State shuts down Gang Strike Force operations
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posted by Bob at Friday, July 17, 2009
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32 Comments:
An interim unit created just weeks ago will be disbanded and operations of the Strike Force's oversight board will cease.
By RANDY FURST, Star Tribune
Last update: July 17, 2009 - 3:03 PM
Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion announced this afternoon that he is permanently shutting down the Metro Gang Strike Force.
Campion said an interim unit created just weeks ago will be disbanded and operations of the Strike Force's oversight board will cease.
"Developments over the past few weeks make it clear that it wouldn't be prudent to continue the Strike Force," he said.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said in a news release that it "will closely follow the preliminary FBI investigation and an investigation by the Metro Gang Strike Force Review Panel" and that "findings from those two parallel investigations will be the basis for any long-term strategy moving forward."
Campion's announcement came just hours after Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek made it known that his department was withdrawing from the Strike Force because the anti-gang unit no longer has credibility with the public.
"The Metro Gang Strike Force is done," Stanek said this morning, "not because I say so, but because no one has any trust in the Metro Gang Strike Force now or in the future. Ask the average person and they get it. There's no credibility."
Stanek also said that Capt. Chris Omodt would no longer continue as commander of the interim Strike Force. Omodt will return to duties within the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
Both announcements came on the heels of news reports that Manila "Bud" Shaver, the chairman of the Strike Force's oversight board, had attempted to intervene in January in a Strike Force investigation involving his daughter.
According to St. Paul police reports, Shaver asked that the Strike Force attempt to "get" his daughter's boyfriend, who the St. Croix County Sheriff's Department believed might have been involved in a home invasion in Hudson, Wis. But he asked that his personal vehicle, which his daughter was driving, not be forfeited if she were arrested.
Shaver's daughter, Anna, 19, was arrested on Jan. 27 by St. Paul police for drug possession and has been placed in a diversion program for drug treatment by a Ramsey County judge. The car was returned to Shaver.
Asked if that case contributed to Hennepin County's decision to pull out of the unit, Stanek said, "It was the latest thing to damage credibility. This isn't about one person. It's about credibility, and that has been destroyed over many months."
On Shaver's case, Stanek said, "I'm a father, I have kids, I have sympathy for him." But he added, "That's no excuse. You can't allow a conflict of interest."
Campion was asked during a news conference if he was embarrassed by the ongoing revelations about the Strike Force. "I shouldn't be proud," he said. "Should anyone in law enforcement be proud of it?"
He said he had discussed his decision with legislative leaders, notified Gov. Tim Pawlenty's office, and spoken with Chief Shaver.
Campion said he had too little information to offer an opinion on what Shaver had done. But he said that "perhaps there was some bad judgment. I don't know if it's illegal."
He said when he talked to Shaver today, "Chief Shaver said he would do whatever would be good for the Metro Gang Strike Force."
"A multi-jurisdictional task force is only successful with local partnerships, participation and consensus among the partners, and we clearly don't have that," Campion said. He said participating departments that had assigned eight officers to the unit would be notified and that those officers would return to their local departments.
The Strike Force was the subject of a highly critical report by the state Legislative Auditor in May that said that more than $18,000 in seized funds could not be found, that many seized vehicles could not be accounted for, and that many procedures within the Strike Force had been handled improperly. After it was discovered that Strike Force members were found shredding documents the same day as the auditor's report was issued, Omodt ordered the unit suspended immediately.
The developments triggered an FBI investigation that is still underway and a separate investigation authorized by Campion to review the auditor's findings and make recommendations for corrective action.
In June, the auditor found more vehicles that were unaccounted for and Campion announced the Strike Force would be suspended indefinitely and an interim Strike Force unit would be created. That unit, which had an organizational meeting earlier this week, was expected to be activated on Saturday during Rondo Days in St. Paul.
Stanek underscored at his news conference today that Omodt, who became commander of the Strike Force in January, was not implicated in any of the allegations made about the Strike Force.
"There are serious allegations of wrongdoing that are being investigated," said Stanek. "I want to make very clear: Capt. Omodt was not a member of the unit when any of this took place. Instead, he was brought in to reform the Gang Strike Force. Capt. Omodt is an outstanding law enforcement officer with a proven record."
Omodt appeared at the news conference, gave a statement, but did not answer any questions.
"As a public servant for the past 29 years, I am proud to have served and will continue to serve with great pride in a commitment to public safety," Omodt said.
