Arthur Santore: (appointed as Ward Six representative to fill vacancy by city council. Initial vote by council favored another applicant but when Councilwoman Nancy Hart said she didn't like that particular person, the second vote swung the other way)


Kenneth Rotker: (appointed to fill Ward Five vacancy by city council) Rotker said at a public meeting that he believes that the commissioner serves the city council member who appointed him or her.


Brian Pearcy: (appointed at-large by city council) former LAPD officer, current LAPD reserve officer, serves on another city commission and as part of his law practice, takes "police officer rights" and "police labor law" cases, according to his firm's Web site. He flips a bit like he did on the creation and support of the ill-fated ad hoc committee he later cast a vote to put on the back burner, essentially contributing to the dissolution of a committee he created as commission chair. It makes you wonder if he's considering a run for political office in Riverside down the road.

How's the commission split? 4-4 with 3-3 and two that fluctuate their votes and comments made on various agenda issues. At least until the appointment of Soubirous in February to meet the March 1 deadline to seat all new commissioners. Another reason why this most recent appointment might be viewed as being critical.





The fault lines probably don't neatly line up with which appointments on the commission are more political than others. For example, again, the aforementioned Brandriff did get scolded in writing by Schiavone and attended the impromptu "ethics training" because he was critical in comments towards Priamos and Hudson's office. So he's not exactly a pawn being pushed around by some councilman especially since he told one of them that he was going to be independent anyway,. In contrast with Rotker who was appointed through vote by the entire council who apparently thinks that is exactly what he's supposed to be given his comments at recent meetings about how he has to answer to who appointed him. Comments which had Pearcy (who often holds side bar conversations during public meetings) responding somewhat uneasily that what Rotker said was another discussion altogether.







Beeman's appointment was clearly influenced by the presence of former Councilman Dom Betro in office, but she's been on the receiving end of one of Schiavone's letters of chastisement as well. Still, some say she's anti-cop based on one public statement she made about being concerned about a recent spate of officer-involved deaths during the latter quarter of 2008 which was recorded in the Press Enterprise. It's kind of interesting to hear that she's anti-cop, attacks officers and an even more descriptive, "hater of all cops" when her own son is employed by the same police department and she's been very supportive of the police department including through service on the Chief's Advisory Board. But then "anti-cop" is a term that gets thrown around so much anyway. I think the last time that I heard that I was called "anti-cop" or something equivalent was about two weeks ago.


As far as "corruption" within the commission, as long as the city council remains divided between a vocal minority who opposes the CPRC, a non-vocal minority who fully advocates for it and a few strung in between who aren't even educated on what it is, then the vocal opponents will continue to provide Hudson and Priamos with 100% of the direction to micromanage it, weaken it and yes, corrupt its charter-mandated powers including independent investigations of officer-involved deaths. Because it's clear that their direction is coming from as one commissioner used to call it, the "Seventh Floor".





As long as you have an executive manager forced to serve two masters with one master holding the reins and all the power, you will have a diluted, weakened commission that will be in conflict with its executive manager because it's really in conflict with the city manager's office.




As long as you have an attorney who is in a conflict of interest situation, the same applies.





As long as you have a relatively inactive populace (though that's changing on a lot of different fronts including the CPRC), nothing will ever change with the commission and there's no one to blame at the end of that day unless you include that populace. The leaders who remain silent on these issues need to realize that those they purportedly lead are not.



Civilian oversight and review is only as strong, effective and independent as the populace demands. That's true in every city from Berkeley to New York City in this country. It's definitely true in Riverside.






The Press Enterprise's Editorial Board supports the Riverside Police Department's use of the injunction filed against Eastside Riva Gang. It brings up the former alleged range war between Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco and Police Chief Russ Leach which took place mainly on the pages of that publication and which was denied by both parties later.



(excerpt)



But the city's strategy shows the large difference between a political stance and practical policing. Under normal circumstances, arresting everyone who violated the ordinance -- a misdemeanor -- would accomplish little beyond clogging the county's already overburdened justice system. And such tactics could upset the delicate balance of police community relations.

Riverside police view the injunction as a weapon to use when violence threatens to spread, as it has recently. At such times, enforcing the prohibitions strictly offers an effective way of obstructing violent gang activity and protecting the community.

Turns out Riverside police are not lax about enforcing the injunction at all. They merely realize that the skill with any weapon is knowing the right time to use it.




What's the future of Metrolink in Perris? Residents can speak out at several meetings.



Meeting Info (Press Enterprise)

A public meeting and a public hearing are planned to let residents asks questions about the proposed Perris Valley Line Metrolink extension, and comment on the plan.

Public meeting

6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 4

TownGate Community Center, Banquet Hall, 13100 Arbor Park Lane, Moreno Valley

Public hearing

9:30 a.m. Feb. 11

Riverside County Administrative Center, 4080 Lemon St., Riverside

Source: Riverside County Transportation Commission



Concerns were included in the public environmental impact report which is available at the Riverside County Transportation Commission office at 4080 Lemon St. on the third floor and at the Riverside Downtown Public Library as well as libraries in Moreno Valley and Perris.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)


The report also noted some possible impacts to sensitive areas, mainly at the southern end of the 24-mile route. While significant, transportation officials do not think the impacts will be enough to derail the project.

The report, called an initial study/mitigated negative declaration, isn't as comprehensive as the reports required for major road projects, explained Riverside County Transportation Commission deputy director John Standiford. Because the rail project isn't as intrusive, the lesser report is needed, but still addresses similar issues required to receive federal money.

The $168 million project is slated to get $75 million from federal coffers.

Standiford said the project could get a bit of a boost from the proposed federal stimulus package under consideration. If a premium is placed on long-term projects that reduce congestion on area roads, adding commuter trains could apply.






Search warrants in connection with the investigation of San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus have been sealed.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



"They're sealed, and we intend to do our best to keep them that way," spokeswoman Susan Mickey said this morning. "We feel the investigation would be compromised if the information were released."

The sealing means the public won't yet learn the details behind Postmus' early morning arrest on Jan. 15 at his Rancho Cucamonga apartment.

On that day, about 50 investigators executed search warrants involving Postmus in Highland, San Bernardino, Apple Valley, Victorville, Rancho Cucamonga and Santa Margarita in Orange County, a news release stated.




Shifting postins not laying off employees is a strategy being considered by San Bernardino County while it balances its budget in the economic downturn.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



If county budget cuts result in the need to shed employees in a given department, the Temporary Assignment Program, if approved by the county Board of Supervisors today, would allow the displaced workers to move to other jobs.

More painful actions like layoffs and furloughs are not imminent, county officials said, but no options have been ruled out in dealing with budget problems brought on by the economic crisis.

"I would say, in general, we are going to have to consider every option that is available to the county to get past these tough economic times," said Andrew Lamberto, head of the county's human resources department.

Bob Blough, general manager for the union that represents 12,646 county employees, supports the reassignment program. He said layoffs and furloughs should not be an option as the county attempts to plug a $60 million budget shortfall, he said.

"I don't think layoffs are on the horizon for this fiscal year," said Blough, of the San Bernardino Public Employees Association. "I know... the county wants (furloughs) available for this year but I don't think it's necessary."






A Los Angeles attorney might be hired by the county to head the probe into Postmus potential removal.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



The County Board of Supervisors will vote today on whether to hire John C. Hueston of the Los Angeles-based law firm of Irell & Manella LLP to look into the possibility of removing Postmus from office. According to his company biography, Hueston served as a lead prosecutor in the trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeff Skilling.

