So, Who’s Responsible for the FPD Quagmire?
In the past few weeks these pages have been littered with a startling list of charges of criminal behavior by members of the Fullerton Police Department, starting with larceny, and evolving through credit card fraud, assault, charges of sexual battery, and of course the gang-homicide of a mentally ill homeless man.
I believe the public is perfectly justified in assuming the worst and that the stuff that has come out recently is indicative of a systemic problem. After all nobody, especially the local “journalists,” were paying the least attention. The issue can’t be deflected by the childish “not all cops are bad” nonsense. The problem is that no cops should be bad – and if any are they should be weeded out quickly and the failure analyzed immediately. After all, these individuals literally hold the power of life and death over you and me. Just like they held it over Kelly Thomas.
And all this begs the simple question: who in the Hell is in charge at FPD? The obvious answer is nobody, if one discounts the unsettling possibility that the cops are in charge of themselves.
Okay, but who should be responsible for making sure the cops are on the up and up?
Well, the first answer, of course, is the the Chief of Police, Mike Sellers. True, he inherited a department, such as it was. But he’s been here a couple of years now. Early on he promised publication of his departments policy on Taser use; that was just a load of unadulterated bullshit. After the Thomas killing occurred, during the initial period when he obviously thought he could skate by on business as usual, he took off on vacation. Seller’s nonchalance backfired. It backfired badly. He failed to get the cops involved off the streets, let alone putting them on leave; tellingly this only happened when the media finally became interested in the Thomas death. And this alone justifies his dismissal.
Of course theoretically the FPD answers to the civilian authorities. Which brings us to the Silent City Council Trio: Mssrs. Bankhead, Jones, and McKinley.
Don Bankhead is a former cop, and as such should be the most savvy of the three when it comes to understanding the propensity of cop culture to veer out of control. Every time he runs for office he makes sure the electorate knows he is ex-cop. But Bankhead, apart from dubious mental faculties is also a tool of the police union that has supported their boy for over twenty-two years: twenty-two years and numerous pension spikes and giveaways to the union.
F. Dick Jones? When Jones is not berating his constituents from the dais he is mangling the scripts written for him by City staff. He has never seen a uniform he didn’t like, and was once heard to say: “you don’t get anywhere in Fullerton badmouthing the Fullerton Police Department.” From a political standpoint truer words were never spoken. But Jones is fond of bragging about his service in military; and the military is all about rules and regs so Jones had better start explaining how the FPD came to be what it is today – during his 15 years in office.
And finally we come to councilman Pat McKinley, former Fullerton Chief of Police, a repuglican cipher dropped on Fullerton by the GOP establishment. McKinley’s got some serious explaining to do since it was under his seventeen-year watch that the Fullerton FPD seems to have descended into the morass in which we currently find it. He was the one who apparently hired a one-eyed cop who was rejected by the LAPD, a cop who seems to be intimately connected to the Thomas murder. He was the one who left his command structure behind. He was the one who, instead of overseeing his department, spent his days inventing a vest that could be sold to his department.
McKinley makes well over $200,000 a year in pensions. Pensions racked up during years supposedly in charge of the Fullerton Police Department.
When someone refers to the gang of thugs that murdered Kelly Thomas as “The McKinley Six” they are right on the mark.
Finally, it seems to have escaped the notice of these three council chimps that even as they plead to the public to wait for “the Authorities” to develop their cover-up, er, investigation, their slimy lawyer is offering Ron Thomas $900,000 to just go away. The irony is pretty profound. But something tells me irony is lost on these three.
What about the City Manager. Wouldn’t he be part of this as well?
I’ve been wondering about that. So far I and a friend have both had very positive experiences with Mr Felz. What is the chain of command as far as the city manager?
He’s a link pretty high up in the chain.
He serves at the pleasure of the City Council, and has an independent employment agreement which delineates pay and benefits and severance upon his termination, should they decide he’s not the best guy for the job (probably 90 or 180 days).
I vote the soon-to-be-recalled council members from here on now be referred to as “The Asses of Evil”.
I love it. The three blind mice is good too
or manie, moe and jack
Don’t insult the Pep Boys
Moe, Larry, and Curly? The Three Stooges
Given that the guy that hired Jay Cicinelli is on the city council there is no excuse.
None.
And let’s not forget that the other 5 did nothing to stop the killing of Kelly Thomas.
Interesting that FFFF apparently hasn’t heard from the FPOA lately.