"It has been tremendously frustrating in recent months that I have not been able to do the important work of fighting gangs. My career is based on honesty, integrity and treating others with respect, and these values will not change." He said he looked forward to "returning to the duties in the sheriff's office, where I can use my experience in fighting gangs."
Randy Furst • 612-673-7382
They seized vehicles and sell them, and does Aaron Foster get any of the take.
You all remember --------
>>> Aaron Foster was in charge of the St Paul impound lot.
He was Good Buddies with
Bill Finney, and it looks like Aaron Foster got away with murder in the death of his gail friend.
More Bad Cops.
"Bud" Shaver, the chairman of the Strike Force's oversight board, had attempted to intervene in January in a Strike Force investigation involving his daughter.
W.St.Paul "Bud Shaver" sounds like a Bad Cop!
5:29
Hi Sharon.
Now the bars are closed, go to bed.
No way Mac, one more for the road.
Read the Co1. Bud Shaver should step down. He needs to take care of business at home first. His daughter Anna needs his attention now.
2. Stanek has had it in for the MGSTF since it was started in 1997. While he was a state representative he wrote laws to cut it's funding. This whole mess would never happened if Stanek hadn't cut funding in the first place. These cops were doing a great service, but we all know you can't run a Department on no money. Stanek is responsible for this financial mess.
3. The metro police chiefs needs to get together, form their own MGSTF and leave the state out of it. The only winners here are the thugs who are laughing at us because Stanek had to have his way or totally shut down a very productive unit of law enforcement.mments
Alice Krengel v. Bud Shaver
MN Supreme Court A07-310
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S7r0EwhAbE
They seized vehicles and sell them, and does Aaron Foster get any of the take.
5:29
Maybe now we can find out what really happened to Sharon's car.
8:55 AM,
Interesting post. Care to back it up?
All you did was copy a post that was posted in the Pioneer Press on the TOPIX page.
Why don't you post your OWN posts instead of taking others.
What's it to ya>
8:55 A.M.
Defamation of our character is a criminal offense, as Bobby Johnson deletes Affiants Post it is bizzare
If Bud Shaver lives in Wisc. Why doesn'tthe paper print this stuff.
No wonder Alice Krengel won her case
Who cares of Bud Shaver lives in Wisconsin?
Lots of cops live outside the community they work in. I don't live in the community I serve because if I arrest a thug, I don't want him taking it out on my family. Sharon have some common sense will you, please.
I also see you have filed for office using your Summit Ave. address. This home was taken away from you years ago because you didn't pay your taxes. Someone else owns the property now. Why are you still using this address when you file for every elective office under the sun? The address is not your address anymore and it is against election law to keep putting a false address. I checked the tax and property records and you are not listed on this property. Joe Mansky (Ramsey County Elections) should have called you on this, but he is inept as usual.
REady to face a felony if Affiant with her deceased Tenant in Common are not the True Owners in Fee Simple Absolute re: 6209-1163
If your so concerned SUE ME
Sharon what are you going to do sue me? Go ahead and sue me, please do. The judge will throw it out just like all of your other false claims. The facts are the facts, you lost your home on Summit because you didn't pay your taxes. You could have paid your taxes just like we all have to do. You didn't and they took it away from you. This is not your home anymore.
Just the facts.
Joe, Badge #713
Hey sharon, I have been in 1058 Summit and you don't live there.
How can you list this address as your when you don't live there?
I'd say its pretty safe to move your family back in the city Officer Chickens***, according to the story above this one, you're not doing too many arrests of thugs anyway. You're taking their stuff (ie stealing) and robbing innocent citizens but, you're certainly not arresting them.
Asshole.
We're paying these clowns to go out and shop around for cars, tvs and other stuff from citizens they don't care for.
Nancy Lazaryn has arrested more people than the Strike Force.
The problem with the Gang Task Force was it was originally funded by the state and in a power play several years ago Rich Stanek took the funding away from the Metro Gang Task Force when he was the Public Safety Director for the state.
The need for the Metro Gang Task Force is evident, as gangs are a major problem in the Twin Cities.
The area police chiefs got together and devised a plan to fund the Metro Gang Task Force even if the state wouldn't. The majority of the funding for the MGSTF came from items forfeited. This was because Rich Stanek was holding up the funds because he wanted total control of the MGSTF and the MGSTF needed money for its operations.
