If true, what does this say about Greg Devereaux and the BOS in relationship to them imposing a contract on rank-and-file specialized peace officers?  We hear the CAO/BOS intends to do the very same thing to Safety next year.  Would I be the only one appalled by such an action, if this is accurate?

In those transcripts, it is claimed that the padding of POST records went on for years before Angie Gray took over the scam.  Any guesses as to who might have been stationed out at the Academy during part of those “years” when the crimes were being committed.  Yep, you guessed it—none other than Rod Hoops.  Ya think he has more to hide than we realized to begin with?

Typical.

Tidwell says 2 could be sent home today

By Elizabeth Chambers

Daily Press Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO—At least two more of the Victorville station’s 43 street deputies will probably be suspended today by county Sheriff Floyd Tidwell, as an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. continues.

So far, three deputies are under administrative leave, stripped of their badges and guns, and two have resigned.  Tidwell said this morning he anticipates “two more suspensions today, and possibly a third.”

The sheriff added that he is “devastated” by the events leading to his investigation of charges that the deputies had sexual relations with an Explorer Scout from the Victorville station before she turned 18 years of age, and that one raped her Feb. 14.

Robert M. Swindle, 31, a deputy since 1978, and James B. Dawson, 39,who joined the department in1981, resigned during the course of the investigation, which began Sunday after the woman told authorities about the incidents.

Swindle and Dawson are not being investigated in connection with the rape, but reportedly were involved with the woman when she was still a minor.

Dawson was the first person to be honored in the Victorville sheriff’s station “Employee of the Month” program in August of last year.  He was selected for making 10 arrests and stopping a large number of drivers who were under the influence of alcohol.  During the four years he’s been with the Victorville station, Dawson has worked patrol, the jail, and criminal investigation.

Swindle, who had been assigned to the Victorville station since July 1979, recently was demoted one step in the rank of deputy as a result of “inferior work performance,” Tidwell said.

“It is illegal for me to release the names of the other deputies— the ones who are under investigation — because of the Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights,” Tidwell said.

He added that the investigation is still going strong.  “We have lots of interviews yet to do, and our people worked most of the night last night.  We anticipate more suspensions today,” the sheriff added.

Deputies suspended with pay include the one accused of raping the woman after a wedding and reception Feb. 14.  According to a source close to the investigation, the deputy took the woman to a motel near the Victorville Bob’s Big Boy, and raped her by using intimidation and threats.

“He is innocent until proven guilty,” Tidwell said, “but he is taken off the job until we get to the bottom of this.”

The sheriff added, “I’m absolutely devastated by this.  I can’t understand why this took place.  I hope this doesn’t taint the Explorer Scout program, which is an excellent one, or the 895 other good deputies working very hard to serve the county properly.”

Tidwell said that in his 34 years on the job, he can only remember one other such instance, and that occurred 25 years ago.  “This type of thing is few and far between; very isolated.  I hope because of the mistakes of a few bad apples have made, it doesn’t taint the rest of the departmnet in the public’s eye.  We have some exceptional officers; some excellent officers,” he added.

The administrative end of the investigation is “running very parallel” to the criminal end, Tidwell said.  The administrative portion should be completed by Tuesday, and the criminal portion by Monday.

At that point, the package will be presented to the district attorney’s office for a decision on whether or not to prosecute anyone involved.

The Explorer Scout program is part of a sheriff’s project which gives young men and women from 15 to 20 years of age a head start on careers in law enforcement.

Others indicted include retired Captain Hobart Gray, who is charged with perjury, grand theft and conspiracy; his wife Angie Gray, charged with three counts of conspiracy, two counts of attempted grand theft, and one county of grand theft; and Sallyann Christian, charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of grand theft.

And if former Assistant Sheriff Mike Stodelle is really involved, he retired in 2006 or earlier.  That means that investigations going back to 2006, and perhaps earlier, could be in jeopardy.  We really have no idea the number of victims that potentially may no receive justice.

Today’s events are a goldmine for the criminal defense bar.  And the county should have its ass sued off for allowing this to go on for so long.  Shame on every member of the Board of Supervisors who stood back in fear and did not speak out.  You have put the citizens of San Bernardino County in jeopardy by your inaction.

Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) was a United States Supreme Court case in which the prosecution had withheld from the criminal defendant certain evidence. The defendant challenged his conviction, arguing it had been contrary to the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Police officers who have been dishonest are sometimes referred to as “Brady cops.” Because of the Brady ruling, prosecutors are required to notify defendants and their attorneys whenever a law enforcement official involved in their case has a sustained record for knowingly lying in an official capacity. Brady evidence also includes evidence material to credibility of a civilian witness, such as evidence of false statements by the witness or evidence that a witness was paid to act as an informant.

So, I ask, Why do Brady cops exist?  Seriously.  This goes back to my post earlier today.

If a cop lies in an official capacity, why is that tolerated?  It seems in the law enforcement profession, there should be a zero tolerance for lying.  Literally, lives are at stake.

How often do we hear of someone who has been in prison for twenty, thirty or more years based on the lies of a witness at trial.  And sometimes that witness was a cop who, for whatever reason, wanted to pin the crime of the defendant.

Many members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department hate our “bad cop” stories.  With those stories as with this POST scandal, the powers that be at the Sheriff’s Department would prefer that we return to the time before CNN, the Internet, and the alternative media.  They don’t seem to get it.  It’s never that any cop is ever really bad, it’s those damn bloggers who want to tell it to the world.

Instead of killing the messenger, the Sheriff’s Department should be weeding out the bad cops, including the Brady cops.  In today’s world of instant information, there is no longer room for law enforcement officials who prefer to cover up and lie rather than truth and integrity.

We here at iePolitics did not create the POST scandal.  We only made sure that it kept being brought to the forefront despite insults, threats, and innuendo by those who wanted it covered up and forgotten.

We have many times said that we know a majority of San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies are cops for the right reasons.  They have enough bad guys to deal with on the streets.  They should not have to be dealing with them in the locker rooms and briefing rooms too.

Once again, I call on the Board of Supervisors to call for Sheriff’s Rod Hoops’ resignation.  We need new blood to clean out all the disease and restore the Sheriff’s Department to health.

So far this morning I have heard that the arrests are taking place today, that the arrests are taking place tomorrow, that the arrests are taking place after the 26th, and that there will be no arrests at all.

I have also heard that everyone is being told to report to WVDC, everyone is being told to report to CDC, that the Sheriff’s Office will be going out and arresting everyone, that the District Attorney’s Office will be going out and arresting everyone.

I have been told that everyone will be charged with misdemeanors, everyone will be charged with felonies, that no one will be charged.

I have been told that the District Attorney and Sheriff are at war over this because the Sheriff wants everyone handled quietly and this whole thing go away with as little publicity as possible and the District Attorney wants to do one of his “crime of the century” press conferences.  We have heard the Attorney General is involved.  We have heard the Attorney General is not involved.  We have heard that Mike Ramos has asked for Governor Brown’s help in convincing Kamala Harris to go soft of the cops.  We have heard that Mike Ramos wants to throw the book at the cops.

We have heard everyone who can retire will be allowed to do so and that plea deals will be made so there are a few court dates an publicity as possible.  We have again heard these guys are going to be made examples of.

We have heard there will be as few as three indictments.  Again, we have heard there will be no indictments.   If we listed all the names we have heard are on the list, there would be about 500 indictments.  We have also heard the Grand Jury is still conducting interviews.

The only four things I am personally certain of in this whole mess are:

1. This a cover up that never should have happened, and by not being honest to begin with, this has become a much bigger incident.
2. A good many average deputies are glad this is finally happening, if it is true, because they are very tired of the double standards.
3. We will all be glad when it is over.
4. Hoops and Penrod are guilty as sin but likely will not be charged.

I did talk with someone this morning who is very familiar with the set up at WVDC, CDC and Sheriff’s Headquarters.  He seems to think the arrests or surrenders will take place at CDC instead because they can be kept out of the public view.  He gave me a long description of how it is set up that I cannot begin to explain, but that does make sense.  As I stated above, I do believe some misinformation is being put out intentionally by the Sheriff and I suspect the WVDC rumor is one such example.  Either way we should known sometime this month.

