Several officials criticize Gang Strike Force's publicly funded Hawaii trip
Star TribunePlease click onto the COMMENTS for the story.
posted by Bob at Monday, April 06, 2009
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Monday, April 06, 2009
Star TribunePlease click onto the COMMENTS for the story.
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19 Comments:
The new strike force leader called the tab "ridiculous," but his predecessor labeled critics "nitwits."
By RANDY FURST, Star Tribune
Last update: April 5, 2009 - 9:29 AM
Several officials criticize Gang Strike Force's publicly funded Hawaii trip
Six members of a Twin Cities gang strike force went to Hawaii last month for a six-day conference that cost nearly $17,000, an expense their new commander called "ridiculous."
Chris Omodt, a Hennepin County sheriff's captain, said he learned about the $16,800 tab shortly after becoming the Metro Gang Strike Force commander Jan. 20.
"My initial reaction was that, because of the economic times, nobody should be going," Omodt said. "Six people going to Hawaii is ridiculous."
The strike force had already paid for the registrations and air fare by the time the advisory board that oversees the gang unit first examined the matter at its March 18 meeting.
Bud Shaver, chairman of the strike force's advisory board and the West St. Paul police chief, said in an interview that the board approved the trip "despite how it may look" because it would provide training and many of the expenditures had already been made and were non-refundable.
Some investigators registered as early as May 2008, he said, and the same conference next year will be in St. Paul, so it was important to "learn how to put on a successful event." He said that in light of the current "fiscal crisis that we're in right now," the board might have decided not to approve the trip or "find a different way." But he said that since the decision to go was made in May 2008 and "rather than throw away the money, we decided to go and make the best of it."
During its March 18 meeting, Shaver acknowledged that the trip could raise red flags. "It is kind of awkward,'' he is heard telling board members on a recording from the meeting. "I feel like I'm trying to explain my bonuses to my AIG people."
Four days later, the investigators, some traveling with their families, flew to the International Conference on Asian Organized Crime and Terrorism. The meeting was held March 22-27 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu.
The investigators paid their family members' air fares from their own pockets.
The trip was paid for with forfeited money seized by the strike force -- which combats gang and drug crime throughout the metro area -- and granted to it by the courts, said Ron Ryan, the former commander, who retired in October. He said he approved sending at least five of the six attendees.
Ryan said the conference allowed the investigators to meet counterparts, collaboration that can help solve serious crimes.
Ryan said it angers him "to no end that these nitwits will attack the fine work that these officers are now doing." He declined to say who he was calling nitwits.
State official critical
The board's bylaws require that it approve any expenditure of forfeiture funds over $5,000 per month. Ryan said the expenses he approved for the conference each month, like registration fees, were considerably less than $5,000.
Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion is questioning the need to send so many delegates on the trip.
"The commissioner feels sending six people to Hawaii in these economic times, irrespective of the source of the funding, is of concern," said Andy Skoogman, Campion's spokesman.
"It's absurd for the previous commander to think he could send a half dozen people to Hawaii for one week for less than $5,000,'' Skoogman said. "How did he propose the officers get there? Swim? We don't believe proper protocols were followed."
Omodt said he first learned at the March 18 board meeting that the St. Paul police would host next year's gang conference.
That produced sharp questions by Cari Gerlicher, a non-voting board member and director of the office of special investigations for the Minnesota Department of Corrections. If St. Paul is the host agency, she asked, "why is the strike force sending six people?"
St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said in an interview that his department sent one person, Richard Straka, lead sergeant for Asian gang crime, to the Hawaii conference. He said the St. Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau paid Straka's way, and he returned with stacks of materials, useful for next year's conference.
Paul Meskan, one of the six investigators who took the trip, said the six attendees will play a role in planning the St. Paul conference.
Meskan said strike force investigators are allowed to attend one training program annually and three attendees, including himself, did not attend one in 2008, so they could go to Hawaii. He said two investigators shared a room, and at least two others, including himself, split the cost of the rooms with the strike force because spouses accompanied them.
Omodt said he asked those with spouses to split room costs. Each room ran $1,295 for six days.
