On Tuesday, December 14, 2010, at 10:30 a.m., PLEA (Joe Clure, Ken Crane, David Kothe, and Mark Spencer) met with City Manager David Cavazos and Assistant City Manager Ed Zuercher to discuss current labor/management issues within the Phoenix Police Department. Mr. Cavazos clearly communicated the input from and partnership with PLEA was of great value and an important ingredient in providing essential public safety services for our communities. David and Ed shared their efforts and concerns reference upcoming budget issues facing the City and Police Department (10%/$40M PD cuts). They also notified PLEA that Jack Harris would be sending out to the department a personal purchase rifle survey. David Cavazos was supportive of allowing motors to once again utilize take-home privileges seeing that it was demonstrated this policy could net the City at least $400,000 in revenue.
PLEA addressed several concerns.
- The ongoing off-duty investigation: PLEA advised Mr. Cavazos that police management had addressed off-duty misconduct in the past as it related to supervisors with an administrative investigation, no attorney general investigation, and a resolution of “unfounded” for an allegation of off-duty work misconduct. This parity case involved then-sergeant and now current Commander Sandra Renteria (assigned to the City Manager’s office), then-lieutenant and now current Assistant Chief Traci Montgomery, then Elks Lodge participant and now current City Councilman Mike Johnson, and then-assistant chief and now current Police Chief Jack Harris. The allegation was that a sergeant was leaving on-duty work early with a police car to work an off-duty job thus receiving compensation from two employers at the same time. CLICK HERE to read the parity investigation involving upper level police managers.
- The ongoing Office of Inspector General investigation: PLEA shared their concerns about an email they had received last Friday and the continued consequences of failed leadership and lack of accountability of upper-level police management in the Phoenix Police Department. CLICK HERE to read an email regarding the ongoing investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) re: kidnappng numbers.
- The PLEA $3000 Silent Witness Donation: PLEA invited the City Manager to participate in a press conference at the PLEA office on Wednesday, December 15 at 2:30. PLEA Charities will be increasing the Silent Witness reward by $3000 for information reference the murder of 13-year-old Jonathan Garcia-Valladares on Sunday, November 7, 2010. PLEA attorney Mike Napier will be investing an additional $1000 for a total Silent Witness reward of $6000.