Before serving on the Enron Task Force, Hueston served as chief of the Southern Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

The contract would be capped at $250,000. The county's head lawyer has also said that taxpayers would have to pay for Postmus' legal defense if a public hearing for removal moves forward.





A Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigator who was on leave while being investigated apparently committed suicide.






The community of San Jacinto reacted in shock.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



David Hall remembers the first time he met Duffy through the Police Activities League in Hemet.

"He was a good guy," said Hall, 20, a Hemet resident. "He made a difference in my life. He made a difference in a lot of peoples' lives."

Hall said he had heard about the criminal investigation but believes Duffy is innocent until he learns otherwise.

Jim Foreman, a former Hemet police officer who knew Duffy for more than a decade, said it is hard for him to believe the veteran investigator would commit any crime, but leaves open the possibility.

Foreman, now a Hemet City Council member, said he and other officers were stunned by the suicide and are trying to reconcile the investigator they knew with the news of his death and the allegations against him.

Foreman said he has no specific information about the case against Duffy, but indicated the suicide may give some insight into the allegations.

"I don't believe an innocent man would kill himself," Foreman said. "An innocent man fights to prove that he is innocent."



Lots of comments on both article threads, including those from people who knew and worked with Duffy before his death.



A controversial study claimed that police officers write more traffic tickets during difficult economic times to generate more revenue for budget-strapped cities. Needless to say, some local high-ranking law enforcement personnel had plenty to say about that.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)




The authors of "Red Ink in the Rearview Mirror" compared revenues, miles driven, the number of traffic tickets written and other factors in determining that "anecdotal evidence supports this revenue motive."



But two local law enforcement officials dispute the conclusion, saying growth is responsible for a ticket increase in the Inland area.



"There is a temptation to view traffic citations as a revenue source based on police activity," Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann said. "But for a thoughtful police executive, there should not be a connection between revenue generation and justice issues."



"I don't think there's any correlation," said retired Corona Police Chief Richard Gonzales. "In 36 years, I've never been aware of any issues like that."






More meetings:





(All are open to the public and free. Dress is casual and refreshments are optional)





The CPRC meets on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in the council chambers.





The Human Resources Board meets on Monday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. on the Fifth Floor large conference room at City Hall. The agenda hasn't been set yet but one possible item is a report from the Riverside Police Department on the retention levels of female officers in the department. Deputy Chief Pete Esquivel has said that the department would definitely be interested in providing a report to the Human Resources Board. The board had asked for information on the police department on this issue but City Attorney Gregory Priamos made it difficult for the board members even to receive statistical information surrounding female officers.





The Governmental Affairs Committee drives another stake in the heart of the Community Police Review Commission on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 3p.m. in the Mayor's Ceremonial room at City Hall.







Also coming soon:



The city council will hold two public meetings to interview and select people to fill appointments on three of the city's boards and commissions. These will be the CPRC, the Planning Commission and the Board of Public Utilities. City Clerk Colleen Nichols is still working on the interview schedule.



Dates and Time: TBA



Definitely mark the following on your calendar. The Charles Dickons Festival will be held in downtown Riverside on Feb. 6-8. Dickons was a family friend and tried to intervene in the long-standing feud between my great, great, great, great, great grandfather and William Wordsworth which started during a carriage ride in England they took with Samuel Coleridge and Robert Southey. At least he tried.

What an independent and parallel investigation looks like: Joseph Darnell Hill

"The sky is falling."


---Chicken Little who's got a following at City Hall in River City these days involving the CPRC.





What does an independent, parallel and timely investigation by the Community Police Review Commission look like?





That is something that City Hall doesn't want city residents to know. Or if you did know, this is what City Hall wants you to forget. There are two ways to achieve this and they are most effective when done in tandem. The first step is to eliminate the practice in question at least until the collective memory almost forgets it. City Hall accomplished this when City Manager Brad Hudson released his directive barring the CPRC from initiating such investigations until the police department had completed its own investigations and review, a process that can take six months to a year or longer.



The second step is to replace the memories of what independent, parallel investigations actually were by replacing them with falsely generated recollections or rather, reinventions. And that is how the most outrageous falsehood in this situation was developed. Let's call it the "bumbling, obstructive investigator who tramps through crime scenes", the straw man argument that's been dragged out a lot lately in defense of the Hudson directive by various parties including those who have waited over eight years to bring it up.




Never mind that the investigators (most of whom retired from the FBI) from the Baker's Street Group never conducted themselves in any manner than what was professional. They never even visited a crime scene the day of the officer-involved death, let alone trampled over the crime-scene tape being set up around it thus throwing the entire investigative process awry. If you're doubtful about this, then here's something you can do. Contact your elected council representative, any other elected council member or Mayor Ron Loveridge and ask him or her to cite examples of incidents where investigators showed up at crime scenes and trampled evidence. Ask the elected official too if he or she ever received any complaints of investigators barging into crime scenes and trampled evidence. But it's important to paint this vivid portrait of investigators trampling evidence and contaminating witness accounts (when the fact is, most problematic witnesses contaminate their own statements) so that people hear it, envision it and then say, oh my gracious without even knowing that the elected officials and direct city employees who they trust have imprinted their minds with false memories which lead to an attack of the vapors which they need smelling salts to revive from.





It never happened.

No investigator ever trampled a crime scene nor has one ever contaminated a witness statements. If witnesses give slightly different or even completely different versions of accounts of an incident to different investigative parties, then it's probably a blessing in disguise for the criminal investigators and any potential prosecutors (in theory not practice because only one officer-involved shooting death case was ever prosecuted in this county's history) to realize that there's a problem with that witness' recollection at that early juncture in an investigation rather than while that witness is under direct examination by a prosecutor at a grand jury proceeding, a preliminary hearing or better yet a trial after months of time has been spent preparing for those legal proceedings both by an investigative agency and a prosecutors' office.

Seriously, and no smart elected official who tells the truth at least some of the time will say that it did. Yet there are elected officials and their direct employees running around claiming that it will, like Chicken Little who went around the barnyard telling everyone the sky was falling on his head. Anyone who participates in actually perpetuating this farce should truly be ashamed of themselves.





As you are probably aware, the ability of the Community Police Review Commission to do independent and timely investigations has been restricted by a directive issued by the City Manager's office, enforced by the City Attorney's office and backed by at least two city council members currently sitting on the dais including one who is up for reelection this year. Those two city council members sit on the Governmental Affairs Committee which most likely will be cementing the Hudson directive to take back to an indecisive and relatively quiet city council to be rubber stamped at that level.




But before that happens, one final reminder of what an independent and timely investigation process by the CPRC looks like. And what an investigative process under City Charter Section 810(d) looks like and will look like again when more enlightened people who truly respect the vote of the people to put the CPRC in the city's charter are elected to the dais to replace those who simply reject the fact that Measure II passed in every precinct in every ward and are bowing to the wishes of a minority. This happened to LEPAC in the 1990s and out of that, came the stronger CPRC. Now it's the CPRC's turn and like with LEPAC, in the long-run it most likely will spawn a stronger, more independent civilian review mechanism. But that will be over the long-term most likely because Riverside tends to repeat its history.





The CPRC is currently carrying out its most last case involving parallel investigations done by the body's own investigator and the Riverside Police Department because this case took place before the Hudson Directive. That directive as stated disrupted a protocol of investigation which had been successfully in place since 2002. This protocol was used in the investigations of 11 officer-involved deaths without a single complaint made against it by any faction of the city or its departments, any lawsuits filed protesting the protocol and any concerns raised by anyone from any city or county agency about potential contamination of crime scene evidence or witnesses by investigators.