Airfares OK'd in February
Omodt said he learned in mid-February that his second-in-command, Minneapolis police Lt. Jim Heimerl, approved the air fares Feb. 6, which averaged more than $1,000 each. In an e-mail to Heimerl, provided to the Star Tribune by the Public Safety Department, Omodt said he'd previously told Heimerl that the trip was "not a good idea especially considering the financial crisis" and should be re-evaluated. "I was quite upset today after finding out that forfeited monies were released to pay for the conference," he wrote.
Heimerl could not be reached for comment.
In an interview, Harrington said that because the strike force had three commanders recently -- Ryan, Heimerl and Omodt -- the trip might have "slipped through the cracks."
A document reviewed by the board said the six strike force members sent to Hawaii were John McManus and Tim Pinoniemi of the St. Paul police, Meskan and Jon Hankens of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, Alesia Metry of the Maplewood police and Tim Noll of the Lino Lakes police. Only Meskan could be reached for comment.
The state legislative auditor's office is doing an audit of the strike force, but has yet to issue a report. The strike force has more than 30 members.
Randy Furst • 612-673-7382
Party down on the taxpayer dime, meanwhile the ganbangers sunning loose shootin at anything that moves. Typical for St. Paul.
More police officials Grabbing Drug money for own pleasures, and their families.
Check and make sure how much extra it cost for the rooms with families, did they have two cops and their wife's and kids in one room.
Next year conference here in St.Paul, will it be like the RNC with their combat idiots spaying
the spectators in their faces, just to see if it would work on The Gangs.
Thune showed St.Paul how BIG he is when he protested the RNC last fall.The drug money that the two from the Ramsey County Sheriff's office took any different.
Lets get the FED'S to watch this drug money and put their own people in the St.Paul Police Property Room to watch the Drugs and the Money that flows though it.
Let's pay the way of all Dorothy Day Center People to Hawaii, so they can learn how the other people live.
They will get a job then so they can go back.
Do all the checking you want to but if you find something that makes them look bad they just deny it and destroy all the evidence like they did with the landlords and then send out Repke and Eric to do spin control. Even when you catch them doing something wrong, so what? No on cares!
The only reason Fletcher's boys got into trouble was because of a political witch hunt. Some politician called in favor to get a couple deputies served up like a thanksgiving dinner.
The city is falling down around us like when Rome was buring and Nero was fiddeling, our own Nero (Coleman) hasn't got a clue. Meanwhile people who profess to care, like this Eric guy, well......he's on the way out of town to do a political whack job on some unsuspecting Republican political somewhere. Probably going to destroy the guys integrity and ruin the election for him and he'll be back in bed sleeping like a baby with his pockets lined with gold bars. I'll bet he'll be smiling while he'sleeping!
Get used to more and more police issues. With the mismanagement of the city over inspections, crime is running rampant and will continue to grow. This is the cost of crisis management.
Do any of you read the article before you comment?
One Saint Paul officer went on the trip, and it was paid for by the Saint Paul Convention and Visitor Bureau, not by the City.
Everybody else is from the Metro Gang task force and the City of Saint Paul is not in charge of them. The current chair is the Chief of West Saint Paul.
You can bash the cops for taking the trip, but they aren't Saint Paul cops and it isn't on Saint Paul's nickle.
JMONTOMEPPOF
Chuck Repke
Get Bill in as mayor and he dislikes the council and how the police treats the people.
you have my vote.
at least thats 2
JMONTOMEPPOF 10:22 PM
Chuck Repke said
You can bash the cops for taking the trip, but they aren't Saint Paul cops and it isn't on Saint Paul's nickle.
No Chuck.
The money was stolen from someone home while the cops were planting drugs as evidence in their home.
That's a quick way to get some high buck real estate
PS Chuck cant even spell "nickel", can any of them spell anything besides million and how many. Now for the Saint Paul Convention and Visitor Bureau, are they a registered lobbyist group and how do they get the money to just hand out.
Is that STAR Money Chuck.
Say Bob I was going through some old City Pages looking for something and I noticed that they mention you and A democracy as "the Blog of the day" and I was wondering if you knew about this? Why didn't you tell us? I don't remember seeing anything about this said here.
Read the article.
Ron Ryan approved this trip before he resigned as the Commander of the Task Force. Guess who Ryan worked for? Bob Fletcher.
So why did Bob Fletcher have three of his top deputies resign, ummm retire last Fall? Because the FBI was investigating his set up and the dirty ones close to retirement left.
