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Oakdale Leader - oakdale,CA,US
05 March 2009

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Ethics in Policing

No Confidence Police Officers

The Oakdale Police Officer's Association (OPOA) has issued a proclamation of "No Confidence" against Police Chief Marty West - the first ever declared in the department's history.

The news was delivered publicly via letter to the Oakdale City Council on Monday night, March 2, during public comment and was received by council members with little comment and an expression of displeasure from Mayor Farrell Jackson.

The throwing of the proverbial gauntlet by the OPOA was the culmination of two years worth of communication breakdowns and displeasure with the leadership style that started within three months of the chief's tenure with the Oakdale Police Department.

In the first year of West's employment, five police officers left the department, four of whom had significant experience within law enforcement. Concerns that officers were leaving due to the direction West was taking the department were brought to both City Manager Steve Hallam and Chief West but little response was received, according to OPOA President Joseph Parreira.

"Steve Hallam said he was 'unequivocally' behind Chief West and officers needed to 'get on the train.'," Parreira said. "We tried to bring forth concerns from the membership on West's leadership style but we got no support from the city."

In the letter Parreira read, it stated in part: "...The citizens of Oakdale are less safe today than they were two years ago. The reason the citizens are less safe is because the city has a Chief of Police that has failed to lead his department...The members of the OPOA do not want Marty West as their chief and request the city remove him from office in order to provide for a safer Oakdale..."

Parreira stated that for the past six months West has been routinely pulling officers and employees in dispatch and animal control telling them individually that their jobs might be eliminated.

"That kind of thing causes stress in an officer's life," Parreira said. "It puts their lives in danger because they're not focused."

While the decision falls on the heels of the announcement that Oakdale Police Department is laying off one officer immediately due to budget concerns with more lay-offs coming down the pipe, Parreira insists the decision to issue a vote of no confidence was not grounded in money concerns.

"You don't have to pay the best to keep people happy. This is an on-going situation with the chief," Parreira said. "It comes down to a lack of leadership and a morale problem. That's what you have in Oakdale right now."

Concerns that West has not been an advocate for his officers has further eroded morale, said Parreira.

Doug Gorman, Business Agent with Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3, said, "If he was a leader he'd be the first to say 'let's see how we can save these positions' but we're not seeing that from him."

Sgt. Michael Eggener, OPOA Vice President said, "We know the economy is bad - we haven't had raises in two years but what we want is to keep our city safe and we want leadership. We're not getting an attitude of 'let's work this out.'"

West responded to the allegations by saying, "I'm very upset by the downturn in the economy. I know how the officers feel and I share their concerns. But I've been asked to come up with another 15 percent in cuts and that will likely result in personnel cuts."

As six more officers are facing pink slips, yet the city sits on a 20 percent reserve in the general fund, the concern is that the city leaders are willing to sacrifice public safety to keep a healthy reserve when most cities run with far less in their coffers.

"There are cities that aren't laying people off, like Escalon and Livingston for example," Gorman said. "It's because they have good leadership."

Eggener said, "When are things going to get so bad that we actually use our reserve?"

The OPOA was hopeful that a new insurance plan would free up needed cash for the department in an attempt to save the 27th officer position, currently held by officer Andy Stever, but the plan fell through.

"We received nothing but heartache from the city on the idea of switching insurances," Gorman said. "They kept throwing obstacles in the way."

Now the OPOA is looking at a different plan through CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System), which may offer a savings but details are still being worked out.

Unfortunately, it will not work out in time to save Stever's position, said Gorman.

The decision to cut the 27th position will likely have repercussions that will be directly felt by the community, said Parreira.

"When a city does this, you're going to see an open door. Guys are going to start looking for other jobs. There's going to be a mass exodus from Oakdale Police Department," said Gorman. "People don't want to work for an employer who would do this to them."

City Manager Steve Hallam issued a statement regarding the no confidence proclamation against West, saying he has put together an investigatory action plan that will determine the validity of the proclamation and the stated causes behind the vote.

"I want to stress that our citizens have an extremely hard-working and dedicated group of men and women who put their lives on the line each day they put on that police uniform and report to work," Hallam said. "I expect every employee in the municipal organization to represent the citizens we serve with the highest level of professional integrity and personal ethics and behavior, traits that are essential to retaining the public trust we are given."

Hallam has responded to the Association that his goal is to "steadfastly see what can be done to set the stage for the Department's return to a healthy and productive labor-management relationship."

The decision to ask for West's resignation was not taken lightly.

"I've never seen an agency put more thought into this than Oakdale has. These guys explored every option. This wasn't done on a wave of the hand," Gorman said. "But this is a sinking ship with him at the helm."

West has stated he has no plans to resign and feels unfairly judged by the membership for issues that are out of his control.

"Am I upset or frustrated because of what has happened? Yes. I'm very upset. I don't know what to do about the lack of sales tax revenue and I'm concerned about the negative morale but I've been looking for any and all alternate revenue options that might help this department," West said. "We are not immune to the shortages of this recession. My job requires that I make difficult decisions that keep in mind the impact to the community and the department."

Likely as more cuts come, morale will worsen but West is determined to stick it out.

"I feel fairly confident where I'm sitting right now. Crime is down. I'm proud of the Neighborhood Watch and the work that we've done in the community. I will continue to keep the lines of communication open."

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Article sourced from

Oakdale Leader - oakdale,CA,US05 March 2009

No Confidence Police Officers

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Oakdale Leader - oakdale,CA,US
05 March 2009