In other words, this is probably one of the most blatant campaigns of falsehoods foisted on the city residents including the majority of voters who put the commission in the city's charter in recent memory. It actually does a complete disservice to the police department and the city's residents because it makes it clear that City Hall has to resort to falsehoods to restrict the impact of the CPRC on its civil liability involving the police department. It benefits the city attorney's office, city manager's office and city council who are more concerned about civil litigation instigated against the city (through its police department) than in maintaining the integrity of any investigative process done by anyone. But it doesn't benefit the city's residents or the police department which has the added burden of having to appear as if the city simply doesn't have any trust in it. Any city that had faith in its law enforcement agency would welcome independent and transparent investigations of its most critical incidents most namely officer-involved deaths. Riverside has opted out of this process because it's afraid of what the CPRC might uncover? It's afraid whether there's really anything there or not and it's fascinating how all this concern and sudden need for change of protocol took place after the city dissolved its consent decree with the State Attorney General's office. Is there some reason why even Hudson, Asst. City Manager Tom DeSantis and several city council members didn't come up with this plan to do so while Bill Lockyer was still in control?


Below is what a parallel investigation looks like. The police department initiated its own investigation and review process the day of the shooting. The CPRC did its own investigation and review process beginning within several days of being notified by the police department. Thje work product for the police department and that of the investigator are available online.


This section of the CPRC's Web site contains information from the officer-involved death investigations of Joseph Darnell Hill who was shot to death by a police officer in October 2006. Investigations is plural because the material included online at the CPRC's Web site is from the parallel investigations done by the Riverside Police Department's Officer-Involved Death Team housed in the Central Investigations Bureau and the CPRC's own probe. Not included is the administrative review conducted by the police department's Internal Affairs Division which is confidential under state laws.

Most of the documents are in pdf format so Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to access them. It's recommended that you use version 7.0 or higher as the 7.0 version is what is used by most city departments.



This is the criminal casebook for the Hill case provided by the Riverside Police Department. Although portions of it were redacted by the police department's records division, it includes information including reports, statements and other documented evidence.

Here are some portions of the case book which is identified on the Web site page through tab numbers which makes it a bit confusing to know which tab sections covers which part of the investigation as there is no index or table of contents like there would be in the actual case book that's not online. So you have to kind of click each one to find out what information if any it provides. About three of the tabs for whatever reason are not hyperlinked and are thus unable to be accessed.



For example, here is an incident report filed by Officer R. Nibecker who had responded to an emergency call for assistance and a report of "shots fired".



Here is a report filed by Lt. Guy Toussaint where he approaches Adcox and Ili to ask them safety questions (as supervisors are limited in terms of what they can ask officers involved in shootings at the scene) and then ask Adcox to voluntarily submit blood samples for toxicology reports. The officers are told if they don't do it voluntarily, then the Internal Affairs Division will compel them to do it for the administrative review. Both declined, which has been a more recent trend since the Riverside Police Officer Association retained the firm of Lackie and Dammeier to represent it and so Sgt. Duane May and Sgt. Brian Dailey from the Internal Affairs Division showed up to compel samples which were provided as required.




Interview with witness, Jorge Quniones (Spanish with Officer D. Nelson and translated into English) where his version of what happened to the taser is a little different than that provided by the two police officers.



Officer Carlos Vazquez writes this report about laying out the crime scene and canvassing the area looking for witnesses of the shooting who will then be more thoroughly interviewed by the shooting team investigators. It's easy for the patrol officers to conduct field interviews including in canvass sweeps because the department issues all of them digital recorders as part of what was once the stipulated judgment with the State Attorney General's office.


Other officers like R. Olsen respond and secure the scene or form a perimeter or like Motor Officer Greg Hayden traffic control.



Here is an investigative report submitted by Det. Rick Cobb one of the detectives assigned to the Officer-Involved Death Team. It includes information about what the scene looked like when he arrived down to the smaller details. It also includes a listing of evidence collected.


Sgt. Kossky submitted this report from the Central Investigations Bureau at the Magnolia Station. He details how the involved officers are kept separated from each other before their interviews by being directed to vacant offices.


The officers are then interviewed by members of the Officer-Involved Shooting team's detectives. Included in the information are those present during the officer's voluntary interview with the investigators.



Interview of Officer Jeffrey Adcox took place at the Magnolia Station with Det. James Brandt and Det. Mike Medici. Present were representatives from the Riverside County District Attorney's office and also the law firm retained by the police union to represent officers during these interviews. Not mentioned are whether there are any personnel representing the Internal Affairs Division as there had been in the past. In August 2003, the filing of The Riverside Police Officers' Association v the City of Riverside addressed the presence of personnel from this division during the voluntary interviews, most often sitting in another room out of sight listening or watching the interview through a live feed. These administrative reviewers would often submit questions to the Officer-Involved Death Team without the officers who were being interviewed knowing the source of the question.

The lawsuit was ultimately settled in early 2005.



Interview with Officer Giovanni Ili which includes much of the same background information as for Adcox including who is present while the interview is taking place and its location. If you look at the transcripts for both Ili and Adcox, you will notice that admonitions are delivered at their beginnings and ends by the labor union attorney Michael McGill.



Tab #59 and Tab #60 were confusing to figure out until I realized they were actually two officer interviews from the Douglas Steven Cloud shooting investigation. Oops! They also spelled RPOA attorney Michael Lackie's name wrong. Its spelling is not the same as Officer Matthew Lackey's name.


The autopsy report of Hill in terms of the process as done by a medical examiner from the Riverside County Sheriffs-Coroner's office. Very brief and not in great detail.


The evidence log which catalogs the items found at the scene of the shooting relevant to the investigation. It is submitted by Technician Carlton Fuller. Not included is any information about the tests conducted on DNA samples and fingerprints from the taser. Both failed to provide enough of a viable sample to use for identification purposes.

Adcox's firearm is inspected as part of the process of evidence collection.



Transcript of Adcox's belt recording of the incident. All field officers are required to carry digital belt recorders and to record all professional officer-initiated contacts with the public pursuant to a department policy instituted while the city was under the stipulated judgment with the State Attorney General's office. This recording is not complete nor is it time stamped. It was signed by Adcox on Feb. 23, 2007 as being in his mind an authentic reproduction of his recording.


Transcript of Officer Giovanni Ili's belt recording. The recorder apparently was activated after the shooting and contains exchanges between him and other officers who arrived afterward. Ili also signed the transcript which can't be used as evidence but only as a visual guide for the recording which can be used as evidence in a proceeding.


Transcript of radio traffic between police officers and the dispatcher during the incident.



This diagram shows an aerial view of the scene during the shooting incident.



Here is the investigation report submitted by Butch Warnberg of the Baker Street Group, an investigation firm in San Diego County retained by the CPRC for the purpose of conducting its own independent and parallel investigations including interviews of all the witnesses. Does it look slender in content? When compared to prior reports submitted by Warnberg and other investigators working for that company especially those involving the deaths of Terry Rabb in 2005 and Lee Deante Brown in 2006, it is but according to one commissioner on the CPRC, there's a reason for that.


The CPRC investigators had provided some valued service to the investigative process.


While doing investigations into several cases including that of Summer Lane in 2004, the commission or its investigator uncovered other witnesses the police department didn't know about. It also found someone in the Anastacio Munoz case who had appeared at a briefing held on that fatal officer-involved shooting in 2002. In all cases, the commission or its investigator provided the police department with this information. And what's happened in return? City Hall has branded the investigators as running around trampling crime scenes and compromising the police department's own criminal investigations of incustody deaths.



