NEWS > 17 December 2006

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Naples Daily News - Naples,FL,
17 December 2006

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Officers doing well since rein

Two Naples police officers who were fired and rehired after turning in diploma-mill degrees for promotional incentives have performed well since being reinstated and are scheduled to attend an ethics course in Fort Myers on Monday, city leaders said.

After a three-month fight for their jobs, City Manager Bob Lee reinstated Sgt. Joe Popka and officer Drew McGregor on Oct. 27, after presiding over their grievance hearing. The officers' first day back at work was Oct. 30, and department officials say the transition back has been smooth.

"I heard that Sgt. Popka is doing a great job," Naples Police Chief Victor Morales said. "I haven't heard much on officer McGregor. ... I assume he's doing well."

Deputy Chief James Slapp, who has been critical of the officers in the past, said neither officer has reported any problems since being reinstated more than a month ago.

"Both officers have come back with a positive attitude and have been doing a good job," Slapp said. "They both said they're glad to be back and have been welcomed back by their peers."

When Lee announced that Popka and McGregor would be reinstated, he also announced that the officers would receive 10-day suspensions, which already had been served, and would have to take an ethics course by the end of the year. Morales said the two officers are scheduled to attend an ethics course at the Southwest Florida Criminal Justice Academy at 9 a.m. Monday.

"Both officers are working Monday, so it's not a big deal," Morales said. "Dr. Lee's directive was the end of the month, and I wanted to make sure that was complied with."

Popka and McGregor were fired July 14 for submitting criminal justice degrees from Almeda University to qualify for the state's salary incentive program. The program boosts an officer's pay by $80 a month if he or she has a bachelor's degree.

Almeda University offers online degrees for "life experience" that can be purchased for $595, but degrees from Almeda aren't recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

During an internal investigation conducted by Lt. Jon Maines of the Naples police department, both Popka and McGregor said they talked to department administrators before submitting the degrees to verify that they qualified for the program.

The investigation also revealed that paperwork approving one of the officer's incentive pay bears a bogus signature of current chief Morales, who was a captain at the time. The paperwork was, in fact, signed by administrative assistant Ginger Jones who had been instructed by former bosses to sign their names.

A memo dated June 5, from Lee to then-Chief Steve Moore, also indicated that Maines was renting a house to Popka at the time of the investigation. In the memo, Lee expressed concern that having Maines conduct the investigation was a conflict of interest. Moore responded that he didn't believe it was a conflict of interest.

About a week after being reinstated to the force, Popka and McGregor filed for arbitration to fight the 10-day suspensions and charges of improper conduct and exercising poor judgment that were sustained by Lee.

They also weren't happy with the positions they were assigned after being reinstated, Michael Coviello, an attorney for the Florida chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said in November.

Popka, who was a narcotics detective when he was fired, was reassigned to dayside sergeant of road patrol. McGregor, who was a community policing officer, was reassigned to road patrol on the midnight shift. He has since swapped shifts with another officer and is back working days, officials said.

When contacted at his home, Popka said he couldn't comment on the ongoing case.

The Fraternal Order of Police and the city are in the process of selecting arbitrators for the officers' hearings, which will be conducted separately this time around, Coviello said.

"Once we've selected the arbitrators, dates will be set and we will go forward with the hearings," Coviello said.

Naples Human Resources Director Denise Perez said that arbitration hearings can take months, and some drag on for more than a year.

"We're hoping it gets resolved as soon as possible," she said. "Sometimes they go a year, but hopefully it won't go that long."

Department officials said new checks have been implemented to make sure a diploma-mill degree is never accepted again. Jones is now signing her own name, which according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement she could have done all along, Morales said.

Slapp and Capt. Bruce Davidson are verifying her work.

Officers are now required to fill out a form attesting that the college information they have supplied is valid, Slapp said.

"We were able to go back and relook at how everything took place," Slapp said. "We were able to make some significant changes to make sure that would not happen again."

In his October decision, Lee also directed Morales to investigate Davidson's actions. Lee said Davidson was aware of Popka's Almeda degree in August 2005, because he was looking into obtaining a master's degree from Almeda himself.

Davidson had a duty to inform the chief about the degree and instruct Popka, Lee said.

Morales wouldn't discuss the investigation.

"I am following Dr. Lee's directive," Morales said. "He's instructed me to investigate him and I'm doing so."

Lee said the Popka and McGregor case was difficult to oversee, but has taught the people involved important lessons.

"It's never easy to go through anything that involves people and their jobs," he said. "Particularly if it's something that's not positive and to have to do it in public. But that's the business we're in."

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Article sourced from

Naples Daily News - Naples,FL,17 December 2006

Officers doing well since rein

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Naples Daily News - Naples,FL,
17 December 2006