They obviously can’t defend whatever is on that tape.
Of all the bureacracies of governement LE is the most corrupt and filled with the most sadistic sociopaths.
When the citizens start putting these LE thigs in front of a jury on a regular basis the murder of citizens will slow. As of now LE officers have little to worry about when murdering a citizen. In fact the OC DA has never charged an on duty officer with murder, never. I suspect this investigation will lead to the same conclusion, no matter what the video shows the police doing to Kelly!! 😉
OC DA is a worthless, incompetent, and yet powerful agency with unions behind them. They are there to protect police officers. Fed and FBI are your only hope.
These murders will get a slap on their wrist. Stop wasting your time on Kelly and move on. Nothing will change.
$200,000 a year, you don’t say? Isn’t that close to the salary of the the President of the United States which I believe is $250,000
No longer will mothers tell their sons to become doctors, heck working for the government is SO much more lucrative and they get paid FOR LIFE, nice what they saddle us stupid taxpayers with..their ridiculous pay, benefits, AND we…WAIT FOR IT….get to pay for their screw ups as well…where do I sign up?
NEVERMIND, I need to be able to sleep at night!
President of the U.S. Salary is $400K
Thanks anonymous.
It’s also pretty telling that this site hasn’t received any more asinine legal letters.
Yeah, what happened to that threat from the FPOA anyway? You been sued yet?
Fox news;
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/officer-at-center-of-fullerton-beating-controversy-identified-20110802
.
I wish there was something to do about it, the protest for this should be ongoing citizens need to stop asking for justice and demand it. People forget that it is the citizens job to maintain their rights and freedoms when the officials refuse to.
Have you ever in your lives seen middle class white people from OC yelling at the police?
We grew up protesting the Vietnam War. Nothing new for us 50+
No sadly I have seen rights trampled and instead of fighting for their justice people just say they can’t do anything or someone else will. That being said I have had positive interactions with police officers it’s just sad there’s so many bad ones.
Ah’m so sad…
does anyone have a group photo of these FDP holes?
sorry FPD
Our city, like many others in CA,. is governed by public employee unions and their shills. Get ready for a Wisconsin-like show down and RECALL. Almost all city employees, all local and state public employee unions (PEUs, (pronounced pee-you’s)), and the three shills on city council will fight like hell. But now is the time, when citizens are paying attention and realize what good-old-boy corruption and incompetence has led to copicide and is running Fullerton. If not now, when? If not now, what will it take?
Who is responsible? The citizens of Fullerton. They repeatedly elect people endorsed by the police;they repeatedly elect police retirees to run the city (into the ground); they built the FPD their own blockhouse with indoor shooting range (other OC departments use the one for every other PD located in Orange, giving our guys a superiority complex); they approved a walled complex taking in a significant chunk of downtown.
Boy, I appreciate that comment Feronia!
#1 Ironhoarse, that City Manager who is the guilty one be Jim Armstrong and thank god Santa Barbara got stuck overpaying the manipulative asshole
You know what should happen with these pensions? You should only get them as long as you work for the city. You work 20 years for the city? Great, your pension goes 20 years and you get paid no more than what you made with the city… Year 1 of your pension you get paid what you made your last year with the city and then year 2 is what you made in year 19 and so on until you are back to year 1 of your employment.
I’m sure you’re all asking, what will these people do after 20 years? It’s called a 401k and it’s what the rest of us in the public have to depend on. They will have an extra 15-20 years of compounding interest for it to grow. Enough is enough.
I remember banging all the cops when I worked at Heroes. That makes my husband sooooo mad when I relive the glory days.
When most cities around us would never consider contracting with the sheriff for police services because they have civic pride in having their own cops, I ask what is our excuse? It seems the time may have come to look in to whether the whole lot of corruption and rotten culture needs to be thrown out and a new group brought in. No need to hire a new chief. The sheriff assigns a captain or lieutenant to run the show. New guys with a new attitude and lack of arrogant entitlement that has become pervasive in this department.
Oh, and about all the millions we would save. The extra money couldn’t come at a better time. At minimum it worth knowing how much less the sheriff would charge for better service.
Small police forces are nothing more than crime syndicates!
That this was a gang-involved murder is indisputable. With all proper respect to Ron Thomas, however, the grieving father is desperately wrong about one detail: The murderers were not “rogue officers.” Once the gang assault on Kelly began, practically the only thing that could have saved his life would have been the timely intervention of a rogue officer.