Hoops’ crimes in office far exceed ANYTHING perpetrated by former Assessor Bill Postmus.  If the BOS is to be believed about their dedication to ending corruption, demanding Hoops’ resignation, and ultimately removing him from office, if necessary, is their only option.

Let’s see if anyone on the board is really dedicated to ending corruption in this county or if it is all just lip service as usual.

Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops—Elected Officials

Bill Postmus—Accused of conspiracy in allowing employees to receive pay they were not eligible for.

Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops—Conspired to cover up 27 employees who received pay for which they were not entitled as well as  having committed a minimum of 27 misdemeanors and/or felonies.

Bill Postmus—Accused of using office for romantic interests.

Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops—Used office to score, sometime interfering with criminal investigations, i.e., the Randy Beavers case whose wife was sleeping with the Sheriff.  Or the explorer scouts and prostitutes in the command post in Rancho Cucamonga.  Or we can go all the way back to Floyd Tidwell and  his main mistress, Jean, who when confronted over what she would get away with would state, “because I give good blow jobs.”  And we haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of the amount of sex these guys got from subordinates.

Bill Postmus—Accused of using credit card for a tank of gas and air card.

Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops—Regularly used Sheriff’s helicoptors for transportation.  Regularly used Sheriff’s Trustees to prepare meals in executive dining room for dignitaries that have nothing to do with law enforcement.

Bill Postmus—Accused of using office for politics.

Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops—Regularly hands out Sheriff’s badges and concealed weapons permits to Sheriff’s Rangers, the Sheriff’s Council, and other who donate large sums of money to their campaign war chests.

Bill Postmus—Charged with numerous felonies by District Attorney Mike Ramos.

Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops—Given a pat on the ass by District Attorney Mike Ramos for a job well done and in hopes that he gets invited to the command post next time.

The indictments are expected to be announce March 7, 2011.  It is necessary to wait until that time to allow for the retirement or transfer of those involved.  I understand some transfers were announced Friday with more to come.  All individuals being indicted have been notified.

No one will be charged with felonies.  All charges will be misdemeanors.  Remember some of the thefts are in the tens of thousands of dollars.  Must be nice to have connections.

Since most of the 27 persons involved are sergeants and above, as long as they agree to a plea they will be allowed to retire or take a one step demotion in rank.  This way their retirement will not be affected because it is based on highest year.

We are not sure how the department plans to deal with any sergeants who chose to demote to detective as they will be Brady cops.  We also understand at least two retired deputy chiefs are involved.  We are still hearing that Deputy Chief Cook is also involved.

No one is expected to be arrested and nothing more than the forced retirements/demotions are expected as punishment.

We are still hearing that Penrod is involved.  Okay we know Penrod and Hoops are involved in the cover up but we continue to hear that Penrod will be charged.  However, it just does not seem likely.  We expect both Penrod and Hoops to skate.

Please understand that knowing San Bernardino County politics and corruption the way I know it, I will believe this when I see it.  But since he is a public figure and we know he was involved—we just didn’t expect him to be indicted—we are going to name him now.  That name, of course, is former Sheriff Gary Penrod.  Again, we will believe the indictment when we see it even though we know he is as guilty as sin.

A Penrod indictment would be substantial.  He would be the second county sheriff to be brought up on criminal charges.  The first of course was Floyd Tidwell who plead out to theft charges related to all the guns he stole out of evidence.

Penrod has been linked to a host of criminal activty but has always managed to slide by, many have thought due to his relationship to District Attorney Mike Ramos.  There are currently rumors that the FBI may be involved this time, but I’m not sure I’m buying that.  Although with their presence in this county with other corruption issues, there very well could be truth to that.  We heard they were involved in the Randy Beavers case but that was never confirmed.

Those of us who follow county corruption can only hope Penrod is indicted.  Heaven knows it has been a long time coming.  Of course, since it was then Assistant Sheriff Rod Hoops who is said to have reviewed the POST investigation that was covered up, we have to wonder if there will be any other big names.  We suspect not.

DC is a big Denver Broncos fan.  Keep that in the back of your mind.  At Christmas be sure to give him some Denver Broncos memorabilia—the more expensive, the better.  That should earn you a promotion to sergeant no matter how much you screw up.

If you get caught having sex with one of your subordinates now that you are a sergeant, well you have already covered yourself with that Denver Broncos memorabilia.  The worst thing that might happen is a transfer.

Now, if you mess up again, such as not taking an excessive force complaint and investigating it, Sheriff’s brass won’t know what to do about you.  Those Denver Broncos sure do come in handy.

Congressman Jerry Lewis

Today the High Desert moved closer to being a big city.  All of the San Bernardino County’s dignitaries were here to dedicate the new County Government Center.  First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt initiated the naming of the Jerry Lewis High Desert Government Center after minority maker Congressman Jerry Lewis and it was so named.

The center will house a dozen or more departments including the Assessor’s Office, County Clerk and Recorder, Code Enforcement, Environmental Health, and Veterans Affairs.  It is located in the center of Hesperia along with the library, police department and City Hall.

Among those seen at the event were Congressman Jerry Lewis, First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, Second District Supervisor Paul Biane, Third District Supervisor Josie Gonzales, Sheriff Rod Hoops, Auditor-Controller-Recorder-Tax Collector Larry Walker and his new assistant, Matt Brown.  We hear Matt was all smiles as he worked the crowd.

And it gets better.  A second liar/snitch was also in attendance.  That is right, DA Liar No. 2, Bob Smith, was also being the social butterfly.  Elected officials had snitches coming at them from every direction.

We hope everyone was careful with what they said or someone might find himself/herself in handcuffs.  Of course, a few of those present today might anyway if the FBI finds what we expect at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

The first is on the deputy, out of Victorville I believe, who beat the crap out of a relative of a CHP officer.  There is more to the story but I can’t remember it. I believe it happened in the Cajon Pass and I believe this deputy was allowed to stay on patrol.

The second is the deputy who was caught with sticky fingers.  Unlike Captain Gray, he was charged with a felony.  Only difference is this deputy stole only hundreds of dollars, not thousands.  I believe he was fired but I’m not sure.

I will ask a question I have asked more than once on this blog.  If a man (or woman) is willing to break the most important covenant given to him by God, then why should we expect any higher degree of integrity or morality on lesser issues?  The covenant of which I write is, of course, that of marriage.

Let me put this is more direct terms. If a man is willing to lie to his wife whom he is supposed to love, honor and cherish, then why should we expect him to be truthful on the witness stand?   If a man has an anger control issue severe enough that he physically harms his wife, whom once again he is supposed to love, honor and cherish, then is it really inconceivable that he might beat the crap out of a prisoner?

If an officer of the law is willing to break the law that he is sworn to uphold, then what makes him any different than the crook he arrests?  Is a law enforcement officer driving under the influence of alcohol somehow better capable of making wise decisions than the average citizen driving under the influence?  Didn’t they both just make equally unsound decisions?  Should one be treated any differently than the other?

Integrity, morality, and ethics are not situational.  One cannot lack integrity in one area and be considered to have integrity in another.  That is a contradiction that cannot be overcome.  A person has integrity in all aspects of his life, or he has none at all.  The fact that he does the right thing some of the time is not a sign of integrity; it is a sign that he is not without any redeaming qualities whatsoever.

Since we first started running the stories of infidelity in the Sheriff’s Department, there has been lots of criticism and finger pointing.  And there have been those that somehow feel being a cop justifies bad behavior.

I would argue exactly the opposite.  Only the most moral and just should ever be allowed to carry a badge and gun.  If law enforcement officers cannot do their jobs or live their lives without breaking the law then there is really no hope for our society.

But we cannot expect deputies in the field to be held to standards higher than those at the top hold themselves too.  Some argue that Floyd Tidwell’s, Gary Penrod’s, or Rod Hoops’ affairs and indiscretions are not worth noting.  I would differ.

I have heard from a number of old-timers who tell me that one of the biggest taboos in law enforcement was to have an affair with another cop’s spouse.  Officers who did that were run out of the department, and rightfully so.

I can already hear the complaints.  Private lives are private lives.  Not when you are a cop and the public is at risk.

What do they teach you in the scademy about the most dangerous type of call to respond to?  Which courtroom in the courthouse is the most dangerous?