But what's happened to Warnberg's reports during the past few years as a result of the alleged obstruction by City Hall into investigations conducted by his company?



Commissioner Jim Ward told the commission at several meetings that when he asked Warnberg while the reports were weaker than they had been for earlier deaths, he said he was told that Hudson's office had issued an ultimatum to Warnberg and the other investigators with Baker Street Group that if it wanted to continue to get paid by the city, it would conform its reports to the liking of the city manager's office. The company was reminded by the city who wrote its pay checks and those who did were in control. None of the other commissioners seemed that shocked at Ward's revelation of behind the scenes actions. Some most likely were more jaded at that point than others.

Compare and contrast that situation to what was outlined in the Hudson Directive that the CPRC couldn't spend its own investigative budget (which was $50,000 but is likely gone by now for other non-commission related expenditures) without the permission of City Attorney Gregory Priamos. So the city manager's office was already causing problems for the CPRC's ability to do its own independent and transparent investigations even before the Hudson Directive was issued.



In fact, the majority of the CPRC voted to initiate independent and parallel investigations into the officer-involved deaths of Carlos Quinonez, Fernando Sanchez and Marlon Oliver Acevedo but those investigations never got off the ground because Executive Manager Kevin Rogan, a direct employee of Hudson, refused to contact the investigators as directed to by the commission and Priamos' office refused to provide any money. People in the community actually offered to raise money themselves so that the commission could at least initiate an investigation through a firm but it's likely that wouldn't help because the investigative process would still be roadblocked by Rogan, Hudson and Priamos. But it's worth noting that there are many city residents who value the process of independent and parallel investigations and understand what that really means (as opposed to the line of horse manure that City Hall is trying to hock) to offer to do such a thing.

Hopefully, they will show this same commitment at the voting polls this coming election cycle. Many plan to do so.



You can't fault Rogan even though he was nary two weeks out of a long stint with Pomona's police department and had turned down a job with a top police defense firm before becoming the executive manager of the CPRC. Riverside's residents saw what happened to his predecessor, Pedro Payne who "resigned" not long after Asst. City Manager Tom DeSantis met with him and others to discuss changes to the protocol involving officer-involved death investigations by the CPRC. A couple applicants to fill his vacancy called up before the oral interviews to ask what had happened to him and who really pulled his strings. At that point in their background research into the CPRC, the executive manager's role and how that role was shaped by City Hall, they had already figured it out or had a sense of what the dynamics would be.



Several postings ago, there was a trivia question which was as follows. Name the only controversy involving the conducting of parallel investigations involving officer-involved deaths. The clue provided was that it had nothing to do with the CPRC and that's the truth. The lawsuit which resulted from problems that arose with how the police department conducts its own parallel investigations of officer-involved deaths and nonfatal shootings was named, The Riverside Police Officers' Association v the City of Riverside filed in August 2003 and that's the same case that was mentioned earlier. It resulted from an alleged blending of two investigations which were supposed to be independent of one another, which were the criminal investigation and the administrative investigation (which actually resembles a review more than an investigation) during the interrogation of involved officers.



And what do you know! The CPRC actually noted this blurring of the two factions while drafting policy recommendations for several officer-involved deaths including that of Munoz. But the rewrite of that history is again, all about inept investigators trampling over crime-scene tape. Oh that odious, incompetent investigator, you know the one that doesn't actually exist except in the re-imagining and rewriting of history by some individuals at City Hall.












The Riverside County government did an audit and now it's asking some questions about its expenditures.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



The Department of Public Social Services then bought another $1.1 million in computers and accessories in fiscal 2007 without considering the hundreds of computers, routers, printers and modems collecting dust, the audit said.

"Some equipment in inventory should have been used before purchasing similar new equipment," the department's director, Susan Loew, wrote in a 2007 response to the audit. "We are remedying this situation."

The audit says the department failed to use about 1,400 computers and other electronic items in a timely manner, potentially wasting taxpayer money as the items become obsolete.

Loew said Friday that the department purchased most of the 1,400 computers in spring 2006. The department had to store the new computers for more than a year due to unforeseen "external factors," she said. Loew said she did not know the specific reasons offhand.

Since the draft audit was completed in 2007, the department has put all the computers to use among its 52 offices around the county, she said.




The day the lights went out in Hemet. At about 700 businesses and homes. Fires and explosions involving Southern California Edison took out power for 2,000 customers altogether since Friday night.

CPRC Smackdown: Three commissioners vs DeSantis and his men

This blog posting was supposed to come to you courtesy of the Wi Fi in this city because it was going to be done in the spirit of Mayor Ron Loveridge's comments about Riverside being a truly wireless city. Unfortunately, the Wi Fi didn't cooperate and crashed repeatedly with the following message from several locations in the city:





"The server at 12.175.xxx.xxx is taking too long to respond."



That was before the cute little blue bubble over the dual screens was extinguished and a network check showed that the "ATTMETROFREE" server's connection with the "Internet" had been brutally severed, with that most cruel of icons, the red "X". After about 20 minutes, the blue blob returned and the cycle repeated itself.


So much for wireless.

I'm all for this technology and civic Wi Fi systems (and perhaps Riverside could some day catch up with cities like Seattle and Atlanta) but they have to work. A phone call of inquiry led to a representative at the 311 information center at City Hall. The response was that the server perhaps was overwhelmed by usage and was slower at certain times, affecting connections to the internet from the server. The representative said that she had used it once downtown and was surprised by how fast it worked. She did say she would send someone out to check the network which is interesting given that the city is no contracting with the company that installed it and was responsible for its upkeep. And though Loveridge might have praised Steve Reneker for his work in information technology including the Wi Fi system, most everyone in that division has been laid off.

But the service was set up primarily to use for emergency responses by public safety agencies and let's hope that it's working much better in that capacity.

But then it's interesting how Loveridge was handing off assignments on his list of things to do to divisions where the layoffs have been particularly thick. Not that it's not a good list but Reneker's pretty much the only person left in his division and the Human Relations Commission (which was assigned some tasks to accomplish) lost its community relations director in December's round of "minimal impact" layoffs and has minimal staff if any at all.






The Inland Empire's jobless rate has topped 10% for the first time in years. The collapse of the housing market set the Inland Empire's economy crashing like a house of cards.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



Unemployment figures can be misleading on several counts. A certain number of people receiving benefits are not looking for work but are counted in the state's monthly survey, which is why there is a jobless rate of at least 4 percent even in the best of times.

On the other hand, the current 10.1 percent level does not include people who have been idled for a year or more and are off the unemployment lists. Many of these people have given up looking.

Economists say this kind of bad news will continue, at least until the second half of this year.

"It's getting ugly for the next couple of quarters," Chapman University economist Esmael Adibi said.

Adibi said national news about the economy, including layoffs at some of the country's iconic employers, tend to rattle owners of some smaller firms, even though there have not been jobs cuts that staggering in Inland Southern California, Adibi said.

"Smaller employers are hearing about this and are laying off one or two people at a time," he said. "It seems like it's all bad news, and people are trimming costs because of it."

A woman who owned a dog that was shot and killed by a Riverside Police Department might file a claim for damages against the city which has offered her $800 in reparations.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)




In late December, a police officer had chased a parolee suspected of trespassing through Weaver's backyard on Beatty Drive in Riverside.