As an institution, the police do not exist to defend life, liberty, and property. That would be the role played by peace officers — a population that is, for all intents and purposes, extinct. Police are given the task of “enforcement” – the imposition of rules devised by, and on behalf of, the wealth-devouring class. That role includes dispensing summary punishment against people who display anything other than instant, unqualified submission to them and to the political order they embody. Any material good that is done by a police officer is a renegade act, given the nature and purposes of the institution that employs him. 🙂
You are the smartest donkey I’ve heard in a long time.
#35 Donkey is not at all smart – just a good plagarizer. He lifted “his” comments from a wonderful patriot writer William Grigg of Idaho. The real writer of that comment first posted them on Aug 1.
http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/
The sheriff will just laugh at you band of turds.
When we see a strayed dogs on street, we rescue, feed, and find adoption.
Citizens and Councils of Fullerton should see and nurture these deep root crimes in their own city for a very long time.
How can they live with themselves and sleep at nights?
A stray dog was the transient POS that got killed. Saved the state money. Good work Fullerton.
OH its you again nutless POS!
Why aren’t you in the satan forum yet? You clearly don’t belong here.
Kelly wasn’t a stray dog, but my guess is that you are a dog. Get the ef out of here ok! You don’t add anything of subtance to the conversations here.
You should ask how much they paid this dude to troll: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001601807234
Adrian Pineda: “Dislike….im gonna make a question, Where was the dad all this time?
Why didnt he seek help for his son?
Why does he seek help now?
No one knows the story or knows exaclty what happend that night. You guys love the rumors and love making rumors. ALL i got to say.”
Exactly. Ol’ papa left him on the street to survive. Now he wants to fight for his son. Stupid. Dad is POS just like son was.
accordin to you all this happend. how do you know all this..im sorry? but you guys are just followers…have no life…and support a dad that was not willing to help his son out and eep him off the streets i think thats murder becasue he let him die out on the street. thats havong n soul or heart and now he wants money for nt taking care of his son?
Your an idiot do you also believe that when a girl gets raped it’s her parents fault for not keeping her home? The people here support justice and the ideal that we can go out on the street and expect to not be brutalized by the very people we pay good tax dollars to protect us.
You are a lot different that a POS that causes nothing but problems for everyone in town. Ol’ papa loves him now but he abandoned him then. He just wants a few million to live life now that his son is gone.
Ok Nutjob and Adrian clearly don’t know what’s going on OR WHAT ITS LIKE TO CARE FOR A SCHIZOPHRENIC. YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THE PARENTS HAVE DONE OR NOT DONE!!!!!!
AND AS A SISTER OF A SCHIZOPHRENIC I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PARENTS GO TRHOUGH!
THEY NEED TO BE FREE BUT THEY ALWAYS COME BACK! YOU CAN’T KEEP ANYONE AGAINST THEIR OWN WILL. THAT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM.
AND NUTJOB YOUR THE POS! GO EF YOURSELF!
STFU AND KEEP YOUR LAME COMMENTS TO YOURSELF.
Here… the defense attorney for the six officers is trying to complicate matters…
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/attorney-defends-fullerton-officers-in-death-of-homeless-man.html
You ain’t seen nothing yet. They will spend millions on their defense. It will be top notch. If that POS transient worthless dude was swinging and fighting, it will end up justified and they will all walk.
Adrian Pineda, the fact that you obviously do not have the intelligence to properly spell simple English words only emphasizes what everyone is thinking. The FPD is full of officers like you that rely on brawn and brute force because they don’t have a brain. Go back to school and take a 4th grade grammar class for Gods sake..
i know but like umm i really dont care…lol
http://www.ccfaj.org/documents/reports/prosecutorial/expert/Michael%20Schwartz-Ventura%20bio.pdf
Above is Michael Schwartz’ bio… the sellout that is pulling the “combative” card.
He’s the best there is. He got the black deputy that shot the guy off. He will get these guys off too. Watch and see.
Yeah Adrian we all know you “dont care”, that pretty much says it all doesn’t it? It’s the FPD’s official motto. Look up the word since I am sure you don’t know it’s meaning, pendejo idiot.
“Finally, it seems to have escaped the notice of these three council chimps that even as they plead to the public to wait for “the Authorities” to develop their cover-up, er, investigation, their slimy lawyer is offering Ron Thomas $900,000 to just go away…”
You mean their slimy EX-COP lawyer, Bruce Praet? This cop connection between all the top players seems pretty damn incestuous.
