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As the Chair of the Police Officers Association, I understood that by accepting the position I would be wading into City politics whether or not I wanted to operate in that theater. In doing so I never thought that I would be accused, from the Council dias by City Commissioners, of threatening Council members, as I was at the last PSROC meeting.
The Daily Press headline “Commissioners accuse police union of suppressing racial traffic stop data,” which was splashed in a full front-page article is a complete lie, fabricated by those who are not getting their way. Like petulant children, they are now resorting to spreading rumors in Council chambers.
The Chair of the PSROC either enticed or allowed a Commissioner to place on the agenda an item that he knew was based on nothing more than rumors. This makes both the City and the Commission look like a complete circus, not to mention a litany of laws it may have violated including violations of one’s First Amendment rights and union busting. It’s absolutely astounding.
In fact, another commissioner looked so visibly uncomfortable as this was being said he chimed in to clarify that they were not accusing the Police Union of breaking the law. Although the POA appreciated they were not calling us criminals, the mere fact one would have to clarify statements made in a public meeting shows how outlandish it was.
The undeniable facts are that the Santa Monica Police Officers Association has not blocked nor attempted to block anything related to RIPA data. The Santa Monica Police Department has compiled the state-mandated data and posted it on its public website for Council or any member of the public to see. The Police Department then attended the PSROC’s public meeting where the Deputy Chief and the Department’s Public Information Officer presented the data for the Commissioners, Council or any other member of the public.
The fact that the PSROC has not adhered to its own bylaws and failed to post public minutes or recordings of its meetings is beyond the control of SMPOA. It wasn’t until a member of a neighborhood group brought to the Commission’s attention they were not in compliance with their bylaws that they began posting any minutes. Not to mention the Brown Act violation(s) the POA pointed out at a prior meeting.
In trying to hide from the public what they are really attempting to do the PSROC has tripped over traps they set for themselves. This has nothing to do with RIPA data or SMPOA. The PSROC wants to put restrictions on its police officers from making traffic stops. Most likely they feared the voting residents of Santa Monica would show up at their meeting and give them an earful about taking tools away from the cops when crime is on the rise, Downtown can barely function without private security in the public space and parking structures, and residents are encountering disruptive and, at times dangerous, severely mentally ill persons daily.
Don’t be fooled by the PSROC Chair from attempting to hide what is going on, pretending this has anything to do with RIPA, RIPA data or the POA- because it doesn’t. The PSROC has the right to have a public discussion about limitations to traffic stops if they choose. What they don’t have a right to do is hide that discussion from the public under the guise of a RIPA data discussion, not comply with the Brown Act, and they certainly don’t have the right to place items on the agenda that are in clear violation of their bylaws and spread lies from the dias.
The SMPOA is eagerly awaiting a public apology from the PSROC chair…. but we won’t hold our breath.
Opinion: Rumors and lies
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As the Chair of the Police Officers Association, I understood that by accepting the position I would be wading into City politics whether or not I wanted to operate in that theater. In doing so I never thought that I would be accused, from the Council dias by City Commissioners, of threatening Council members, as I was at the last PSROC meeting.
The Daily Press headline “Commissioners accuse police union of suppressing racial traffic stop data,” which was splashed in a full front-page article is a complete lie, fabricated by those who are not getting their way. Like petulant children, they are now resorting to spreading rumors in Council chambers.
The Chair of the PSROC either enticed or allowed a Commissioner to place on the agenda an item that he knew was based on nothing more than rumors. This makes both the City and the Commission look like a complete circus, not to mention a litany of laws it may have violated including violations of one’s First Amendment rights and union busting. It’s absolutely astounding.
In fact, another commissioner looked so visibly uncomfortable as this was being said he chimed in to clarify that they were not accusing the Police Union of breaking the law. Although the POA appreciated they were not calling us criminals, the mere fact one would have to clarify statements made in a public meeting shows how outlandish it was.
The undeniable facts are that the Santa Monica Police Officers Association has not blocked nor attempted to block anything related to RIPA data. The Santa Monica Police Department has compiled the state-mandated data and posted it on its public website for Council or any member of the public to see. The Police Department then attended the PSROC’s public meeting where the Deputy Chief and the Department’s Public Information Officer presented the data for the Commissioners, Council or any other member of the public.
The fact that the PSROC has not adhered to its own bylaws and failed to post public minutes or recordings of its meetings is beyond the control of SMPOA. It wasn’t until a member of a neighborhood group brought to the Commission’s attention they were not in compliance with their bylaws that they began posting any minutes. Not to mention the Brown Act violation(s) the POA pointed out at a prior meeting.
In trying to hide from the public what they are really attempting to do the PSROC has tripped over traps they set for themselves. This has nothing to do with RIPA data or SMPOA. The PSROC wants to put restrictions on its police officers from making traffic stops. Most likely they feared the voting residents of Santa Monica would show up at their meeting and give them an earful about taking tools away from the cops when crime is on the rise, Downtown can barely function without private security in the public space and parking structures, and residents are encountering disruptive and, at times dangerous, severely mentally ill persons daily.
Don’t be fooled by the PSROC Chair from attempting to hide what is going on, pretending this has anything to do with RIPA, RIPA data or the POA- because it doesn’t. The PSROC has the right to have a public discussion about limitations to traffic stops if they choose. What they don’t have a right to do is hide that discussion from the public under the guise of a RIPA data discussion, not comply with the Brown Act, and they certainly don’t have the right to place items on the agenda that are in clear violation of their bylaws and spread lies from the dias.
The SMPOA is eagerly awaiting a public apology from the PSROC chair…. but we won’t hold our breath.
Cody Green, SMPOA Chairman
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