The Chief would have been much better off to say you have two days on the beach with out pay for what ever it is that he prosumably did. Now that it is all over the papers, and the whole thing is blowing in the wind. it is like you are wearing the kind of underwear that everyone things is weird and your clothsline for drying them are right at your front door.
I hope that they get this over soon.
BSRanch
Police again in flux
Transfer shakes faith in department's leaders
The two are facing off over a personnel issue that has entered the courts and become profoundly public and decidedly divisive.
Some worry that regardless of who wins, the loser will be the San Bernardino Police Department.
"This is a big kicker to morale," said Sgt. Rich Lawhead, president of the police union. "We're at a stage where we are working our buns off right now, and this makes them want to say, 'What am I working so darn hard for?' "
The unrest comes when the city is working to combat a crime wave that has included more than 30 homicides so far this year. Seven of those killed were children.
But, according to Lawhead, the downturn in morale was the result of a perceived retaliatory move by Police Chief Michael Billdt against Detective Sgt. Mike Desrochers, who headed the homicide squad. Billdt transferred Desrochers to robbery detail - a move that looks lateral on paper but is considered to be a demotion because of the drop in overtime pay and prestige.
Desrochers, who has declined to comment, took the matter to San Bernardino Superior Court to ask a judge to reinstate him as sergeant in charge of homicide. The judge denied the request, but Desrochers is expected to appear in court again today to pursue his reinstatement.
'Like starting a wildfire'
Billdt said in court records that he transferred Desrochers because he lost confidence in the sergeant's ability to lead what is arguably the department's most important unit.
Issues surrounding Desrochers' transfer included his handling of the investigation into the shooting death of 11-year-old Anthony Michael Ramirez on June 21, according to court filings. His actions delayed the release of a photograph of the suspect, Billdt said in the filings. The chief also felt Desrochers' "insubordination" and his failure to keep "his supervisors adequately informed" was detrimental to the department.
Desrochers' camp said Billdt was aware of a grievance he and three other sergeants filed in April against their supervisor at the time. Desrochers and another sergeant later amended that grievance to include Billdt and Assistant Chief Frank Mankin. Desrochers filed a similar complaint with the city's Human Resources Department an hour and a half before he was transferred on June 23.
Billdt and his attorney state in court records - with sworn testimony from human-resources clerks to back them up - that Billdt was not aware Desrochers had filed a complaint June 23, which appears to debunk the accusations of retaliation.
Lawhead says, however, the timing of Billdt's action is abominable - especially because it's the first time in 26 years a sergeant has been unwillingly transferred.
Word of the transfer spread quickly through the department.
"This is a sergeant who is very well known and popular. He is looked up to and respected by a lot of members in the organization," Lawhead said. "It's like starting a wildfire with gasoline."
Billdt voiced support for his department in a phone interview Wednesday.
"The San Bernardino Police Department is an outstanding police department made up of hardworking men and women who daily face critical challenges," Billdt said. "I'm especially proud of our officers and their high level of professionalism."
He declined to speak further about the department or morale.
The Rev. Reginald Beamon, a community activist, said the dispute is not only bad for the Police Department, it hurts the whole city.
"I don't think none of this public fighting is good for what we're trying to accomplish in this city," he said. "Part of the whole dynamic plaguing the city is this political infighting. When these people who we're trying to get to act right see us acting wrong, what else are they going to do?"
Calm before the storm
It was just a few months ago that Billdt's appointment as police chief seemed to have a calming effect.
The Police Department was placed in the spotlight last fall and early this year during a contentious mayoral campaign between Mayor Pat Morris, then a Superior Court judge, and City Attorney James F. Penman.
Before Morris won the election in February, both candidates put crime at the top of their platforms and they vigorously debated what strategies the Police Department should use to keep the streets safe.
In January, then-Chief Garrett Zimmon went on medical leave, and Billdt was soon named interim chief.
When it was announced that Zimmon would not return, Lawhead said he hoped the city would hire a chief from within the ranks.
Morris named Billdt the permanent chief in March. Lawhead said then, "I really think that this will hopefully bring some stability to the department."
These days, he doesn't seem to know what to think.
"I've never known Chief Billdt to do that stuff without good reason, and I have always known him to be fair," Lawhead said. But, he added, "On the surface it appears to be outright retaliation. He's (Desrochers) got a perfect record. He's their go-to guy."
Lawhead said it's difficult to assuage the concerns of the rank-and-file officers when he does not have all the information.
"(Billdt) said there are personnel issues that I don't know about, and he won't discuss them with me," he said.
Lawhead said he understands why.
"But it makes it very difficult for me to go back to the membership and say, 'Hey, this is going to work out.' "
On Friday, Morris said he has full confidence in Billdt and his decision making.
He praised Billdt for stepping into the job "during a difficult time" and demonstrating "teamwork and leadership when they were needed most."
He also said he did not believe the flap would impede the department in its efforts to recruit new officers - a move the city hopes will help in its efforts to clean up the streets.
"This is a personnel matter that we'll deal with professionally," Morris said.
But as both sides square off in court, the officers feel the reverberations, Lawhead said.
"It doesn't make you want to come to work. It doesn't make you want to go out and pursue bad guys," he said. "We're under an extreme amount of pressure as it is with the mere liability and stress of our jobs. It's too much to think you gotta be looking over your shoulder because your boss isn't going to support you the way you should be supported."
Lawhead also isn't so sure that recruiting will be unaffected. As San Bernardino seeks to fill 40 empty uniforms, the city is competing with many other local departments that hope to boost their ranks as well.
"Nobody wants to come to a department that they think is in turmoil," he said. "This is not a recruitment tool."
Morale can be rebuilt
Lawhead sees similarities between the city's department - overworked officers who are uncertain if they are supported - and the neighboring city of Rialto.
"Compare it to Rialto - they're just now back on the road. If you can't maintain a good rapport with the rank-and-file guys the organization will fail," he said.
The Rialto Police Department recently survived an attempt by the City Council to dismantle it. Until the spring, the department could have been replaced by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, and the residual upheaval left many in the department feeling shaken. But that department is beginning to recover.
"We are a department in a mending phase," said Rialto police Capt. Tony Farrar. "We've been through an experience that I hope we never have to go through again."
Uncertainty, as in the Rialto case, can have a detrimental effect, he said.
"It tends to bring about worry and other associated factors that go along with that."
But Rialto's experience also sends a strong message: Low morale can be repaired.
Under the guidance of a strong set of leaders, Rialto police are once again excited to be fighting crime in their city.
"Motivation is high. Morale is high," Farrar said. "People are happy to come to work. People want to do the job they were hired to do and serve this community."
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