Joe Sipowicz, Author at Friends For Fullerton's Future

November 1, 2012November 1, 2012Chronic Failure

Vince Mater Gets Wrist Slapped For Destruction of Evidence in Fullerton Jail House Death Case

I always hate it when the stooge press indicates that a “former cop” was convicted of something when the former cop was an active cop when he did what he did to get convicted.

And so I won’t say “former Fullerton cop Vincent Mater plead guilty…” Rather, I will say dirty Fullerton cop Vincent Mater who clearly had something to hide in the wake of the Dean Gochenour Fullerton jail suicide and who demonstrated as much by destroying his DAR plead guilty to day…

Here’s the text of the DAs press release:

FULLERTON – A former Fullerton Police Department (FPD) officer was convicted and sentenced today for destroying evidence by crushing his audio-recorder after an inmate committed suicide in jail following a driving under the influence (DUI) arrest by the defendant. Vincent Thomas Mater, 42, pleaded guilty to a court offer by the Honorable Frances Munoz to one misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence and one misdemeanor count of vandalism. Mater was sentenced to three years of informal probation and 60 days of community service. The People objected to the sentence, arguing for jail time based on the nature of the crime, destruction of evidence possibly related to an inmate’s death, and the defendant’s violation of his position of trust.

At the time of the crime, Mater was a police officer with FPD. At approximately 9:45 p.m. on April 14, 2011, Mater conducted a DUI investigation after making a traffic stop of a vehicle being driven without its lights on in the dark. Mater was in uniform and driving a marked FPD patrol car. Mater arrested the driver, Dean Gochenour, upon determining that Gochenour was under the influence of alcohol.

Mater transported Gochenour in his patrol car to the Fullerton City Jail (FCJ) and turned him over to FPD jailers to be booked upon arrival. Throughout the duration of his contact with Gochenour, Mater wore an FPD-issued Digital Audio Recording device (DAR), which was activated and would have audio-recorded any statements made by Mater or Gochenour.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., inmate Gochenour committed suicide by hanging himself in a cell at FCJ. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) was subsequently contacted to conduct the custodial death investigation.

In the hours after Mater learned of Gochenour’s death, Mater destroyed his DAR by crushing it and removing the mother board and circuit board. The audio captured on Mater’s DAR of the defendant’s interaction with Gochenour could not be recovered as a result of the damage. Mater destroyed the evidence that would have been relevant to the OCDA’s custodial death investigation.

FPD investigated the case against Mater regarding the destruction of evidence and submitted it to the OCDA for criminal prosecution.

To read the OCDA’s full report on the custodial death of Gochenour, visit www.OrangeCountyDA.com and select “OCDA Report Custodial Death Investigation – Inmate Dean Gochenour” from the Investigation Letters tab under the Media Center. The report was issued March 13, 2012.

Deputy District Attorney Brock Zimmon of the Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted this case.

I don’t know who “the honorable” Frances Munoz is, but I sure want to end up in her court if I ever get busted doing anything naughty. Probation and sixty days’ community service? Really? You or I would be looking at hard time. Oh, well we’ve always know there were rules and regs for us and a get out of jail card for the cops.

Did something fishy happen to Dean Gochenour before or after he was deposited in the FPD jail? Thanks to Mater we shall probably never know.

Oh, and yeah, Mater’s now a former Fullerton cop, although whether he was fired or permitted to walk away we will never know. That shall remain a mystery, too.

October 26, 2012October 26, 2012Chronic Failure

The Idiot

by Joe Sipowicz198 Comments

What happens when a supposedly professional detective makes up his own “evidence” as the basis of fabricated claims and a Public Records Act request?

Well, he ends up looking like a damn fool.

This clip is entertaining for several reasons. First we see what a buffoon FPD detective Ron Bair is; second we get to see a calm evisceration of this fool by Bruce Whitaker; third we get to enjoy the cop-lackey Doug Chaffee step on his own weenie defending the indefensible.

Doug Chaffee thinks its “chilling” for Bruce Whitaker to “interrogate” an FPD cop who has made wild and completely false charges against him.

Hmm. I think its chilling that a liar and fact-fabricator like Bair can actually become a detective in the first place with the opportunity to interrogate anybody. Looks like the Culture of Corruption has a new poster boy.

October 18, 2012Chronic Failure

Chaffee Spills The Beans

by Joe Sipowicz36 Comments

In his desire to promote Chief Danny, Fullerton Council Mole, Doug Chaffee went a bit too far. First he indicates that six cops have been disciplined and some have been fired! Oh, oh. That’s a violation of POBAR, isn’t it? Our trolls are always saying so.