When you add to that, broken promises, guns, badges, egos, you have a recipe for disaster.  Perhaps we have not had one cop kill another cop in a jealous rage . . . yet.  But what is going on in the Sheriff’s Department is a time bomb waiting to happen.

And nothing will get done about it. Why?  Remember those “indiscretions” that are not worth noting?  That’s why.  A superior cannot discipline a subordinate for behavior he, himself, participates in.  Remember the Randy Beavers case?  The defense may very well be “because the Sheriff was sleeping with my wife.”

Call me old-fashioned, self-righteous, or whatever you want to call me, but we write about the most perfect example of what I’m describing here on the blog on an almost daily basis.  That person is District Attorney Mike Ramos.

Ramos has cheated on his wife Gretchen with more women than we can count.  And that lack of integrity carries right on over to his professional life.  As the District Attorney of San Bernardino County Ramos is expected to uphold the Constitution of the United States.  Ramos instead chooses to violate its most basic elements.

As I said, a person either has integrity or he does not.  Ramos does not.  Neither does Hoops or many in his executive staff.  Until they are all replaced the department will continue to go down hill until a private citizen is killed by a drunk deputy, takes the bullet meant for his wife’s lover, or finds themselves on the wrong end of a cop with a anger control problem or a cop committing suicide.  It’s only a matter of time.

First, there is the captain’s son who is thought to have been dishonorably discharged from the military and who could not pass a polygraph as part of the background check but was hired as a deputy sheriff anyway.   Also, there may have been an issue with an explorer scout(s).

Second, there is the lieutenant who claimed to be a Navy Seal but wasn’t.  I understand there is a website debunking his claims.  He is a lieutenant for what division?

Third, I’ve been told that as a captain, Hoops had the command post stationed at Guasti Park for an elite party.  The party consisted of one or two councilmen/board members, a possible senator or assemblyman, and a wealthy developer.  Prostitutes were appropriated for the party and the participants got drunk and passed out.  One of the men locked himself out of the trailer while almost in the buff.  He had to walk over to guard station at the park to have a deputy summoned with a spare set of keys as the other participants were unconscious and couldn’t let him back in.  I’m told there are call logs of this incident if anyone knows approximately when it occurred.

The POST issue aside, which we know will never be prosecuted like it should, have you been reading any of our posts regarding the issues with deputies and much higher ups within the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department committing crimes?  The story below is a perfect example of why we have such an issue with your response that you support Sheriff Hoops.

You speak of the culture of corruption in San Bernardino County.  I have worked for the county of San Bernardino for 30 years, including a number of years in the upper echelons of county government.  The Board of Supervisors and County Administrative Office I worked for did not come close to being anywhere near as corrupt as the current BOS/CAO and two of those I worked for were charged with federal crimes, with one going to federal prison.  I can only hope that the FBI does as thorough an investigation as it did the last time.  I’ve seen enough to believe our current CAO and at least one board member belongs in federal prison as well.

But, that is not the point.  The one department in this county that has been corrupt for decades is the Sheriff’s Department.  There are some things that could be said about Frank Bland, but mostly he ran a very tight ship.  That all changed when Floyd Tidwell became sheriff.  Tidwell was the Mike Ramos of his time.

If you don’t believe me, ask anyone who has been around the Sheriff’s Department for a couple of decades or more, and they can tell you about Tidwell’s little black book, the prostitutes, Jean the BJ expert, and lots and lots more.  Both Gary Penrod and Rod Hoops came up through the ranks under Tidwell and Williams.

Dick Williams did seem to try to restore some professionalism to the Sheriff’s Department, but that all went down the toilet as soon as Penrod became sheriff.  Hoops has followed Penrod’s lead.

You don’t have to take a word I’m writing for truth.  Ask Jim about what I’m telling you.  He will be straight with you.  Ask him about Rod’s “Captain’s Private Stock” or about the Explorer Scouts in Rancho and the panties that were left behind in a command post after a Hoops’ “visit.”  Bill Abernathie was arrested and tried for having sex with an Explorer Scout.  Hoops was given a free pass.

When we write about cops driving drunk, it is bad enough.  But recently we have written about at least three deputies who have been involved in hit-and-run.  You don’t see a problem with the fact they are all still on the job?  Or how about the two deputies we know of where they drove drunk and got into accidents where people were injured.  In each case they were part of the “chosen few.”

The issues that deputies are writing about on this blog regarding Sergeant Gina Perez are serious issues.  Her decisions are putting taxpayers and citizens in harm’s way.

You don’t see an issue with a SED deputy with an obvious severe drinking and anger problem?  Or with an Internal Affairs sergeant who lies in writing on behalf of guilty subordinates?  Or a lieutenant at a jail who literally almost beat an inmate to death and the county had to pay a claim?

These issues are not simply personnel issues as you claim.  They are serious criminal offenses that have many ramifications.  First, there are Brady issues.  What if one of these deputies investigated the murder of your mother, your wife, or child only to find out when it comes time for the defendant to be tried that the investigating officer has Brady issues that were covered up because he was a favorite son of Hoops?

Some of these drunk deputies have committed offenses near your home.  What if next time it is your wife or son who is run over by one of them?  Think of your young son, who is about the age of my nephew when a drunk driver hit him and the wheel of her car came to rest on top of him with him pinned under the vehicle?  Will it then become an issue for you?  Or will you be okay that it is handled as a “personnel matter” and never prosecuted?  After all, it takes a long time to turn a ship around, right?

Think of the spectacle of an off-duty sheriff’s employee driving drunk on the freeway, getting involved in an accident, fleeing the scene and a CHP officer having to chase her down to a Denny’s restaurant where she hides in the women’s restroom and won’t come out.  That’s okay?  It’s nothing more than a personnel issue?

Ninety percent of the members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are fine, outstanding employees who only want to serve the public, take bad guys off the streets, and go home in one piece to their families each day.  Those are not the deputies we write about on this blog.

It is that other ten percent, many of whom are in management or the Executive Office.  They are the chosen few who are protected by Hoops because of his own skeletons, lack of integrity and misdeeds.  And yes, we have an issue with you and any other member of the Board of Supervisors who supports his behavior.   There are things you can do about it and you know it.  To say otherwise is a cop out.

Brad Mitzelfelt has never claimed to be ethical or honorable.  Paul Biane is nothing but a crook and everyone knows it.  Gary Ovitt also makes no claims about being ethical.  Josie claims to be transparent.  She is simply stupid.   Neil, you are the one that chose to run on a platform of ethics.  You are the one that chose to put yourself out there as the moral compass of the Board of Supervisors.  Now you need to live up to your claims and promises.  We understand you are only one vote.  But there is still much you can do.  It seems you choose to be all talk and no action when it comes to ethics and integrity in this county.

You know Neil, we try to defend you here at iePolitics most of the time.  But some things are beyond defensible.

For example, your comment that the POST scandal is a personnel matter.  It is NOT a personnel matter.  It is a FELONY matter that involved Sheriff Rod Hoops, former Sheriff Gary Penrod, and at least a couple dozen others ranging from clerical staff to deputy chiefs. It is misconduct of the worst kind by public officials and it is being swept under the rug with the tacit approval of the board of supervisors.

But it’s okay because you all endorse one another for election, donate to one another’s campaigns, and attend one another’s fundraisers.  We wouldn’t want justice to interfere with that, now would we?

But now as I learn more about what happened behind the scenes with the recent contract reopenings, I am more disgusted than ever.  You cannot pretend to be an uninformed, gullible bystander who just happened TO VOTE FOR IT.  You are as guilty as Kirk and Ovitt.  You allowed it to happened.

The fact that Devereaux, Blough and Ovitt gave you what you wanted doesn’t make it okay.  It was done illegally and you know it.  And, as I said above, that makes you guilty too.  I’m tired of the holier-than-thou attitude while you play right along with the wrongdoers.  You don’t realize that makes you a wrongdoers as well?

Today’s San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department employee is a deputy assigned to the Special Enforcement Detail (SED or SWAT).  The deputy may have been involved in an accident while driving drunk, but we cannot confirm that.

This same deputy was involved in a rollover DUI incident about two years ago in the Mentone/Greenspo area.  The California Highway Patrol responded to the crash.  They called the watch commander out of the Yucaipa station, who also responded.

But, this is yet another one of Deputy Chief Stewart’s favorites so guess who walked away from this crash.  He was never arrest either.