Fletcher, has already proven he will do what he wants on the taxpayers dime. It was his call to do the invasions of private homes during the RNC and his call to mace everybody in sight. Ask your contributor Martin Owings what is was like if you were just watching the RNC on the outside. Fletcher didn't care about the kids or constitutional rights. The good news is, the FBI investigation is not over.
We're watching from up North. Here's a little update that the lazy reporters won't do, four of the six guys that went to Hawaii are Fletcher's boys. Two are his deputies and two others are suburban cops who have 'played ball' with the sheriff's activity and solicited donations to his campaign.
I don't how anyone can call the investigation of the sheriff's office political or a witch hunt. The DFL has tried to beat him every year and lost. Remember, Mike Campion is a Republican who was appointed by Tim Pawlenty. The new commander of the strike force who discovered the expense is appointed by Hennepin Sheriff Rich Stanek, a republican who was in the legislature for 14 years before Pawlenty appointed him Public Safety Chief (the DFL forced him to resign and he ran for Sheriff with a lot of support from minorities and beat the DFL guy).
There is politics all around but, its only because Fletcher has been grabbing and taking for years. He bullied his way under radar for years in the burbs until most of the cities sign contracts with his department. He ignores the his County Board and goes straight to legislature and lobbies for more tax dollars beyond his budget.
If this guy is not Tony Soprano with a badge, I don't who is.
North Star Badge
Type in
St.Paul STAR Money
and see what your money is being spent on.
Like
St. Paul details how it will spend money for light-rail improvements,.
Sharon posted about Star Money in the past.
Star Money --- Hmmmm
The Saint Paul Convention and Visitor's Bureau is funded the same way that other CVBs are funded around the country by a portion of the Hotel/Motel tax.
CVBs exists to promote conventions. The hotel industry requests a municipal tax to create and fund a CVB.
I love the attack on lobbying.
Lobbying is just talking to one's elected officials. A group like CVB isn't going to be able to have all of the hotel managers stand around at the Capitol every day to make sure the government isn't doing something to them, so they pay someone to be there for them. That person is called a lobbyist.
They get paid to tell the elected officials what their clients position is on an issue. It makes perfect sense that the CVB pays a lobbyist.
JMONTOMEPPOF
Chuck Repke
PS there is a difference between a typo and a spelling mistake...
And nother thing:
Fletcher is out arresting criminals not harrassing landlords over trumped up BS code violations.
I disagree that Bob tells it like it is. He says what's on his mind. Big difference.
Also, if you are part of the tin-foil, black helicopter, city-county conspiracy crowd around here, you have to believe that Bob is complacent in the what you have called corrupt courts and illegal code enforcement. After all, the Sheriff's Office provides protection and enforcement of our courts. They carry out orders to foreclose property and evict tenants.
From their own website:
http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/sheriff/crimepreventiontip.htm
"We can be proactive in dealing with such problem areas as traffic complaints, thefts, burglaries, juvenile crime, drug concerns, arson, and code enforcement issues."
Now, if you believe that Bob is doing his job (no rhyme intended), then you have to conclude that code enforcement is legitimate.
And if you think Saint Paul is tough, check out the enforcement of White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, Arden Hills, Vadnais Heights, New Brighton, Shoreview and Roseville.
Eric
Code enforcement is legitimate Eric. Trumped up code enforcement, enhanced code enforcement and lies to get at people because of their tenants behavior is not. Niether is having the Police get Search Warrants for one thing so they can get in to look for code issues.
12:52
I am with you on what you wrote. I'm serious.
I am not in belief that the particular group of landlords who sued for RICO fall into that category.
There are people who have had real issues. They should not be confused with the RICO landlords.
Eric
Eric, they sure provide protection to our courts alright.
The courts also return the favor by turning away litigants who have sued the sheriffs office for corrupted service of process.
I commend Fletcher for his taking of action against the sheriffs clerk who called me a drunk and so on.
Tis clerk still works for the sheriffs office but has been demoted to other duties and cannot
work directly with the public anymore.
Works for me.
Jeff Matiatos
Anonymous said...
Say Bob I was going through some old City Pages looking for something and I noticed that they mention you and A democracy as "the Blog of the day" and I was wondering if you knew about this? Why didn't you tell us? I don't remember seeing anything about this said here.
3:55 AM
Actually it was Minnesota's Blog of the day. It was sometime ago.
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