Will The Mole Man’s comments result in a lawsuit by the rogue cops? Let’s hope so. Little Doug can explain what he meant.

What is even more astounding is that Chaffee acknowledges fourteen disciplinary actions by “Acting Chief Danny,” an incredible figure when you consider that some of the bad behavior that we already know about hasn’t even been acknowledged. In other words, Chaffee admits that at least 10% of the force has been disciplined for behavior no doubt well known and protected by a great many more members of the force – including sanctimonious pricks like Jason Shone, the Internal Affairs sergeant.

Chaffee thinks it’s “remarkable” that corrupt cops got “disciplined.” Of course we have no idea what that means, or even if it’s true. What kind of twisted culture exists when the elected authority finds that disciplining bad cops is “remarkable?”

I don’t know about you, but to me that sure sounds like a Culture of Corruption.

October 12, 2012October 12, 2012Behind Closed Doors

We Get Mail

by Joe Sipowicz75 Comments

I just picked up these missives from the FFFF in-box this morning. First this:

Jan-Florys-Head — I know who Iwant to work for, and it isn’t you!

Hey, FFFFsters, I just want to point out the obvious. Jan Flory just got fourteen grand, cash, from the corrupt cop union. She also got ten grand from some land developer named Phelps. The rest of her dough came from “retired” individuals, most of them former public employees.

Cops, developers, massively pensioned government workers. Wow. Talk about special interests!

– Sick of BooHoos

Good point, S.o.B. And then this:

I was driving along Chapman a few days ago and saw Pam Keller on the corner of Harbor. She was holding up a sign promoting the candidacy of Rick Alvarez, a Republican! Here’s what I want to know. Why won’t the establishment Dems in this town support a real good candidate like Jane Rands? Why the Hell not? What is wrong with Keller, and Quirk and Flory and their ilk?

Are they so in bed with the FPOA thugs and baboons that they can’t recognize an authentic progressive? I guess that question answers itself.

– ACLU Mom

Good point, Mom. The Old Guard liberals in Fullerton don’t stand for anything, of course, except for the prerogatives conferred upon the department heads in City Hall (see first letter, above). Please address you questions to Keller herself and see if you can get an intelligible answer. Or you could ask this gentleman:

October 4, 2012Chronic Failure

Has the FPD Been Withholding Evidence?

by Joe Sipowicz78 Comments

Take a look at one of our downtown police spy cams – just like the one that captured the Kelly Thomas killing at the Fullerton Transportation Center.

This one is located on the south side of Amerige Avenue almost exactly where Veth Mam was assaulted and arrested for no reason by Kenton Hampton about two years ago. Did this camera provide the whole story and show explicitly why Veth Mam could not have done the things the cops and the DA claimed he did? Did it provide the whole story of it would have been impossible for Hampton to know even if Mam had?

Hard to say. I presume the camera works; and I presume a diligent watch commander such as Tom “Tango” Basham could and would have used it that night to see what was going on. If so, was this footage handed over to the DA, perhaps saving Mam the ordeal of trumped up charges and prosecution? Does the DA even know the incident took place at the base of a cop security camera pole?

Lots of good questions for Acting Chief Danny to address, now and in his deposition with Garo Mardirossian.

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012Brick Veneer, Fake Old, And Other Horrors

FPOA Creep Jason Schone Owns a Major Bong!!!!

by Joe Sipowicz155 Comments

Here is a sanctimonious asshole named Jason Schone who thinks it’s bad for sick folks to get medical marijuana. But he owns a giant bong! Believe it or not this pustule is a sergeant in the Fullerton police department – which just goes to show you how low they have sunk.

He thinks it’s okay for his Hero brethren to beat a mentally ill homeless man to death. He thinks it’s okay when his brethren sexually molest detainees in FPD squad cars. He thinks it’s okay when his Hero brethren beat up and arrest and prosecute innocent citizens; he thinks it’s okay when his FPOA brethren destroy evidence; he thinks it’s okay when his Hero sistren steal from the evidence locker and TSA checkpoints.

Watch this:

What a guy. And now you know the moral caliber of the people employed under Acting Chief Danny Hughes “new and improved” FPD. It’s low. Really low.

Seen enough? I have.

October 2, 2012October 2, 2012Chronic Failure

The Price of Integrity May Be Lower Than You Think

by Joe Sipowicz99 Comments

FPOA-Quirk — What would you do for $5000?

Here is Sharon Quirk heaping praises on her supporters in the FPOA. She is proud of her police force. Why? She doesn’t really say.

Is it the fact that they are one of the most expensive police forces, per capita in Orange County?