And remember, this is the second deputy from SED who was recently involved in a DUI.  About two months ago we did a story on Dan Maddox who is assigned to SWAT and who’s father is a Lieutenant with the department. He is the one that crashed with his girlfriend while drinking and she was injured.

Both of these deputies are assigned to a really nice position with county take home cars and neither are detectives so why are they not back pushing a patrol car working rotating shifts?  Finally, we think Charbi, who spent so much time on the blog defending Sheriff Hoops before the election is these deputies’ supervisor.  Charbi, you’ve been noticeably quiet lately!

Here is the latest:  A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Division detective is dating a tweeker.  That is the first really bad idea.  The couple went to Palm Springs and were staying at a local hotel.  He opened her purse.  That is the second really bad idea.   He found some drugs in her purse.  Well, no duh!

The detective got upset.  This is what happens when you use the wrong male brain.   Things lead to things.  This is the third really bad idea.   He was arrested for domestic violence.

He may have driven the two of them to Palm Springs in his county unit.  This is the fourth really bad idea.

So, was bail set at $50,000 like everyone else arrested for domestic violence?  Will the District Attorney’s “no tolerance” policy apply or will they forget to file this case?  Is this detective currently on the job?  Does he get to stay in narcotics?  Inquiring minds want to know.

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Incidents involving San Bernardino County Sheriff’s personnel and the special treatment they receive seem to never end.  The most recent incident involves a female deputy, who is still working patrol out of the Victorville Office and is in charge of the Explorer Scouts for that division.

This deputy was off duty and got drunk.  While trying to get on the freeway she missed the off ramp and her vehicle got hung up on the divider.  She began to move it back and forth to get it off the divider and ended up hitting another vehicle.

The deputy left the scene and was followed by the driver of the other vehicle as he directed the California Highway Patrol to her location.  She drove into a Denny’s parking lot with the CHP behind her.  She exited her vehicle and took off inside the Denny’s.  She went into the bathroom and refused to come out for the CHP.

After several minutes she came out and was arrested.  Once in the CHP vehicle she started to give the officer more crap because she was a deputy and deserved better.  Once he found this out he contacted his sergeant.   Instead of being booked she was taken to the CHP office and then later released to her sister without being booked.  Charges are pending.

So the new San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department policy:  Get drunk, drive, get involved in a hit and run, leave the scene, don’t stop for the CHP officers, get chased into a bathroom and refuse to come out, and then ask for a favor.

Now that the election is over, we can see it is back to the status quo.  So who does she know or ????

San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops

Like we mentioned earlier this week, selective prosecution is alive and well in San Bernardino County.  As Mark Gluglueck pointed our below, not all lawbreakers are treated equally, especially if the lawbreaker is a cop.

In the context of Mark’s story, is it any wonder at all that the high-ranking officials from the Sheriff’s Department have not been prosecuted for the POST scandal?  For those who forget what the POST scandal is all about, here is the link:  A Legacy of Malfeasance—Part-2

Here we are close to the statute of limitations running out and nothing, nada. If the entire truth were to come out, it is highly likely both former Sheriff Gary Penrod and current Sheriff Rod Hoops would be implicated in the scandal and possibly guilty of one or more felonies.  But District Attorney Mike Ramos is looking the other way.

Now that the FBI is watching, it will be interesting to see what the excuse will be.

Why is that?

Well, Mike Ramos has had a very close working relationship and friendship with both Sheriff’s who are responsible for the POST scandal, Rod Hoops and Gary Penrod.  Mike Ramos has had a very close political relationship with former Supervisor Dennis Hansberger.  And according to Bertha Bea Cortes, she has a very, very, very, very close personal relationship with Mike Ramos, if you know what I mean.

As all our readers already know, Ramos apparently played hooky from most of his Constitutional Law 101 class and therefore doesn’t quite understand his duties as District Attorney.  So here in San Bernardino County we are once again reminded that criminal prosecution is based upon who you know and not equal protection under the law.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2010/07/11/iepolitics-more-selective-prosecution/feed/ 3 http://iepolitics.net/2010/06/29/iepolitics-things-are-getting-fishier-and-fishier-in-grand-terrace-sheriff-hoops-what-is-up/ http://iepolitics.net/2010/06/29/iepolitics-things-are-getting-fishier-and-fishier-in-grand-terrace-sheriff-hoops-what-is-up/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:22:34 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=4100 Continue reading →]]> I spoke with Kay Moore, the defendant in Grand Terrace City Councilwoman Bea Cortes’ restraining order, tonight.  Things are not right!

First, Mrs. Moore did appear at the first hearing and the judge granted the order anyway.  Cortes claimed she was afraid of Moore because Moore  is so “large.”  Moore is 65 years old, 5’7″ and weighs 155 pounds.  The judge could see that for himself.

Second, the judge told Cortes that he would not order Moore to stay away from city hall, etc., yet you can see for yourselves that that is the order that was issued.

Third, Mrs. Moore had no idea she had to stay away from city hall, etc., because she has not been served with the court order.  Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the order supposed to be served on the defendant and given to law enforcement within 72 hours of it being issued?  What if Mrs. Moore had gone to City Hall this week to pay her dog license?  Would she have been arrested?

Fourth, and this is where it gets interesting, as I said in an earlier post, Mrs. Moore was served with the request for the order and notice of hearing  the day it was filed.  That service was effected by the Sheriff’s Department at 6:05 p.m. in person.  I didn’t catch that fact until Mrs. Moore pointed it out to me.  It was done by a uniformed patrol deputy, not an individual from the Civil Division.  Why?  And the proof of service was completed by hand, not by the Civil Division.  Again, why?

This would suggest that it was done as a favor to Bea Cortes.  Is that not a) special treatment and b) a gift of public funds?    I’m not sure what cost of service is these days.  Why are we paying a patrol deputy to serve process and take him away from his duties of catching crooks?  Is this a favor from Hoops to Ramos?  Something is very fishy here.

I’m also told that Cortes requires the Sheriff’s Department to escort her at City Council meetings because she is afraid of the constituents.  It seems it is time for Cortes to find something else to do with her time.

That being said, as the campaign progressed I have to admit I softened a bit.  Part of it I’m sure is the fact that time heals.  And part of it is a couple of emails between Sheriff Hoops and me.

I don’t like some of what I see in the department and we are not going to stop discussing that here.  At the same time, I getting the feeling that Sheriff Hoops is trying to clean some of it up.  Again, I will not censor my other writers, but I am going to try to take a different approach for what I write about the Sheriff’s Department myself.  I am going to make an attempt to ask more questions of them before we post.  It’s their choice whether they choose to be forthcoming or try to cover up the facts.  We will call it like we see it.

Things are happening behind the scenes we could not discuss before the primary was over.  There is a very good reason why a strong, very well financed candidate did not run against Mike Ramos.  That was by design.  Sheriff Hoops will get the choice to conduct business as usual, i.e, the Mike Ramos way of doing things, or separate himself and take the high road.  I suspect he knows that already based on the rumors we are hearing out of his department.  I hope so because Mikey deserves to go down all by his lonesome.  Time will tell.

To a degree, this was one of the toughest races for me to make a decision about and that may surprise regular readers of iePolitics.  I believe all three candidates are good men who want what is best for this county.

We have spent a LOT of time on this blog discussing the corruption in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.  Sheriff Rod Hoops has taken a lot of hits here and many of them have been righteous.  Something I haven’t discussed here has been a few emails between Sheriff Hoops and me over a period of months.  Don’t get me wrong.  There hasn’t been a lot of communication, but there has been enough for me to get a feel for the kind of man I believe he is and the kind of Sheriff I believe he wants to be.  Unfortunately, he has a command staff that still prescribes to the views of his predecessors.  He has had over a year to fix that and hasn’t.

Then there is Deputy Mark Averbeck.  If ever someone has brass balls, it is Mark.  I don’t think there is any doubt Mark is someone who would take the bull by the horns if elected and kick butt.  I know Mark is a born-again Christian, a dedicated family man, and I know his heart is in the right place as to why he wants this job.

Finally, there is Los Angeles County Deputy Paul Schrader.  If an election could be won on hard work and heart, Paul would win it hands down.  I have been very impressed with his dedication to his family, but especially to his concern for the less fortunate in our community.  He too has a heart for this office and he has lots of great ideas for working smarter.

