In a lengthy report prepared for Town Manager Alex Taft (as per the actual documents). The cover sheet reads:
"As Town Manager for the Town of Quartzsite I am waiving Attorney - Client Privilege to release this report on the Internal Investigation of Police Chief Gilbert by Sonja K. Boun. Attorney at Law of Jackson Lewis LLP." It was signed "Alex Taft, Town Manager.
The firm hired to investigate our police dept. specializes in workplace law, primarily, protecting the interests of management. "When complaints arise, we work with clients to take incisive action to effect solutions that minimize costs and maximize results." It's no surprise that the report depicts complaining officers in a less than sympathetic light, and goes so far as to accuse them of lying without any evidence to back up that assertion! The report also recommends that Officer Herlen Yeomans (a long suffering target of the chief) should himself be investigated. "Indeed it appears that some of the witnesses were untruthful in interviews and fabricated information in an effort to bolster claims alleged in the Anonymous letter." (What anonymous letter? Last time I checked, the officers signed their letter.) And "Witness A (Yeomans) apparently lied several times throughout the course of this investigation. To the extent that the Town wishes to separately investigate Witness A's possible dishonesty during the investigation, the Town should make sure that any such investigation is handled by a neutral party or agency if feasible, so as to avoid an appearance that Chief Gilbert is retaliating against Witness A for participating in this investigation and making allegations against him." Boy, this woman takes "risk management" to a whole new level. How does she look at herself in the mirror? Good thing our boys in blue are lawyer-ed up!
Does attorney client privilege exist with a town employee if the attorney is working for "the people"? I don't think so. Did Alex make a special arrangement, so that the officers testimony would remain confidential? Their statements were not in the report. Neither was a copy of their written complaints, which detail things like alleged evidence destruction and Sgt Frausto botching a major drug bust, which endangered the lives of undercover officers.
What was in the report, was Gilbert admitting to calling Sgt. Ponce's crew "the gay squad", giving the Hispanic officers African American bobble head dolls while giving Caucasian officers white bobble heads, using profanity, and publicly humiliating Officer Yeomans in a department wide meeting with a snide comment about "wiping his ass hairs off the toilet."
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Well, you do know ass hairs from a dissenting QPD officer is a terrorst threat, don't you?
ReplyDeleteWhen are you guys going to back off on Gilbert, he's only doing the job our "Great Leaders" ask of him
Has everybody forgotten this letter?
ReplyDeleteReceived: Jun 03, 2011
EDWARD L. FOSTER
350 West Main Street
Post Office Box 956
Quartzsite, Arizona 85346
Phone (928) 750-8113
EFOSTER41@YAHOO.COM
To:
Alex Taft
Town Manager
Quartzsite, AZ
Alex,
It has come to my attention that Sergeant Fausto threatened Officer Yeomans prior to his testimony before the investigators looking into the police department problems.
This would be at least two felony crimes, 1. interfering in an investigation and 2. Intimadating or threatening a witness. This was immediately reported to the investigators.
I am asking under department policy P-448.4(d) Sergeant Fausto be placed upon administrative suspension and the matter be turned over to an outside law enforcement authority for investigation.
This is a regulatory used policy in the Quartzsite Police Department and should be followed in this case. It is important the investigation proceed without any further interference
Sincerely
(Signed ED Foster)
Ed Foster
Mayor
Also if you have not heard all 10 are currently on Admin leave pending a investigation to be fired.
ReplyDeleteIf I hadn’t heard the recording myself, I’d have to say that Chief of Police Jeff Gilbert had been clear by La Paz Sheriffs Deputies. However, when (in their own words) they said that they were told by Chief Gilbert to only investigate one minor complaint it is hard to say that there had been a full investigations into the charges against him.
ReplyDeleteIt would seem that criminal complaints that are side lined, obstructed, or out right stopped in their tracks before any investigation is actually conducted pledges the Town of Quartzsite! No one can truthfully state that Chief Jeff Gilbert was cleared of any charges until the full investigations is aligned with the complaints, investigations, with statements and interviews are compared. How many times has Town Manager Alex Taft just asked Chief Gilbert if the complaint against him was true and basing only on his statement call it a full and factual investigation clearing him of all charges. One to many in my book!
Legal facts are facts and the fact that Town Manager Alex Taft will be facing many questions from a storm of Civil Suits that will only bankrupt the Town of Quartzsite. All from a person that was unqualified to run the Town Library, told fortunes, and still refuses to attend the proper training offered for her job by the League of Cities and Towns. I can only see hard time in a woman’s prison for Town Manager Alex Taft before this is all over and done with.
Chief Jeff Gilbert has not been cleared of any charges yet and the QPD Officers will have their day in both Criminal and Civil Courts of Law where Chief Gilbert will have no pull from friends with the Sheriffs office, County Attorney’s Office, or members of the DPS! Why would the Town Council, Town manager Alex Taft fight so hard not to place Chief Gilbert on “Administrative Leave” for serious criminal complaints pending an outside agencies investigation? If Chief Jeff Gilbert is the only “PROTECTION” that you have from being investigated yourself is the only one that fits the profile that I can come up with!
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