Is it the hard work of “Alby Al” Albert Rincon, the serial molester of women detainees?

Is it the hard work of Kenton Hampton who beat up and arrested and had prosecuted an innocent man?

Is it the hard work of Miguel “Sonny Black” Saliceo who through malice or laziness ID’d the wrong man who spen 5 months in jail?

Is it the hard work of Andrew Goodrich who kept spinning half-truths and outright lies during his rancid tenure as PIO?

Is it the hard work of the cops who tried to pin a completely bogus hit and run rap on George Bushala?

Is it the hard work of the on-duty cops who, on 2010 started dumping obscenity laced threats on the FFFF blog?

Is it the hard work of Todd Major who ripped off Explorers to feed hi pill habit?

Is it the hard work of Kelly Mejia who tried to steal an Ipad by hiding under her bag of chicken at a Miami TSA checkpoint?

Is it the hard work of April Baughman who ripped off the evidence room for years without detection?

Is it the hard work of Manuel Ramos, the grossly obese killer of Kelly Thomas?

Is it the hard work of Joe Wolfe, the cop who initiated the assault on Kelly Thomas with his baton?

Is it the hard work of Jay Cicinelli who tased KT numerous times and then beat his face to jelly.

Is it the hard work of Hampton, Blatney and Craig who appeared on the scene long enough to add their weight to the chest compression that killed Kelly?

Is it the hard work of the watch commander, Tom “Tango” Basham who watched the KT killing unfold?

Is it the hard work of Danny Hughes, the Fullerton Six boss who told them they had done a good job and put them back on the street?

Well, that’s enough slime for today.

So what would you do to get the Fullerton cop union endorsement?

September 24, 2012September 23, 2012Something Wicked This Way Comes

The Culture of Corruption Has Many Faces

by Joe Sipowicz98 Comments

September 19, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Wolfe To Get Tuned Up By Grand Jury

by Joe Sipowicz234 Comments

It took a year, and some double talk by our esteemed DA, but news reports are saying the OC Grand Jury is convening to day to indict former Fullerton bully cop Joe Wolfe in the death of Kelly Thomas. Originally Tony Rackukas said Wolfe couldn’t have known what was going on between Ramos and Kelly and therefore was excused from any wrongdoing, a yarn so unbelievable that, well, nobody believed it, especially when the video came out and we could see a fully engaged Wolfe take batting practice on Kelly.

And here’s some food for thought: Joe Felz and Acting Chief Danny Hughes put this cheapjack goon (or so the story goes – and it has the perfect ring of truth) on a disability retirement for throwing out his shoulder beating up on Thomas! In any case Wolfe is gone from the Department, but not ’til afer getting a clean bill of health from our new, reformed police department and its esteemed Acting Chief. Fortunately the Grand Jury is likely to be a lot more discriminating as to who it determines to be Hero. Ad hopefully this Hero will get what he deserves.

September 10, 2012September 10, 2012A Step in the Right Direction

Going Into Labor, Part 2a – The Solution; There Ought To Be A Law

by Joe Sipowicz147 Comments

Identifying a problem is the first step on the path to fixing it. Sort of like a drunk needs to admit his addiction to booze.

In my last post I described the inherent dysfunction of allowing government workers to unionize, and in effect, place their own collective interests ahead of delivering the services they were hired to perform for their bosses – you and I.

What’s needed? First it’s imperative that all new agreements with public unions reflect parity with employment realities in the private sector. This includes paying fair shares in health care and pension contributions. Retirement age must be raised to eliminate early retirement and double dipping bureaucrats. What’s wrong with mandating the age the rest of us can collect Social Security?

Second, let’s remove bureaucrats from negotiating labor contracts and give the responsibility to experienced labor negotiators. Why not? The unions are doing it. This will remove squishy “administrators” bargaining with their “family” members, giving away the store, and often benefiting from the same benefits they confer upon their employees. The taxpayers are in dire need of independent, hard-nosed advocates at the bargaining table.

Third, remove automatic raises based on seniority or simply taking up space.

Fourth, end the ever escalating salary arms race for public employees.

Fifth, eliminate “management” unions. The very type of “professional” folk whose job it is to implement the will of the elected representatives are simply extensions of that authority. Management in the private sector is never unionized. Why should the overseers be represented? The fact is that lots of government managers are not unionized; none of them should be. The gift of huge benefits on managers including retirement at 50 or 55 has created an exodus of middle-aged middle and upper managers who often go to work for other agencies where they can start up a whole new pension!

Finally, look at total compensation as a means of assessing taxpayer support for public employees. This includes health insurance premiums, pension subsidies, and salaries.