If San Bernardino County were not so immersed in corruption, I would likely vote for Rod.  But it is a cycle I do not believe anyone from the inside can break.  I have to go with Paul and his ideas for a “Fresh Start.”  He got my vote.

I do have to add to this, however, that if my friends are correct and neither challenger can force a runoff, I hope Rod will take what has happened in the past few months and use it as a learning experience.  iePolitics isn’t going away.  Criticizing our law enforcement agency is not something I enjoy.  I hope he will make changes to bring back trust and create transparency in his department so we can spend more time fighting the bad guys over at the Taj.

We hear that San Bernardino County District Attorney investigators have finally gotten to him.  We think he now realizes he really is going to have to testify and that testimony is coming up this month.  He will get his first shot at it during the Rex Gutierrez trial that is currently scheduled to start next Monday.

And we are hearing that the District Attorney’s office is considering filing a motion to request that the judge allow hearsay into evidence.  Apparently, they want to allow Adam to testify to what he says he heard.  Now this provides for interesting speculation.

First, Adam is charged with six felonies including giving false information to the Grand Jury.  So, exactly how could any jury consider his testimony, but especially hearsay, to be convincing and reliable? And second, as we have reported here for months now, private investigators have been interviewing everyone who knows Adam and have built quite the mountain of evidence that should make impeaching Adam a breeze.  So if his first-hand testimony is suspect, exactly how do prosecutors expect to get a judge to allow hearsay?

And apparently the investigators read the blog because they have finally figured it out.  They are actually calling witnesses to find out if they have been contacted by private investigators and to ask what the private investigators are asking.  You know guys, keep reading the blog and you will find out more about your case than you know.

Finally, I feel sort of guilty passing this rumor along because Dave Ellis and I have had a couple of practically civil email exchanges of late, but rumors are growing exponentially that it is Dave behind the Ramos prosecutions as a means of promoting Mikey’s political career.  The question we have is, Has Mikey told you Dave exactly how much trouble he really is in?  We are thinking he is dismissing the rumors as “coming from the bitch from that blog.”  You’re gonna find out very soon that I couldn’t make this stuff up.  I don’t have the imagination for it.

A few months ago I wrote a tongue-in-cheek piece about Attorney General Jerry Brown having Mikey arrested as a campaign stunt.  Well it ain’t so tongue-in-cheek anymore.  He’s being investigated despite what he may be telling you and it isn’t one bit pretty.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all now to see our district attorney find himself with matching bracelets.  And if Hoops doesn’t watch himself, he’s gonna go down with Mikey.  You could too, Dave.  Our top cops cannot distort justice this badly and not get the attention of the United States Department of Justice.  And they have.

• Written by Administrator
• Posted May 29, 2010 at 10:21 am

Expect all county-wide officials to be either elected or reelected on June 8th.

Most of San Bernardino County’s elected or appointed incumbents had to run at least a basic campaign this year. Something that is healthy.

Appointed incumbents, Sheriff-Coroner Rod Hoops and Assessor-Recorder Dennis Draeger will easily win their first elections. Elected incumbents District Attorney Mike Ramos and Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Walker will each secure a new term.

Out of all the candidates only Ramos has endured a somewhat bumpy road. A road likely to become even more tumultuous after he secures his third term.

It’s best that the District Attorney secures reelection in June, not November.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

I have one comment to make to a few of you.  Unless you have actually run for a high profile public office, you have no clue the amount of time a campaign takes, even if the candidate has a whole staff running the show.  I’m pretty amazed at how much time Paul has put into this blog considering everything else he has to do.  But he is very dedicated to this campaign.  I’m not sure if he has taken time off from his job; many candidates have because otherwise they cannot possibly run a campaign.

Perhaps some of you don’t appreciate the fact that Paul has offered to speak with you by phone.  Most candidates will not do that and they certainly will not publish their personal cell phone numbers for voters to call.  For those of you with the department, how many of you have Sheriff Hoops’ personal cell phone number and feel like you can call him with questions about his campaign and his qualifications to be in office?  It seems to me you are holding Paul to a different standard.

There is nothing Paul can say or do that will convince some of you to vote for him.  There is also nothing Mark or Rod can do to get others to vote for them.  But there is the silent majority who read this blog and are interested in seeing what makes Paul tick and that is the reason I haven’t called Paul and suggested he not bother responding to the three or four of you who keep attacking him.  You guys are determined to find something negative while overlooking the negatives in your own department.

One last point, one of you made a comment about Paul working for the most corrupt sheriff’s department in the state.  I would disagree in that I feel the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is the most corrupt.  But it really doesn’t matter which department is most corrupt because the corruption in either department doesn’t come from the rank and file for the most part, but from middle and/or upper management.  You can’t say Paul is corrupt because he works for Lee Baca anymore than you can say Taylor or Phulakes is corrupt because they work for Rod Hoops.

For the record, I’m not convinced that Rod is as corrupt as Floyd Tidwell or Gary Penrod, but he does have some very corrupt managers.  Rod was brought through the ranks under two extremely corrupt sheriffs and that is the style he learned—cover-up, cover-up and more cover-up.  At times he seems to be trying to break with tradition but then you see something like the POST scandal and it is Tidwell and Penrod all over again.

Despite everything that has happened with me at a personal level with the Sheriff’s Office this past six months, there is a part of me that kinda, sorta likes Rod.  At the same time, I feel we need outside blood at the top to force all the corrupt managers into retirement and prosecute those that need prosecuting.  I don’t think Rod is capable of doing that.  There are too many friendships and too much dirt they all have on one another.

I really like Mark too, but as I’m watching things unfold, I am leaning more and more towards thinking Mark would make one heck of a SEBA president for you guys.  I hope you guys consider ousting Abernathie and bringing in someone on your side that isn’t friends with management.  I don’t think you would have to worry about that with Averbeck.  He sure isn’t afraid to get down and dirty and you need that in a union president.

]]> http://iepolitics.net/2010/05/23/iepolitics-geez-i-feel-like-my-blog-has-been-taken-over-by-the-ghosts-of-starsky-and-hutch/feed/ 6 http://iepolitics.net/2010/05/12/iepolitics-seba-strongarming-its-members/ http://iepolitics.net/2010/05/12/iepolitics-seba-strongarming-its-members/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 22:40:24 +0000 Administrator http://iepolitics.com/?p=2724 Continue reading →]]> iePolitics is receiving reports that Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA) members are receiving calls from SEBA brass advising that SEBA is sending people by their homes to put on Rod Hoops signs in their yards.   Apparently, employees are NOT being given a choice and employees who resist will be reported to Sheriff Hoops.  Doesn’t this violate something?

Terms like, “I have to work with these people everyday”.  “Don’t care the Deputies lied”. “What do you care it’s not your money”.  “Not a good idea to upset Judges”. “Not a good idea to sue cops”. “Not a good idea to put management on the witness stand”. “We enjoy a good working relationship with management”. “No we can’t do that to another SEBA member because we will have to represent them later”. “It’s their department they can do whatever they want”.

And now someone says, we take a “non-adversarial approach” in dealing with the County.

Well I would agree that if you can solve the problem without being adversarial I guess you should try it, but as many can see things in this County are pretty much falling apart before our eyes. So would it be fair to say someone needs to quit being overly nice and start taking care of business?

Just last year we see where William Abernathie asked the members to forgo a pay raise, and then turns around and attempts to get SEBA directors to give him a $20,000.00 a year stipend for his hard work. Those actions should have made many members become quite adversarial.

Now it is reported that Abernathie with the assistance of Mike Eagleson MIGHT have made an offer or at least discussed with the County, without the members approval on cutting your upcoming raises by 6% and forgoing anymore pay raises beyond 2012.

It is being said that Abernathie took this approach to see if the County might accept that offer and then attempt to sell it to the members later.

WAS there anyone in those meetings with Abernathie and Eagleson who can verify any of this one way or the other? I would like to hear from somone who witnessed these discussions first hand, NOT what they were told by Abernathie or Eagleson.

If you have been paying attention there are more than a few well documented instances where one could question Eagleson and Abernathie’s not so above board approach to handling situations.