I hope justice is done in Fullerton. Once a weed takes root it spreads like wild fire. In this case, not only does the corrupt police need to be dealt with but the city council needs to be re-invented. I urge the city residents to get involved. Don’t stand for this. The corruption will only get worse. Get rid of the weeds. You deserve better.
Larry, it’s beyond weeds. This blog has been chronicling crimes of felonious theft and police brutality committed by FPD Officers for some time now. There have been at least three or four notable cases covered in this blog this year, before the brutal blood thirsty gang murder of Kelly Thomas. Systemic toxicity spread by invasive predatory plants, abetted by inherently corrupt political structured hierarchies.
Former cop, I wouldnt let these vile posts left by “supporters” of fpd rile you too much. They’re just left her to incite and rile posters, leaving comments in support of Mr. Thomas and his son Kelly. I suspect in the attempt to intimidate or digust pro Kelly supporters in the hope that we will just go away, and so will this case. Too late, this has gone past the court of public opinion now, as Mr Thomas said “this is a nightmare of thier own making” In any small way, lets endeavor to help this family, whether by attending council meetings, protests, or simply informing someone who has not yet heard about this story to take the time to become informed. I myself have contacted my local newspaper and inquired why more attention has not been given to this story, as it concerns all of us, not just the citizens of Fullerton. Coincidentally the “fullerton 6” made the front page of the L.A. Tiimes today. I hope that in some small way my phone call contributed to this, along with doubtless, thousands of other callers. This story has become a “perfect storm” for the fpd and f. city council, I have never seen the public so galvinized in thier contempt for fpd conduct. Proper respect given to the guys at FFFF for “holding down the fort” on this story till help arrived, in the form of an FBI investigation, major newspapers carrying the story, citizens mobilizing in protest, this is no longer a local disgrace, CNN is now taking it nationwide! The fpd wants this to go away, by not allowing that and continuing to post and update this story and attend protests and council meetings they will not be able to sweep this under the rug. I have not lost faith in all law enforcment, it is my hope that the D.A. and FBI conduct a fair and thorough investigation. If you have truth on your side, you do not have to crow about how many millions of tax payer dollars the police union is prepared to spend on your behalf, or that you will be represented by attorneys who got other alleged corrupt cops off. Very juvinile posts boys, I like to sling mud with them from time to time when I notice them “rat-packing” 1 individual or leaving particulary vile posts, but I’m a faceless nobody these “things” are supposed to be professionals. Why dont they act like it. Keep your support of Kelly non-violent, they would love it to escalate, so as to change public opinion (not only that, its the right thing to do) They have the advantage in the street, our strenth is documenting them and stepping forward for your brother or sister as a witness when an injustice is being commited. fpd, your tribe is big, but ours is bigger, and we have righteous indignation on our side.
Oh, sorry I left that somwhat lenghty post #56 in support of Kelly Thomas and submitted it under anonymous, I’m nomad. Its late, I’m out…Keep up the good fight!
I am a licensed social worker and have been a consult for the U.S. treasury Department teaching gradient control to agents in various department of the Treasury Department. I am certified by the Department of Mental Health in Crisis Intervention with individuals with mental Illness. AS A PROFESSIONAL IN CRISIS INTERVENTION I CAN FAITHFULLY STATE THAT THERE IS NO REASON FOR A TRAGIC EVENT LIKE THIS TO OCCUR ! THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR A SAVAGE BEATING TO OCCUR, WHEN A NUMBER OF POLICE ARE PRESENT AND TAZERS HAVE BEEN USED. THIS A CASE OF LAWLESSNESS AND DISGRACEFUL GROSS INHUMANITY BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT; AS THE PHOTS OF KELLY THOMAS ATTEST.
I only hope that this is not whitewashed like the Rodney King tragedy. My heartfelt condolence to his family.
Who hired the drug addict police officer who then continued taking drugs and embezzling, and who is only doing community service for his crimes?
I thought civil service was supposed to protect us from this nepotism!
Can someone out there tell me why police and sheriff personnel have a “Blue Code of Silence”?