A second officer followed, and opened the 6-foot gate across Weaver's driveway. By that time, Weaver's boyfriend, Brant Klingler, had just walked outside with Koda to see what caused the commotion. He heard the officer yell "contain your dog." Then he heard gunshots. Blood splattered on the white wall.

Klingler said he could tell the officer was scared of the 50-pound black-and-white pit bull, who was barking.

"He never even gave me a chance to do anything," Klingler said. "All four of her feet were on the ground. She was barking, but she wasn't doing anything."

Lt. Chuck Griffitts, of the Riverside Police Department, said his understanding was that the dog looked like it was coming at the officer and that was why he fired.




There's a discussion taking place about that article at the newspaper site.



(excerpts)



"Inside Riverside":


"Lt. Chuck Griffitts, of the Riverside Police Department, said his understanding was that the dog looked like it was coming at the officer and that was why he fired."

Of course that's what the cowardly officer would say, no way he would admit what really happened.





"Daves not here"


The officer needs to be fired.

He escalated a non life-threatening situation into one where he used deadly force.

How many dog experts recomend fear and aggression as the preferred technique for dealing with a dog? Zero.

Yet this officer brings aggression and fear anyway.

His incompetence is what caused this tragedy.

A felony charge of animal cruelty, with a semi-auto gun enhancement, is what the cop should be facing. This was totally unnecessary.





"Red Ant":




Wow. I feel sorry for this family who obviously cared and loved their pet. Does
anyone have an idea of what the typical litigious outcome would look like? It's
very obvious there is a great emotional
loss for the family but monetarily speaking, is it based on the value/replacement of the pet?

I hope some officers would not be so quick to shoot an animal. Do they carry pepper spary like postal carriers?

Sandy Weaver,
Your pit was beautiful.
May he rest in peace.




"heyu":



Good Grief! It's just a dog. People are more concerned about pets now days than they are about humanity! Where's the outcry with regard to: AIDS, POVERTY, THE HOMELESS, DISEASE, FAMINE, ETHNIC CLEANSING, ETC!



More conversation to come, for sure.




In the Eastside neighborhood of Riverside, the police department has enforced the gang injunction against East Side Riva in the wake of the shootings of six people. It's not clear if any similar tactics are being used against the other gangs in that neighborhood who may or may not be responsible for the shootings and violence as well. Because except for one quote in the article by an Eastside resident, it didn't seem like any other gangs existed in that neighborhood.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)

Before the recent spate of shootings, officers stopped people named in the injunction only if they were involved in other suspicious activity, Gonzalez said.

Since the shootings, officers are citing people named in the injunction if they violate the injunction in any way, such as hanging out with other people named in the injunction, if they wear gang paraphernalia or if they flash gang signs, Gonzalez said.

Some Eastside residents believe the injunction unfairly targets Hispanics and does not address problems caused by other gangs.

Eastside resident Monica Barbarin said the injunction targets some of the wrong people. She said two people in her family are named in the injunction but they have long since left the gang lifestyle.

She also fears strict enforcement of the injunction will make her son, who is not a gang member, a target for police attention because he is a Hispanic teenager.

"They should have put all the gangs on the Eastside under an injunction," Barbarin said.

Gonzalez said in addition to serving the 113 people named in the original injunction, officers have added 18 others to the injunction. He said the ability to add new gang members to the injunction will ensure officers can target the most active members.

Clamping down on gang members is one of several ways the department has chosen to address violence in the neighborhood.

"I think it has helped," Gonzalez said.

"I think it could have been worse if we didn't have this tool."

But they are probably not the only gang responsible for the violence, especially if there's interracial tension in a nearby high school and in fact, in more than one high school (as parents reported that Poly High School was also on lock down for a while). It's like having two kids that beat each other up and you're the parent. Give one a cookie and send the other to his room or ground him. How does that impact the relationship between the two (or more children) and their "parent"?

To attribute the two killings on Enterprise Street in December to East Side Riva (after telling the public and the families of the two Latino men that the trail is "cold" because no one's talking) is strange because right after the killings, racial tensions between Black students and Latinos broiled over at John W. North High School to the point that police officers had to respond to quell it. Why was their racial tension at North between two racial populations (who've had a lot of tension over the years including at the high school) so prevalent if East Side Riva was "responsible" for the dual shootings?

Focusing on one simply shifts the balance of power to other gangs including the numerous Crips gangs either also in the Eastside or "passing through" who leave graffiti on walls claiming large sections of the neighborhood including those held by East Side Riva. It also leaves the Latino residents who are the victims of this violence the majority of the time feeling as if their losses don't matter as much and not as much is being done to deal with the gangs targeting them. After all, it's not like the media nor the department even mention the names of these gangs in print or in public except for one gang. I guess if you don't say them out loud, they don't exist?

And focusing on one gang including in what is shared with the media won't do much to reduce the racial tension (which would probably exist even if the gangs weren't there) in that neighborhood and its schools. Allowing the students to be involved through multicultural councils that have been created at North High School is also important.

What works in most cities that face this violence (including in several where killings have decreased recently while Riverside's increases) is a multi-prong approach which includes enforcement as a tool but also provides a lot of opportunities for community involvement including gang prevention and intervention programs and opportunities for young men and women that include other things to do besides gang membership. When Riverside cut its budget, often it's these vital aspects of anti-violence strategies which are the first to go, including Project Bridge which lost almost all of its gang outreach workers and the city actually handed over their responsibilities (and their job's not an easy one that just anyone can do) to the city's own park directors who will be too busy to do any outreach that they really don't have the training to do anyway.





What do you know? The Riverside City Council is meeting again on Tuesday, Jan. 27.


It's not clear they really want people at their meetings but it's the civic duty of city residents to participate in the government process and redress their issues.


City Employee Al Thompson has a workman's compensation case going into closed session. If you remember your history, Thompson was one of the plaintiffs in a racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation case filed against the city in 1997 and finally settled years later after the city failed to get then U.S. District Judge Robert Timlin to toss the lawsuit out on summary judgment.



The six month extension for Greyhound Bus Lines in downtown Riverside is also coming to a vote on the consent calendar as is the mayor's recommendation that the city council review the Husing and Red Team reports on economic strategy on Feb. 10. He mentioned doing just this in his state of the city address last week.



The Community Police Review Commission in Riverside is also meeting again in the wake of its seizure mid-meeting last week by Asst. City Manager Tom DeSantis much to the consternation of at least several commissioners.


It's meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at City Hall in downtown Riverside. First on the agenda, is the briefing by Riverside Police Department Investigations Capt. Mark Boyer on the recent fatal officer-involved shooting of Russell Franklin Wyatt.

After that, you can see the ongoing discussion of the CPRC's issuance of a public report for the October 2006 officer-involved death of Joseph Darnell Hill. No, that's not a typo. This case actually is over two years old. Anything that comes out of it (except for a policy recommendation here and there) will be even more meaningless than usual.

After City Attorney Gregory Priamos argued about the relevance of 3304(d) in the Lee Deante Brown case several years ago, Attorney Kevin Rogan (who's also the executive manager of the commission) said it has no relevance. Sometimes, going to the CPRC meetings is like watching a ping pong match that's gone into overtime.

Also on the agenda will be a continuation of the train wreck called the Policy and Procedures Committee which pits three members of the CPRC against both DeSantis (who currently controls the committee) and Rogan, his direct "at will" employee. It wasn't clear who won the first round, because the designated referee over the proceedings, Priamos had left the building for the evening. Round two continues on Wednesday night. It's like watching a wrestling match without the costumes.

Admission of course to this event and others in the Riverside Wrestling Federation series is free to the public.