I know when I was a station director along side Abernathie, it was his attitude then, that station directors should make decisions on behalf of the members and if those members did not like it, they could simply kick them out of office.

There is no question Abernathie has his own agenda and SEBA employees will just go along with that if they wish to keep their jobs. As most of us know many within the County are just shooting craps everyday when they come to work and try and full fill their personal agendas. Just ask Matt Brown and Mark Uffer.

I am sure there are more than a couple aggressive Station Representatives on the SEBA board.  I hope they are not in the minority and are demanding some answers to what is going on besides just wage and hour issues.

Anyone with half a brain will know that any Union President will try and appear to be concerned about pay cuts.  Even the sheep wake up when there is talk about taking money away from them.  So even Abernathie knows to try and do something if he wants to survive.

But if the attitude behinds the scene is taking a “non-adversarial approach” to this issue, would it be fair to say that some one’s agenda is again first and foremost?

Even if this rumor is not true about any back door dealings, I make no apologies to Abernathie or Eagleson because there are plenty of other past issues to support the finger pointing.

Sheriff Hoops,

Thank you for backing out of the debate sponsored by Barb.  I don’t care if it was for the reason stated in Paul’s press release or if you, too, were as offended as so many of the rest of us by her bigotry and hatred.  It would have been a travesty to have a debate sponsored by Barb where the candidates and attendees alike would have been subjected to being called pedophiles and worst.  Barb, ET Snell, Al Vogler and Paul Bosacki have tried to make a mockery of this election cycle.  It is harassment of the worst kind and no voter should be subjected to it in a public forum.  As I have been talking to friends about attending events, many are fearful because of the accosting that has been perpetrated by Barb and her group.

I do hope you will reconsider the idea of debating Paul and Mark.  Both are doing a great job of reaching voters and I think you would be doing our county voters a disservice if you don’t allow them to see a side-by-side comparison.  It could be arranged in a safe environment where no one will be threatened.  I’m sure something could be done through the Federation of Republican Women or one of the larger tea party groups or a non-partisan group.

Anyway, you made the right decision.

I also have information on two of the old requests and I will get those stories up soon.  Honestly, because one of those stories shows the greed of members of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, I’m waiting until we get closer to giving up our raises, so I can show you how two-faced board members really are.

I have a lot more time these days to do this stuff, but I still receive so many tips I can’t keep up with them all.  I have a bunch I am working on, especially in relationship to Larry Walker and Rod Hoops.  I haven’t even acknowledged the emails yet, but rest assured they did not go into the round file.  Eventually, you will see some stories.  Please keep sending me tips, documents, evidence, etc.  It is what drives this blog.

Good lawyers know the law; great lawyers know the judge.  — Author Unknown

Justice is defined as “the upholding of what is just, especially fair treatment and due reward in accordance with honor, standards or law.”   In other words, in a county run by scoundrels, justice is hard to find.

In part one of this series we are going to examine the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, District Attorney Michael Ramos, and the relationships the office and its elected leader enjoys with the county’s criminal justice system.

Let’s start by defining the role of a district attorney in California.  California Government Code section 26500 states:

The district attorney is the public prosecutor, except as otherwise provided by law.

The public prosecutor shall attend the courts, and within his or her discretion shall initiate and conduct on behalf of the people all prosecutions for public offenses.

As you can see, the definition is simple, yet broad.  The ability to “initiate and conduct on behalf of the people all prosecutions for public offenses” makes a county’s district attorney one of the most powerful positions at the local level.  And when that ability is mixed with politics, it becomes one of the most dangerous.

So, in San Bernardino County, have we allowed our district attorney to entwine justice and politics?  To answer that question, let’s first look at our current district attorney’s, Mike Ramos, Form 460.  A Form 460 is a document that must be filed semi-annually, more often during the election cycle, by any candidate for office that accepts donations or makes expenditures to assist in his or her election to public office:  Ramos 460

Among the most notable contributions for the period of January 1, 2010 through March 31, 2010, are $10,000 each from the Carter, Spring, Schank and O’Conner and San Bernardino County Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA).  Carter, et al., are the attorneys for the county’s Conflict Panel.

Conflict Panel attorneys are used when there is a conflict of interest for the Public Defender, such as two or more indigent co-defendants, or more recently in the instance of former Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Bill Postmus who was involved in disciplining Public Defender Doreen Boxer due to her indiscretions with Mike Ramos.  In other words, Conflict Panel attorneys are attorneys who represent defendants in criminal matters against the District Attorney.

However, since Mike Ramos began his first run for District Attorney eight years ago, these same attorneys have donated over $100,000 to Ramos’ campaigns.  One has to wonder why.  It doesn’t seem to be for the best interest of defendants as the plea bargain rate in this county is over 90 percent.  So what is Carter, Spring, Schank and O’Conner getting in return?  Lucrative contracts?  Easy caseloads?  Both seem likely.

And the same question can be asked of SEBA.  Of course law enforcement has an interest in seeing crooks punished.  But their job ends with investigating and presenting the facts.  They are not responsible for determining guilt or meting out punishment.  With a district attorney beholden to law enforcement, can an innocent man find justice or will a district attorney err on behalf of law enforcement to pay back a debt?  The current scenario certainly blurs the boundaries of right and wrong.

But one of the most egregious aspects of San Bernardino County’s system of justice, the significance of which has been totally lost on the county administrative officer and Board of Supervisors, is the personal relationship between District Attorney Mike Ramos and Public Defender Doreen Boxer.  I mean, seriously, in any of the other 57 counties is the district attorney banging the public defender?  Any other county administration would see the conflict and recognize the potential for ten of millions of dollars in payouts in lawsuits by defendants who can claim, and rightfully so, that they did not receive adequate legal counsel because the county’s Board of Supervisors helped to cover up the relationship between the two supposedly opposing counsel.

Finally, we are also witness to personal relationships between Ramos and members of the San Bernardino County Superior Court Bench.  Last week a golf tournament was co-sponsored by Presiding Judge Doug Elwell, Sheriff Rod Hoops, and District Attorney Mike Ramos: Stull Fundraiser ACC.   The purpose was to raise money for Victor Stull in his bid to become a superior court judge in this county.  Stull is currently a deputy district attorney serving under Ramos.  If Stull is elected, where will his loyalties be?  To the citizens waiting to be judged in his courtroom?  Or to those who got him elected?

It is said that no new judge is appointed without Ramos’ blessing.  In our county we see a plethora of deputy district attorneys appointed who have no civil, family law, probate, or juvenile law experience whatsoever.  This is a grave disservice to the citizens of our county and to the legal community which is forced to practice before unskilled judges who lack the legal knowledge to make well reasoned decisions on complex legal matters.  But they are experts at putting someone away for 25 years for stealing a pizza, or setting a half million dollar bail for a white collar crime, while violent predators are given much lower bails.

And that, of course, leads us to the county’s current corruption scandal.  We have watched as our district attorney, in concert with several members of the Superior Court bench, have thrown the Constitution of the United States to the wind.  Yes, there has been a conspiracy in San Bernardino County.  Maybe even bribery.  The problem is it has been committed by those whose duty it is to prosecute and judge criminals.  And those who use those powers prescribed by California law in this manner are far more dangerous than any criminal in this county.  Fortunately, an investigation is in progress and members of Ramos’ staff have come forward and talked with outside investigators.  We will not have to wait much longer for the truth to emerge but in the meantime a mockery has been made of our justice system in this county by those sworn to uphold the law.

As mentioned last week, I submitted a California Public Records Act request for a copy of any one of the tape recordings made when San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a loud party complaint in Mentone.  During that call a very drunk District Attorney Mike Ramos confronted deputies and told them to leave.  He could have been arrested for Penal Code Section 647(f) or 148(a).  However, he was not.  At least one of the deputies recognized him.

Today I received a letter from San Bernardino County Counsel advising that the tape recording is confidential.  At least they did not deny its existence or that the incident occurred.  However, we all know this types of tapes are made available to the media on a regular basis.  Just look at COPS or any of the other shows that document real incidents.  And, how often are 9-1-1 tapes, videos from patrol units, etc., released to the public.

This situation is just what this situation looks like:  an attempt to cover up a criminal act by a District Attorney who is up for re-election.  Sheriff Hoops, you should be ashamed of yourself!

