Today, the Quartzsite fired Police Chief Jeff Gilbert.
See official Town press release below.
http://www.ci.quartzsite.az.us/Support%20Docs/Press%20Release%20Chief.html
Listen to what the attorney who incorporated Quartzsite has to say about the recent turn of events.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/demandjusticinquartzsiteaz/2012/09/12/demand-justice-in-quartzsite-az
In other news, the council adjourned the remaining meeting agenda items until 2 pm tomorrow because the drawn out executive session to appoint an interim town manager did not go smoothly - judging by the looks on their faces when they came out of the back room anyway. The TRO and Show Cause hearings were dismissed this afternoon. Guess the Bagger couldn't 'splain his conficts of interest without risking the Burke would be etically required to file a BAR complaint against him.
Showing posts with label police misconduct. Show all posts
Showing posts with label police misconduct. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
They eat their own
This week has been cabal cannibal carnage. The appetizers were soooo tasty. 4 star, really. I wonder who the main course will be?
We gleefully witnessed the breakup of the Taft/Gilbert alliance, and today, a crowded town council meeting witnessed the town mismanager sent home on administrative leave. Buh bye!
We gleefully witnessed the breakup of the Taft/Gilbert alliance, and today, a crowded town council meeting witnessed the town mismanager sent home on administrative leave. Buh bye!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Media clamors for interviews, Police Chief receives hate mail?
CBS Ch 5 news, the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Independent - everyone wants to know what the heck is wrong with Quartzsite officials. We wish we had an answer for that!
Links are apparently being added to http://thedesertfreedompress.blogspot.com every couple of hours.
In an attempt to declare martial law or something, Mayor Ed Foster reports that state officials were contacted by Police Chief Jeff Gilbert because he has reported receiving death threats. Stay tuned...
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Al Johnson gives concerned citizens the boot!
Including a reporter from the Arizona Republic Newspaper no less! (I can't wait to see how THAT headline will read...)
At the Wednesday, June 1st special meeting of the Quartzsite Common Council, over a hundred citizens attended to show support for QPD officers who had filed formal complaints of unethical and criminal conduct against Police Chief Jeff Gilbert. Although people were still arriving, the standing room only crowd was told to leave the building by recently promoted assistant town mismanager Al Johnson.
The meeting was called to order, but quickly adjourned for lack of a quorum, because only Mayor Foster and Councilman Jose Lizzarraga (a potential challenger for the August mayoral recall election) showed up.
In a disgusting display of disrespect for the voters who enabled them to retain their seats, Council members Anderson, Kelley, Winslow, Lukkasson and Cowell all boycotted the meeting. Their lame excuses are posted on the QTown blog. They did not exercise their option to "attend" the meeting by speakerphone and were officially noted as absent on the roll call. The message was loud and clear - none of them are interested in a crisis involving the police department and put private agendas above public safety.
Town mismanager Alex Taft was also absent. Reportedly on "a planned vacation", she may not have vacationed further than Lukkasson's business on Main St. , where staff and council members were photographed having an not so secret meeting the previous morning, right after they had received several pages of documents detailing the officer's complaints. Her absence left "Building Official"/Planning & Zoning Director"/"Assistant Town Manager" Albert Johnson crowned as king for a day.
At the Wednesday, June 1st special meeting of the Quartzsite Common Council, over a hundred citizens attended to show support for QPD officers who had filed formal complaints of unethical and criminal conduct against Police Chief Jeff Gilbert. Although people were still arriving, the standing room only crowd was told to leave the building by recently promoted assistant town mismanager Al Johnson.
The meeting was called to order, but quickly adjourned for lack of a quorum, because only Mayor Foster and Councilman Jose Lizzarraga (a potential challenger for the August mayoral recall election) showed up.
In a disgusting display of disrespect for the voters who enabled them to retain their seats, Council members Anderson, Kelley, Winslow, Lukkasson and Cowell all boycotted the meeting. Their lame excuses are posted on the QTown blog. They did not exercise their option to "attend" the meeting by speakerphone and were officially noted as absent on the roll call. The message was loud and clear - none of them are interested in a crisis involving the police department and put private agendas above public safety.
Town mismanager Alex Taft was also absent. Reportedly on "a planned vacation", she may not have vacationed further than Lukkasson's business on Main St. , where staff and council members were photographed having an not so secret meeting the previous morning, right after they had received several pages of documents detailing the officer's complaints. Her absence left "Building Official"/Planning & Zoning Director"/"Assistant Town Manager" Albert Johnson crowned as king for a day.
Johnson must have been unaware of the Arizona Republic Reporter sitting front row watching this drama unfold. Or quite possibly, he's just too stupid and arrogant to care.
Although most were concerned over the investigation of Chief Gilbert, citizens never got to hear about case # 1101388 relating to possible charges against Alex Taft for refusing to fill open records requests as ordered by state officials. "Discussion and possible action regarding investigation by the Arizona Ombudsman's Office." was the only other item on the published meeting agenda.
After adjourning the scheduled meeting, Mayor Foster announced that the lack of council would allow a "town hall" meeting like the absent council have been holding at the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) for months now, and invited the public to speak.
Chief Gilbert stated that he wanted the record to note his complaint that this "violated his right to due process", something he clearly doesn't even understand. "Due Process" would only have been an issue if the council had bothered to show up, and taken action. The only rights that were violated were the People's right to peaceably assemble and to free speech, when Mr. Johnson announced that he was closing the building and everyone had to leave.
It seems obvious why 5 member of the Quartzsite Town Council chose not to attend a meeting where they would have been publicly compelled to put Gilbert on "administrative leave" pending investigation, under Police policy manual section P 448.4 (D). They must have been at Lukkasson's sign painting party! Around noon today, Sondra Gilbert, the chief's wife was photographed with welfare grandma Hygea Halfmoon, Lukkasson and others, loading a freshly painted 6' sign into the bed of a certain little red pick up truck. The sign says "Support Chief Gilbert"...
Although most were concerned over the investigation of Chief Gilbert, citizens never got to hear about case # 1101388 relating to possible charges against Alex Taft for refusing to fill open records requests as ordered by state officials. "Discussion and possible action regarding investigation by the Arizona Ombudsman's Office." was the only other item on the published meeting agenda.
After adjourning the scheduled meeting, Mayor Foster announced that the lack of council would allow a "town hall" meeting like the absent council have been holding at the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) for months now, and invited the public to speak.
Chief Gilbert stated that he wanted the record to note his complaint that this "violated his right to due process", something he clearly doesn't even understand. "Due Process" would only have been an issue if the council had bothered to show up, and taken action. The only rights that were violated were the People's right to peaceably assemble and to free speech, when Mr. Johnson announced that he was closing the building and everyone had to leave.
It seems obvious why 5 member of the Quartzsite Town Council chose not to attend a meeting where they would have been publicly compelled to put Gilbert on "administrative leave" pending investigation, under Police policy manual section P 448.4 (D). They must have been at Lukkasson's sign painting party! Around noon today, Sondra Gilbert, the chief's wife was photographed with welfare grandma Hygea Halfmoon, Lukkasson and others, loading a freshly painted 6' sign into the bed of a certain little red pick up truck. The sign says "Support Chief Gilbert"...
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