A mystery has erupted at the San Bernardino Police Department as to why one of its captains picked up a bunch of shoes in the locker room and tossed them into a shower. The shoes were heavily damaged by the soaking and no one knows what the man was thinking when he took that drastic action.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



It cost at least $500 to pay for the water-damaged footwear, the lawyer said.

"I was definitely surprised," Dammeier said. "A captain in a police department is supposed to lead by example, and this definitely wasn't a good example."

A memo by the police union president notes that the action may have followed a locker room inspection.

Officers use the room to change into and out of their uniforms.

Neither Henson nor Police Chief Mike Billdt responded to requests for comment Wednesday.

Assistant Chief Mitch Kimball refused to answer questions, citing a personnel investigation.

Police union President Rich Lawhead confirmed that he wrote a Jan. 2 e-mail asking officers to report any such damage but declined to comment further because Billdt is investigating and has ordered officers not to discuss it.




Hopefully, this is one mystery that will soon be solved.





A Los Angeles councilman demanded answers as to why the police department's officers were not wearing their helmets.



(excerpt, Los Angeles Times)




The Zine motion, backed by Westside Councilman Bill Rosendahl, orders the LAPD to provide a report on its policies that deal with preparing and equipping officers assigned to crowd control, including "use and non-use of helmets and other tactical gear."

The motion cites the LAPD's own Emergency Operations Guide, which states: "DO NOT assign officers without helmets, vests and batons to crowd control missions."


In the meantime, one of the police department's fingerprint experts has been charged with assault.




An interesting and comprehensive posting on the drug war's collateral damage from the Big Bear Observation Post.

Riverside: "2009 will be the hardest year in the city's history"

Riverside's mayor Ron Loveridge gave his state of the city address to a packed house at the Riverside Convention Center and echoed the constrained praise of accomplishments and emphasis on a more cautious approach to the future that was exhibited by President Barack Obama during his own inauguration speech.





"Sad news trumps good news," Loveridge said at the beginning of his address.





Riverside was the epicenter of the budget crisis in this country and its unemployment rate was the highest (at about 10%) of any metropolitan area in this country. The foreclosure rate was among the highest in the country and so far, the state budget was $42 billion in the red. The city's own budget fell from $228 million to $214 million and currently stands at about $200 million. Sales taxes and property taxes have dropped as have fees collected from permit applications. One economist forecast that 2009 would be the worst year in Riverside's history.




"There is real economic pain," Loveridge said.





Loveridge did formulate some strategies. The economic strategy had to move the city forward during its difficult times. Shopping in Riverside had to be promoted to generate sales tax revenue and Riverside through sales of its foreclosed homes had to be promoted as the place to live. Proposing more discussion of what sounds like a possible return of the NACs. If that's the case, then some of the elected officials who opposed them are going to need some smelling salts. Neighborhood autonomy, kind of a scary thing.





Loveridge put a lot of the tasks including the neighborhood assessment program on the Human Relations Commission which is located in his office not long after the city fired its community relations director, Yvette Pierre due to budget cuts. The commission currently has limited staffing that it shares with the Mayor's Youth Council which was also assigned these projects.



Loveridge will be bringing the Red Team recommendations as well as those from the Husing report to the city council on Feb. 10.






Reaction to the mayor's address was mixed though portions of it were applauded. Some people were concerned about the city's ability to deliver its basic services. Others felt that there weren't enough men and women of color cited in the mayor's speech. Kind of interesting in a majority minority city that this was the case.

"Business as usual" as one speaker said. Some liked the idea of Riverside being a "green" city which may produce a lot of potential for economic development.






Another sergeant promotion, the second this fiscal year, in the Riverside Police Department took place just two weeks ago when Police Chief Russ Leach promoted Det. Chad Milby to fill the position vacated by Sgt. John Romo who has retired. It's interesting because coming after the autumn promotion of Dan Warren, that makes it two laterals from Oceanside Police Department in a row that have filled these positions.




That's not really that surprising because in a department with a disproportionate number of younger, less experienced officers like is the case in Riverside, laterals are at an advantage precisely because one of their strengths is experience that they bring to their new agency. And laterals from Oceanside might be more competitive than say laterals from another department like Rialto because while officers from both agencies are experienced, these two agencies are a study in contrasts.





The Oceanside laterals were pretty much all heavily experienced in investigations. In fact a news article stated that the majority of those who lateraled over were detectives who lost that status (but gained higher pay) when they transferred in as officers. Ironically, the only one who may not have been a detective was the first lateral to be promoted to that rank in the Riverside Police Department several years ago. This strength of investigative experience (which also provides versatility) might give them an edge during fiscally conservative times (which may lead to staffing cuts) if stacked against candidates at or nearly at the same level. But in different circumstances, it could tilt the other way in a closely competitive promotional process.





The North County Times wrote a good article on officers lateraling from Oceanside to Riverside which unfortunately is no longer online. According to the article, a lot of the issues impacting Oceanside had to do with salary ranges and morale issues within the department which are similar as those faced by an agency of its size surrounded by larger ones. The article stated that a sergeant at Oceanside made less money than an officer did working in Riverside. They appear to have been the subject of some humor but they must like it here. Of the Oceanside laterals, only Aaron Miller returned back to that department.





In contrast, according to a press release issued by the police department in December 2005, the majority of those officers who lateraled as a group from Rialto were more experienced in field officer training and SWAT/Metro (of which Rialto is apparently known for). The situation in Rialto involved a lot of upheaval, political challenges and uncertainty because the department was walking the fine line of remaining an autonomous law enforcement agency or being contracted out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Situations like these often lead to officers lateraling out to agencies with more stable administrations though in some cases, officers might lateral out if the situation at the original agency resolves itself but many stay at their new home. Several of the Rialto laterals ended up in the field training division not long after being hired, again in a department not strong on seniority in its patrol division.





The promotions at the supervisory level this year have been quite good and all three officers promoted to those positions bring a wealth of experiences and maturity into their new ranks, but there's still frozen positions at this level and at the officer level. Suggestions have been made to pretty up the language but these are frozen positions, period and that's what they should be called.




Election 2009 hasn't yet really begun, with time left for prospective candidates in three wards up for grabs as well as the mayoral seat. However, two candidates have declared their intent to run against Councilman Andrew Melendrez in the second ward. One of them is Garth Newberry who's been somewhat active in neighborhood organizations and Democratic Party politics. In November 2000, he was elected to serve as the Rubidoux Community Services District director.



Another candidate has also declared in the second ward and is looking to begin the arduous task of fund raising and hitting what could be a very long campaign trail. The two candidates in addition to Melendrez make the opportunities ripe for a Republican with connections similar to past candidates to jump into the race. Don't be surprised if one declares by filing time.

At least one candidate is thinking about running against Councilwoman Nancy Hart in the sixth ward and one, Paul Davis, has already declared in the fourth ward which is currently represented by Councilman Frank Schiavone. And the filing deadline is still weeks away.





Greyhound's stay in Riverside has been extended six months.


(excerpt, Belo Blog)




Under the proposed conditions, Greyhound has agreed to staff the station from arrival of the first bus to departure of the last one each day, at least 1.5 hours longer than it is now staffed. The company also will keep the station tidier and provide security; and the city will work with Greyhound to find a new location in or near Riverside, Gardner said.

"I think to be successful you need to find a site that you think can work and then go jointly meet with the neighborhood ... rather than wait for people to hear about it when they get a letter from the planning department that says there's a hearing on a bus station in your backyard," Gardner said.

Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said the company has agreed to the terms and is continuing to search for a new site that meets everyone's needs, but the process has been frustrating.

"The city has continued to offer us small extensions with no permanence," she said. "That makes it difficult for us to maintain our work force."





The city of Riverside wants local churches to stop feeding homeless people.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



What started as a father-daughter team 2½ years ago with three pizzas and five takers has led to a ministry led by Jim Ward through The Vision Plus Church on Pyrite Street.

Its newest acolytes are 10 students from California Baptist University who believe they're serving Jesus by serving food to at least 35 homeless people every Thursday in Fairmount Park.

Her hands sheathed in plastic gloves as she dishes out salad to 65 homeless people, Hannah Barrett, 20, justifies her mission through Bible chapter and verse in Matthew: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

City officials, however, don't approve of the feedings, although "It's not against the law," said Don Smith, Riverside's project manager for the housing and neighborhood division.

The goal is to encourage faith-based groups to work with city programs and "drive-by feedings don't really help meet that objective," Smith said.




A group of barbers in Moreno Valley are filing racial discrimination lawsuits against the city of Moreno Valley and the state.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)



Kevon Gordon and Ron Jones say five Moreno Valley police officers, two representatives from the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and city code enforcement inspectors entered the Hair Shack barbershop April 2 and searched the premises without permission or a search warrant, according to the claim.

Gordon owns the Sunnymead Boulevard establishment, and Jones is the sole employee.

"Both the matter in which claimants were chosen as targets of the search and inspection and the scope and nature of the inspection and search conducted violated claimants' rights under various state and federal laws," the claim states.

Both men are black, as are most of their customers, according to the claim.

Gordon and Jones said the inspection has hurt them financially and emotionally; they are seeking damages and legal fees exceeding $10,000. The claim, which is the first step toward a civil lawsuit, was filed last month.






Will the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unseat Assessor Bill Postmus?






I guess someone didn't like my critique of this blog posting. It's really a shame. Because for all my so-called negativity, I actually find that blog interesting. I just disagree with his or her interpretation of events in Riverside including that recent posting. Why do we have two contrasting reads on the same article written by Inland Empire Weekly? Because we're two different individuals who blog. This person considers themselves an "insider". I don't, because 99.9999999% of residents in Riverside are not but many of us are voters.

As for being negative? I'm not the person calling people (especially women) "crazy" and "wackjobs" and other assorted negative and insulting terms. It's one thing to criticize a person's actions, it's another to call them the "matriarch of Riverside's wack jobs." The problem is that by doing this and then supporting incumbent candidates like Councilman Frank Schiavone and Councilman Steve Adams is that you're then making it appear as if they endorse the use of terms like this to call their critics. They probably don't, one would certainly hope that's true because then that wouldn't portray them in a very good light.







A head injury suffered by a Los Angeles Police Department officer has sparked controversy over the use of helmets.



(excerpt, Los Angeles Times)



Over the last decade, there has been running disagreement within the LAPD about when and where to deploy so-called tactical gear (in police parlance, "hats and bats") and whether the equipment officers wear can itself change the dynamics of a crowd.


Some argue that for those exercising free speech, the gear is intimidating and anxiety provoking, suggestive that police are poised and primed to battle it out with the crowd.

But to officers, helmets, face guards, gas masks and vests are protection, basic necessities that stand in the way of injury should anything go wrong while dealing with large groups of people.

"We've been telling them [LAPD commanders] for years this is a safety issue with officers and public safety," Paul Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said of the helmet issue.

Top LAPD commanders said their main priority is the safety of officers. But they argue that the types of tactics officers use for crowd control should be based on the individual situation. Many situations require tactical gear, they said, while others might not.

"That's why they call it policing," said LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger. "Each situation is different and requires a different response . . . common sense and humanity."








A shocking column by Dan Bernstein of the Press Enterprise about how a Black woman who was the victim of mistaken identity spent days in jail while the D.A. told her she should just plead guilty to a crime she didn't commit to get out of jail and refused to have a fingerprint comparison of her done which would have freed her.



(excerpt)



Next day, the judge viewed booking photos of both Bakers. The DA tracked down the private vendor and paid the rush charge? Nope. The PD got the photos from the sheriff. Chang saw "certain similarities" between the photos, taken 10 years apart. PD Anderson saw one similarity: "They were both African-American women."

Chang wanted a fingerprint comparison and asked for one more day. But he offered a deal: Baker would be released if she pleaded guilty. The conviction would be erased at sentencing if she was telling the truth. Lakiesha said no. The judge said he didn't blame her. He also said the booking photos "do not look alike to me" and sprung her from jail. Next day, fingerprint comparisons proved she had been telling the truth.

Mistaken ID typically occurs when suspects tell cops they're someone else, such as a relative. This case was different, and the Public Defender accused the DA of handling it in a "cavalier" fashion.

Deputy DA Chang disagrees: "I don't see how much more quickly I could have had it done. We thought it was her. We're not going to let her go. No one wants innocent people in jail. But we don't want criminals running around as well."

This institutional head banging is great sport until an innocent person gets caught in the middle. I was unable to locate Lakiesha Baker, but because of what happened to her, similar cases might be resolved much more quickly.

Assistant DA Chuck Hughes recently notified his office and the PD that "everybody who gets booked into jail gets electronically fingerprinted." Such prints are easily retrievable. "We should be able to resolve these things in under half a day."

Sure beats four nights in jail.


The Oscars are out! The nominations anyway. No real surprises on the nomination list except that Dark Knight was robbed.

Election 2007: Who really won the elections and where is "60 Minutes"?

"I've been lucky ... in cards and lucky in love. To have the love of a young, beautiful woman is a very special thing."



---- Former Bolingbrook Police Department sergeant, Drew Peterson to MSNBC about his new live-in girlfriend. His current wife, Stacey, also young and beautiful has been missing for over a year.





****UPDATE****


Riverside and Greyhound Bus Lines might have brokered a deal to keep Greyhound inside the city limits.


Riverside's Mayor Ron Loveridge is going to give the annual state of the city address to his peeps which appears to be mostly groups like the Greater Chamber of Commerce or anyone who can afford a table during this economic downturn. There's a steerage section in the back of the auditorium at the Riverside Convention Center for those who don't buy tables that some people know about but many people don't. The address by the city's at-large elected representative shouldn't be for sale to a limited number of people and groups that can afford it but it is.

The Chamber is strange in that it's supposed to advocate for businesses but if you're the wrong type of business, it will pretty much sell you down the river by advocating for the city to seize your property through eminent domain as it did for many businesses on Market Street near the Fox Plaza. Were these businesses, many owned by families of color, shocked to be treated like this by a business advocacy group? It would be human nature if they were, not to mention being shocked that the Riverside Downtown Partnership would join in on that especially since many of these ousted businesses contributed business taxes to this organization annually and saw very little return on that investment because the lion share of that money was spent renovating the downtown pedestrian mall before over $10 million was spent doing that job last year.

The great speech takes place during an event that takes place on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 11 a.m.


Some city residents weigh in on the state of the city.


(excerpt, Press Enterprise)


Gloria Frazier, 58, who lives near North High School, said too much construction is going on.

"It's becoming too crowded," Frazier said.

Her friend Dorothy Comeaux, 60, said police don't patrol her Eastside neighborhood enough.

"They need to come around more," she said.

Both of them said they enjoy the water aerobics class at the Goeske Senior Center and Comeaux said she'd like to see more such programs for senior citizens.