For those that would like to read the letter, here it is:  CC-DT-203637_EXCHANGE_04292010-091423

This comment just appeared on the “A Memo from Sheriff Rod Hoops” post and it says a lot.   It is a point AntiCorruptionUnit has been trying to get across; however the comment did not come from him.  Here it is:

What should be emphasized about San Berardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops is that he is the “Go to” guy for other chief’s of police throughout Southern California.

Since Hoop’s and S.E.B.A President/P.O.R.A.C. Legal Defense Fund Board Member Bill Abernathie have such a slobbering level of affection for one another, any chief that really wants an officer fired can contact Hoops, who will then tell Abernathie that “Officer John Doe” does not appear to fit into “Chief’s long term plans.

This is code for this officer not to receive a successful legal defense, or L.D.F. authorization for any future appeals. Since P.O.R.A.C. President Ron Cottingham is an appointed board member of Calpers, retirement of any kind for this officer will be denied.

Sheriff Hoops, and those before him also guarantee a ringing endorsement for themselves from police chief’s come election time with how the sheriff’s department handles officer involved shootings, and in-custody deaths for their department’s. Like former Sheriff’s Homicide Sergeant Bobby Dean would often say at an officer’s shooting scene; “All shootings are good, some are just better than others.”

As a token of their appreciation, these chief’s of police always provide an overwhelming endorsement to the sitting sheriff’s campaign, and (encourage) others to do likewise.

In internal affair’s investigations, hire your own labor law attorney. No attorney from S.E.B.A. or P.O.R.A.C. can any longer be trusted.

It was the recommendation of the Endorsement Committee to issue “No Endorsement” in the county race for District Attorney.  However, one member of the committee made a motion to overturn that recommendation and instead debate the issue.  Jessica Austin, former aide to deposed San Bernardino County Third District Supervisor Dennis Hansberger and also former aide and admirer of Congressman Jerry Lewis, made the motion on behalf of Ramos but there was no second, not even from supporter First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt.  It should be noted that Mike Ramos along with Congressman Lewis and Dennis Hansberger are considered the power block of San Bernardino County’s East Valley Region.  Prior to revelations of Ramos’ penchant for sexual misconduct and politically motivated prosecutions, Ramos was considered the front runner to succeed to Congressman Lewis.  Austin has stated that her actions echo those of her mentors Lewis and Hansberger and last night she proved it with her attempt to gain an endorsement for a controversial and nefarious individual such as Mike Ramos.

Also denied endorsements were San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops, who is embroiled in a coverup and scandal involving falsified training documents, and San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Paul Biane, who is an unnamed Doe in the county’s largest corruption scandal to date.

Incumbents Fourth District Supervisor Gary Ovitt and Superintendent of Schools Gary Thomas were both endorsed by the San Bernardino County Republican Central Committee.  It is unknown at this time if endorsement were made for the positions of Assessor and Auditor-Controller, both of which have Republican candidates vying for the position.

It had been my plan to write about the Sheriff’s gang known as the “Sharks” in Part 5 of this series.  But as I was researching the Sharks, another Sheriff’s gang was brought to my attention and that gang is a bit more interesting.  The Sharks are not off the hook; we are just going to bait them a little more and they will show up later in the series.  Today, we are going to discuss the Sheriff’s gang known as the “Mexican Mafia.”

The Fontana station of the Sheriff’s Department, or as many people call it, Fontucky, is much like the Victorville station was some years ago.  It is lawless and troublesome.  But not everyone knows just how lawless it is.  It has such a serious problem that Internal Affairs had to set up a satellite office at the station.  Now that’s bad!

The Sheriff’s Narcotic Unit, known as IRNET, handles the large-scale and sophisticated drug investigations.  It was investigating a Mexican drug cartel responsible for infusing a large quantity of illegal drugs into the local scene and elsewhere.   IRNET had obtained a warrant for a phone tap of one of the primary suspects.  Through the phone tap they discovered the individual was transporting a large quantity of illegal drugs.  The Fontana station was contacted and asked to find probable cause to pull over the suspect and search the vehicle.  And this was done.  However, the deputy conducting the search notified the station that no drugs were found.

Sometime later, using the same phone tap, the same deputy was recorded making a phone call to the subject he pulled over, advising the subject of the specifics of the investigation.  It was then that the “Mexican Mafia” was discovered.

iePolitics has received various numbers as to how many deputies were members of the “Mexican Mafia.”  We have been told that this gang was shaking down known drug dealers under color of authority and that they were even involved in one or more sexual assaults of some type.  The Mexican Mafia was known to be in existence by various personnel at the Fontana Station but was never investigated until the incident with IRNET.

IRNET was not quite as forgiving.  To quote my source, “They were pissed!”  And rightfully so.  One does not have to be a cop to know that members of Mexican drug cartels are not too friendly to cops—undercover cops looking to send them to prison for a lifetime in particular.  The Mexican Mafia in general and the deputy referenced above specifically could have caused the deaths of one or more of his fellow cops.  But he was too selfish to care.

But it doesn’t stop here.  One would think a cop gone bad to this degree would not only be fired, but also be charged with crimes, and so they should.  But one would be wrong.  The members of the Mexican Mafia were fired but were never charged.  For all we know, they are now members of the Mexican drug cartel, which is okay I suppose AFTER they serve a lengthy prison sentence for violating their oath of office and putting their fellow officers and the public alike at great risk.

The Mexican Mafia is one more example of cops gone bad, but more importantly, one more example of Sheriff’s administrative officials gone really bad.  Every organization has bad apples.  How those bad apples are dealt with says a lot about just how bad the organization really is.  When we are discussing the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, we know it is an organization that has gone bad at the top and that top needs to be whacked off to save the rest of the department.

As to “Long Lost Friend,” I did exactly what I have always said I would do if someone makes a viable threat here on the blog.  Long Lost Friend’s information was forwarded this morning via email to Sheriff Hoops.  It is up to the Sheriff whether he does anything with the information.

These two bloggers, if they are really deputy sheriffs, prove a couple of the points we have been trying to make here.  First, there is corruption in the Sheriff’s Department that goes unchecked.  Down with AntiCorruptionUnit verified that fact by stating that he (or she) and others violate the law they were sworn to uphold and allow their friends and colleagues special treatment rather treating all citizens equally.

Long Lost Friend made blatant threats, also a violation of the law, and also proves that retaliation is alive and well in the Sheriff’s Department.

As I said in my email to Sheriff Hoops, I don’t expect anything to be done.  But, nonetheless, hope does spring eternal for those of us who want one day  for San Bernardino County to be corruption free.

We are also seeing way more Blackberry hits and cellular modem hits.  Lots of people tell me they bring their laptops to work so they can check the blog periodically throughout the day.  It seems the harder the county tries to keep employees away from the blogs, the more determined employees become.  And our hits keep growing and growing.

I have a new funny to tell but have to wait just a bit.  It seems Hoops is really helping us get hits when he is trying to do just the opposite.  Rod, you have really helped my blog grow tremendously.  Thank you.

As all of you provide me with tips, I am submitting public information requests under the California Public Records Act.  Here is a list I have submitted so far:

1. Press Release originally issued by the Sheriff’s Department in the death of Baby Wyatt Garcia.
2. List of flights and associated costs of flights taken by Mark Uffer on Sheriff’s helicopters for non-emergency reasons.  I understand there are trips to Disneyland, etc., where he used the Sheriff’s aircraft.  Also, I need verification of whether or not he had Sammy Haggar flown in to the speedway via Sheriff’s aviation and the cost related to that.
3. List of all freebies not reported on Mark Uffer’s 700 he received, i.e., speedway tickets, gift bags, free food, Glen Helen concerts, hotel rooms, etc.
4. The number of sheriff’s personnel arrested for drunk driving since 1-1-09 and related case numbers if prosecuted.
5. A list of flights and related costs of use of sheriff’s aviation outside of San Bernardino County for non-emergency issues.  For example, I understand that a pursuit may cross county lines.  But I fail to see justification for taking a Sheriff’s helicopter or airplane to Sacramento for a meeting as those aircraft are meant for crime fighting not the convenience of Sheriff’s brass.
6. Backup material for the Ramos sexual harassment investigation.  Although I plan to make a CPRA request for all of it eventually, for now I would just like the attorney’s notes of their interviews with Ramos.
7. A list of members of the Sheriff’s Rangers, their dues (we’re being told $500 to $1000 a month), what those dues pay for, what training they are required to have, do they have a badge and gun, what purpose do they serve, and what are the perks.  How much does this program cost the county or how much does the county collect as a result of this program.
8. The gang of Sheriff’s Deputies in the Fontana Division known as the Mexican Mafia.  I understand they were stealing drugs while on duty and there were also sexual assaults.  I also understand that Fontana is so bad that the Sheriff’s Department set up a sattelite Internal Affairs office there.  I would like the case numbers of those prosecuted for theft and sexual assault.
9. I understand that the Sheriff’s Range has recently bought new sigarms firarms and have been giving classes through that company.  I understand these new guns are far more expensive than the Glocks they were carrying.  I would like to see the contract.
10. District Attorney’s SWAT Team:  I would like to know how much this endeavor costs, how many individuals are assigned to it, what special training they have, and most importantly, why the HELL does the District Attorney’s office need a SWAT team!  I wouldn’t want a bunch of bald-headed old men trying to rescue me from a hostage situation.  The Sheriff’s Office is always available and certainly more qualified.
11. We are receiving reports that a party Mike Ramos was attending go loud and the Sheriff’s Department was called.  Mike told deputies to take a hike and refused to quiet down.  The deputies were from the Yucaipa Station.  I understand a report has been submitted to Hoops.  We would like a copy of any available information.

What you see above is what I sent to David Wert.  If anyone has anything to add, let me know.  We are going to make them transparent whether they like it or not!

Now, we hear you are listening to Rod Hoops.  Once again, if you had listened to iePolitics months ago when we first broke the story about the falsified training documents, maybe this would have been resolved long before election time.  But you didn’t.  And now maybe there will be yet another Grand Jury investigation into county corruption.

If you actually believe there are only three individuals involved in this cover up, we you should be removed from office for being stupid.  Rod Hoops, himself, has known the breadth of this scandal for months.  Numerous retirements have taken place as a result of it.  And, of course, many of those “retirements” were by ranking officers, in an effort to keep the scandal under wraps and protect his friends from criminal prosecution.

And such coverup is likely criminal in and of itself.  So, not only is this county blessed with a District Attorney currently under investigation for committing a felony, now we have the potential of also having our Sheriff also under investigation by the state and federal departments of justice. 

Do any of you understand the significance of having San Bernardino County’s two top law enforcement officials under investigation for criminal acts?  But then half of you are also under investigation for criminal acts so you will protect them.  I guess it’s called “honor among thieves.”

• Steve Dorsey now a Lieutenant—Father was former Assistant Sheriff
• Rob Wickum now a Captain—Father was former Chief
• Dave Williams now a Captain—Father was a former Sheriff
• Joe Catalano now a Detective—Father was a former Captain
• Steve Kovensky now a Captain—Brother-in-law to Hoops
• Harry Stewart now a Sergeant—Husband to Sherrie Stewart Deputy Chief
• Cole Reynolds Deputy—Father is Cliff Reynolds Captain  (There is also a story here about his polygraph)
• Cameron Pratt Deputy—Father is Glenn Pratt Assistant Sheriff  (First year he has been eligible to test for Detective and he is in Group 1)
• Scott Nobles Deputy—Father is Warren Nobles Assistant Sheriff

I’m sure y’all will add a few names to the list.

The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) was established by the California Legislature in 1959.  Its purpose is to set minimum standards and levels of training for law enforcement officers in the state of California.  According to their website:

The POST program is voluntary and incentive-based. Participating agencies agree to abide by the standards established by POST. The more than 600 agencies in the POST program are eligible to receive the Commission’s services and benefits, such as job-related assessment tools, research into improved officer selection standards, management counseling services, the development of new training courses, reimbursement for training, and quality leadership training programs. POST also awards professional certificates to recognize peace officer achievement and proficiency.

Here are a few of the certificates offered by POST:

Basic Certificate

The Basic Certificate is awarded, as defined in Commission Procedure F-1-5 (doc) to currently full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite Basic Course requirement and the employing agency’s probationary period.

Intermediate Certificate

The Intermediate Certificate is awarded, as defined in Commission Procedure F-1-6 (doc) to currently employed full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess a Basic Certificate and who have acquired the specified training and education points and/or college degree and the prescribed years of law enforcement experience.

Advanced Certificate

The Advanced Certificate is awarded, as defined in Commission Procedure F-1-7 (doc) to currently employed full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess an Intermediate Certificate and who have acquired the specified training and education points and/or college degree and the prescribed years of law enforcement experience.

Supervisory Certificate

The Supervisory Certificate is awarded, as defined in Commission Procedure F-1-8 (doc) to currently employed full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess an Intermediate Certificate, have earned a minimum of sixty semester units an an accredited college, served for a period of two years as a first-level supervisor and who have completed the Supervisory Course.

Management Certificate

The Management Certificate is awarded, as defined in Commission Procedure F-1-9 (doc) to currently employed full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess an Advanced Certificate, have earned a minimum of sixty semester units at an accredited college, served for a period of two years as a middle manager and who have completed the Management Course.

Executive Certificate

The Executive Certificate is awarded, as defined in Commission Procedure F-1-10 (doc) to currently employed full-time peace officers of a POST-participating agency who possess an Advanced Certificate, have earned a minimum of sixty semester units at an accredited college, served for a period of two years as the department head and who have completed the Executive Development Course.

When an individual completes the Basic Academy at Glen Helen Sheriff’s Academy, he/she earns his/her Basic Certificate and can become a deputy sheriff in San Bernardino County.  As the deputy gains experience and completes additional training and /or college coursework, he/she becomes eligible for additional certificates, such as those listed above.  Once the coursework is completed and the experience obtained, an application is submitted, signed under penalty of perjury, approved by the Sheriff’s Department and submitted to POST.  If POST determines that the applicant has met the minimum requirements, the certificate is issued and the county automatically increases the deputy’s gross pay by a percentage, depending on the certificate. And, it is this desire for additional pay, without the desire to complete the requirements to EARN the certificate, that this article is about.

A civilian employee and wife to Sheriff’s Captain Bart Gray, Angie Gray, was stationed at Glen Helen North at the Academy.  Her duties included arranging for POST-certified training, both to earn additional certification and to  renew current certification, and certifying that the training was completed.

Last year it was discovered that Angie Gray had falsified training records for her husband, Captain Bart Gray, thus causing his bi-weekly earnings to increase, totalling approximately $16,000 over a period of time.  As inquiries continued, it was discovered that her husband was not the only benefactor of her misdeeds.  Their good friend, Sergeant Bill Zehms, along with 14- 22 other Sheriff’s employees, also were the recipients of POST certificates they had not earned.

As noted above, each application for a POST certificate includes a declaration under penalty of perjury.  Perjury in the state of California is a felony.  Therefore, each of these Sheriff’s Department employees who submitted an application with false certification committed a felony.  And if the authorizing Sheriff’s manager was aware of the same, he/she also committed a felony by being an accessory at minimum.

Captain Gray was allowed to pay back the money and retire.  Angie Gray was transferred out of the Glen Helen North.  Sergeant Zehms also retired.  It is unknown if there will be punishment for the remaining 14-22 other employees involved in this scheme.

It is important to note that this situation was discovered last year and covered up all of this time.  This is troubling for several reasons.  First, Sheriff Hoops is up for re-election and should be above reproach.  Instead he chose to cover up malfeasance in his department.  Second, by allowing Gray to pay back the money and retire, his criminal prosecution is likely compromised.  As he was a Hoops supporter, one can only assume that was by design.  And finally, the Peace Officer Bill of Rights  places a one-year statute of limitations on the investigation.  Because so much time was wasted in the cover up, it is conceivable that the investigation cannot be adequately completed and charges filed before the statute of limitations has expired.

This is just one more example of the “Good Ol’ Boy” network alive and well in San Bernardino County and in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.  It is absolutely shameful that Sheriff Hoops tolerates and aids and abets in criminal activity by Sheriff’s Brass.   But as the title suggest, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has a history of malfeasance and that malfeasance starts at the top.  Thank God that a vast majority of the rank and file are dedicated, honest cops whose only goal is to keep our communities safe.