No justice
To the publisher, editor and contributors to this blog, thank you so much for the inspiring fire you’ve ignited for truth, decency, civil liberty and justice. You inspire others beyond Fullerton. May your format, diligence, convictions and dedication be copied 100s of times throughout CA by other bloggers in their respective cities. It’s not an easy task to replicate, but it’s a great one to aspire to emulate, worthy and noble with a great payoff for a great future.
Throughout a lot of the comments and defensive remarks that I have read on these pages and in media reports and new articles, made by the Dick, and other apologist spoke holes and “journalists”, you hear this excuse and rationalizing about the stress and tension poor Fullerton cops are under because of all the bars and the drinking that goes on in Fullerton. As if nothing but coffee and donut shops would eliminate the FPD’s propensity to find and get into scuffles with visitors, revelers and people who work in the businesses that abound in Fullerton.
It is not an inevitability to have stressed out cops who are edgy and feel pressured into reactive mode in a city with young folks who like to go to bars and pubs, drink beer, wine and other spirits, socialize and enjoy music. Fullerton can be a safe and thriving city with a diverse demographic that includes college students, young professionals, families, immigrants etc and bars and clubs.
Fullerton has a very cool constituency of enterprising and hard working entrepreneurs. Unfortunately you also have the yahoos you highlight in this post, and the wayward FPD officers that have evolved into undisciplined roving gangs of thugs that stink up the place while they enrich themselves with their publically financed pensions, salaries, and other perks.
I point to Austin, Texas as an example for what is possible for Fullerton. More bars per capita than any other city in the US, hosting more variety of live music per capita, than any other city in the country. It’s a college town, with several colleges including the University of Austin. Like Fullerton, it’s a home to professionals who work in tech and a broad range of creative enterprises, and small businesses, immigrants and native born.
The big distinction that is relevant here, beside Austin having several times as many bars and clubs, is that Austin doesn’t have a police force that picks fights with and harasses the customers, workers, visitors and residents. The City Council of Austin, which likes to cultivate a cool hip eclectic culture would never stand for a rogue police force that beats up and harasses the community that thrives there. Not saying you should get more bars and clubs. Just saying it’s not an excuse for the police’s thuggish misconduct. Fullerton voters drank Kool-aid in electing Bankhead and McKinley, not scrutinizing the miserable job they did in the FPD as you point out in this post, and thinking their election would enhance their safety. A bigger mystery to me with respect to the judgment of your votes is Why did the voters re-elect Dick Jones? Was it because he sounds so innocuously dim and feeble people think how much harm could he do?
It is a wonderful thing that the people of Fullerton are paying attention and the curtain has been pulled back, and the levers, and how they’re inter-connected and operate have been and continue to be further exposed as you help this story unfold.
Rooting for you to go all the way and help Fullerton to be set free to be her great possibility, a charming, attractive, appealing, thriving, enterprising destination City, with a healthy, fun loving, enterprising culture, free of a police force that assaults, harasses and violates the visitors, customers and residents who live there.
It’s sad. poor Kelly. The police department and fire department is pretty much the GOOD OLE BOYS CLUB. An aquatance got harrased by chief of LAPD when she wouldn’t date him and his minions helped :(. we pay way too much to politics. We need to give them furloughs
I worked under Sellers while he was Chief at Laguna Beach. I am not surprised that he’s on vacation while all of this unfolds- this is his management style, to skate by till retirement. I found his so-called leadership skills to be totally lacking. He’s regarded by most in this community as a pretty insignificant Police Chief. He should resign in disgrace.
In reply to JW. Sellers does Not run the Fullerton PD. Goodrich, the sergeant runs the PD. He also runs the Union. The chief is sorta like fake and not there much awaiting his retirement pension. So if you want to know who runs Fullerton, its the union. The 3 ex cops on City Council love those political contributions! They do not care whose face is smashed in.
End political donations! It is legal corruption!
People forget that this is the exact reason that gun control should be abolished. Police should “never” have that much power in a society. Just think if we are unable to even defend ourselves in our own home. Well, in the UK, that is still the law. In Fullerton, we cannot even sit on a bench and enjoy a summer evening without being murdered by the very people that are there to protect us. How many times do we watch the TV show COPS and see violent criminals taken down safely and effectively in seconds. Yes, the video’s are edited, but the criminals are real and there is no injury. I feel so very sorry for the good cops out there that are now scrutinzed for something they would never do!
Ummmm as a resident of Bell…that is what it was reported in the LA Times, but later we all found out that Rizzo earned to the most of $1.5 million. Just putting that out there…but still that’s amazing…