Frazier said one thing that has impressed her is how the city cleans up graffiti shortly after it appears.

Karla Garcia, 24, who lives in La Sierra, moved to Riverside two years ago from Corona.

"I really like downtown," she said, citing the Mission Inn and restaurants and shops that she frequents.

Garcia said she strongly dislikes the city's red-light traffic cameras, though she hasn't been ticketed.

"I just think that they're unfair," she said.

If she had the power, Garcia said, she would put additional educational after-school programs in place to keep children busy in a meaningful way.





The Riverside Police Department was asked by the Human Resources Board to report to the board on issues pertaining to the retention rates of its female vs male officers. After the department determined that its attrition rates for its female officers were considerably higher than those for its male officers, the Audit and Compliance Bureau (which now doubles as the Public Information office) decided to perform an inhouse audit. The Human Resources Board became interested in the issue several months ago, which appeared to leave Human Resources Director Rhonda Strout and her assistant, Jeremy Hammond a bit nonplussed.

About nine women were hired in the past year before they entered into the academy but the department lost two during that program. The other ones were doing well and had passed through their field training program, according to the police department and were out on their own.


Riverside saw its highest murder rate in five years during the same year it's frozen positions in the police department on both the civilian and sworn side including at the supervisory level. No need to be concerned about this because last June, Asst. City Manager Tom DeSantis assured the city council and the public that the department was "fully staffed".




Inside Riverside ran this rather unique piece on how its author believes that Councilman Mike Gardner may have benefited from voters' fraud during Election 2007 without producing one iota of information about what this allegation would be based on even as he accuses the reporter of a weekly newspaper of jumping to "bizarre" conclusions.



It kind of leaves you scratching your head in contrast to some of the much better researched and informative articles this blogger has run on what's been going on in Riverside County including the Sheriff's Department last year. The articles on Riverside politics haven't been nearly as strong and the points, not nearly as well argued and in some cases like this one, downright strange.



That contrast is clearly seen in this latest posting which includes allegations that Gardner who squeaked to victory in 2007 benefited from illegally cast votes. Then this individual goes further and claims that so did Ward Seven candidate, Terry Frizzel even though she lost to the incumbent of that ward. Why? Because they both had narrow victories or in Frizzel's case, losses? Because people who aren't part of the "insiders club" of Riverside politics campaigned for them? Because they weren't packed to the gills in their campaign coffers by either the development firms or the labor unions belonging to CLEAR? Because they should have left well enough alone and not run in the first place? Because City Hall (and city council meetings) are for those who come by invitation only?

That would be a shame really. Elections are so much more interesting than coronations. And some of the issues that were highlighted fairly well in Inside Riverside during the past year, were instituted by the fact that the local government of the county as well as Moreno Valley had become too much of an insiders' club. That was definitely true inside the Sheriff's Department.



What's also seemed so strange about this posting, is that this is far from being any kind of breaking story. Actually, most people originally read about it as detailed in this article published by Inland Empire Weekly in 2007. For those who read the article, you'll find that its author, David Silva actually wrote a fairly balanced story. That's why it was difficult to understand why Silva's "conclusion" was "bizarre" because he didn't really have one.



The first thought to come to mind was oh my! The second was oh dear! By its end, I was thinking, where is "60 Minutes" to get to the bottom of what's clearly been under the radar for two whole years.

It would make perfect drama for the family hour on Sunday night.

The cast of characters in this drama includes a "law and order at all costs" prosecutor who never filed charges in this alleged voters' fraud case which the blogger didn't mention. It also includes the "all cops are evil" police commissioner who not only serves on the "anti-cop" Community Police Review Commission (and this is actually its proper name) that sustains less than 5% of allegations against police officers but has a son who works as an officer on the Riverside Police Department. Which the blogger didn't mention. In fact, if he knew Beeman at all, he would realize that she's a strong supporter of the police department in Riverside and really not "anti-cop".

We also have the "matriarch of Riverside's nut jobs" (and yes, name calling can be a useful substitute for a good argument) who nearly unseated Councilman Steve Adams (who's "earthy style" even alienated members of the Riverside Police Officers' Association at one point during Election 2007) while spending about 1/30th of the money that he did during Election 2007. And Save-Riverside seems much more evil this time around than the last time, perhaps because this organization might be stepping on the toes of one of his candidates this time around rather than just the "local dictator". It was an interesting if somewhat off-the-wall and belated mood piece and it remains to be seen whether or not it will result in an investigation of Election 2007 will be conducted by the "powers that be" of the elections in both of these wards. I guess that's up to those folks to decide or not.

It will be interesting to see how this all turns out as it looks like even before the filing deadline that Election 2009 might be one for the books and the articles at that venue and others might be one reason why. The plethora of different input on the elections is what makes them fascinating.

Election 2009, coming to a venue near you whether you are ready or not.




Redlands voted again to raise its water and sewer rates to pay its bills.



(excerpt, Press Enterprise)

Council members agreed with several residents who spoke out at a public hearing that it is a tough time to increase rates, but it is a necessity to ensure the city can deliver healthy water.

Resident Mario Saucedo wondered whether the increase could be deferred a year or so because cash-strapped residents on fixed incomes may have to choose between water, food and prescription medicines.

Nonpotable water rates will dip, from $1.10 per hundred cubic feet to 96 cents in 2009 and then rise to 99 cents in 2010.

The city wants to promote water conservation by more aggressively educating consumers about ultra-low-flow toilet rebates, high-efficiency clothes washer rebates, irrigation-timer rebates and other options.

City Clerk Lorrie Poyzer said 183 residents sent in letters opposing both the water and wastewater rate increases, and another 48 opposed only the water rate increases.

Did San Bernardino County violate the Brown Act?




Were jurors in the federal corruption trial of former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona subjected to intimidation? Two jurors including the only woman said yes and complained to the judge that they were pressured to vote in favor of Carona.



(excerpt, Los Angeles Times)



The revelations provide a glimpse into the strained and sometimes awkward deliberations that unfolded inside the jury room before the panel returned its verdict Friday and acquitted Carona on five felonies. The former sheriff was convicted on a single count of witness tampering, also a felony.


In an interview Wednesday, Marcia Deatherage -- the lone woman on the federal court panel -- said she was one of the jurors who told U.S. District Judge Andrew J. Guilford that she felt intimidated, and that most of the pressure came from a single juror who she said refused to consider Carona guilty on any of the charges.

"This guy very candidly stood up and said 'I don't even know why the government even brought the case,' " she recalled Wednesday. "He felt Carona was not guilty of anything. It kind of set a tone for an upset in the jury room. He was kind of a bully. . . . Without him as a juror, I think we would have had more counts we would have found [Carona] guilty on."

But the jury's foreman, who asked that his name not be used because of the high-profile nature of the case, said he did not recall any hint of intimidation during the jury's deliberations. The juror who Deatherage said she found intimidating could not be reached for comment Wednesday.



Former Bolingbrook Police Department Sgt. Drew Peterson talks about his new girlfriend who has moved in with him with her two children.



(excerpt, MSNBC)



Miller asked if Peterson had given Raines an engagement ring. Drew said no, but that he had given her a pair of earrings for Christmas. A jeweler friend will be consulted about an engagement ring at some point, he said.

"We'll have to see how life folds out," he said of their wedding plans.

Peterson told the interviewer that his gal pal is a little scared.

"She's not scared of me. She's scared of the media," he said.

Miller asked about problems Christina has had with her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children, "two different guys," he said."Yea, two different guys," Peterson said. "Both have been abusive to her in the past, and now she's with me."