Now several years later, Rich Stanek puts his buddy Capt. Omodt whose only claim to fame is investigating a biker gang is put in charge of the MGSTF. Capt. Omodt was only put in this position because of his dad, retired Hennepin County Sheriff Don Omodt. You also have the Hennepin County Sheriff Public Information Officer who is a long-time friend of Bill Finney and no friend of Ryan or Fletcher sending out press releases daily. If you look at the postings in the Pioneer Press under the TOPIX comments sections, there is a poster from Minneapolis (Bill Finney) who is posting almost word for word these same press releases from the PIO from Hennepin County Sheriff Office. These TOPIX posts are posted days before the Hennepin County Sheriff Office PIO sends them out.
Now you have Bud Shaver, the West St. Paul Police Chief trying to protect his daughter from a gang thug boyfriend. Anna has some real problems and Shaver was trying to get some help for his daughter. What any good father wouldn’t do for his own daughter. If Chief Shaver misused his position that is to be determined by the agencies involved.
What you have at the end of the day is a very successful MGSTF who went after the gang thugs in the Metro area. They may not have large numbers of arrests, but the MGSTF kept on these guys like bugs on a bumper. Now we have gangs running around like they own the place, thanks to Rich Stanek and his big ego. The real blame here is on Rich Stanek for his meddling over the years. If he had kept his nose out from day one we wouldn’t be talking about this now.
Real estate agent gets prison for racketeering
The Ramsey man was convicted in May of illegalities that netted him thousands in a foreclosure redemption scheme.
By STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune
Last update: July 17, 2009 - 11:59 PM
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Michael R. Wayman Jr. was a top-tier real estate agent for ReMax before he discovered the lucrative business of redeeming properties after foreclosure to snatch their equity.
Sharons Home at 1058 Summit must indict Judge Kathleen Gearin. 42USC3631 taking HS Credit,to inflate Taxes paid,Decedants Tenants in Common denied Quiet Marketable Title, Equity Skimming No Statute of Limitations on Fraud or Murder
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/51063172.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMcyaL_nDaycUiacyKUUr
Hey Joe Badge #713
Start arresting these Judges and Lawyers http://sicko-citystpaul.blogspot.com
Do you trust appointed officials?
Let's start electing the Chief of police, we now have the mayor's appointing them.
The mayor and city council controlling the police and their actions now.
W.St.Paul Mayor's appointed Bud Shaver, start looking into Mayor "John Zanmiller" to see what roll he plays in the city covering up about Shaver's daughter and the car she was arrested in.
Remember how the buck stops here and then there, and so all will get indicted by the grand jury.
Then the St.Paul Mayor overseas what goes on in St.Paul, and its city attorney's office, and their law enforcement units go un-checked.
This seem to have a smell to it.
The problem with the Gang Task Force was it was originally funded by the state and in a power play several years ago Rich Stanek took the funding away from the Metro Gang Task Force when he was the Public Safety Director for the state.
The need for the Metro Gang Task Force is evident, as gangs are a major problem in the Twin Cities.
--------------------------------
St Paul has a unit preparing to go out and take over, Minneapolis has a gang unit that has been operating independently for years (they pulled out of the MGTF years ago because of concerns with Fletcher's oversight) and the state has one again.
I am so sick of Bob Fletcher and his minions coming here and everywhere trying to deflect the blame. He is the most corrupt guy with a badge in the Twin Cities.
Listen you thug with a badge, save your bullshit for court. For three years we heard how it was Bill Finney's fault the Sheriff was corrupt, and now its Rich Staneks fault. We are not buying it, for several reasons:
The financial problems of the gang task force does not mean they should be stealing merchandise, hunting down, beating and threatening innocent citizens, and not doing their job!
Part of an officers job is to build a case with the evidence of why you arrested someone and what you discovered after the arrest. These asshats couldn't even do that. They make almost 800 arrests yet less than 30 are prosecuted?!?!?
For a budget of over FOUR MILLION dollars a year we get 27 felony prosecutions- yet they get cars, tv's, and untraceable cash?
They were not doing police work. Its all explained in the story above this one.
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office fought to be the fiscal agent for this unit. Fletcher then appoints his very good friend, with no management experience to run this unit for 11 years, he then hires his sister in-law to keep the records of the merchandise (imagine how merc disappeared). The unit is then stocked with cops who were borderline in their departments (no department was willing to part with their best cops), and now we find out that this group of thugs pissed away more tax dollars than a town of pregnant welfare recipients.
Give me an 'effin break. You and the rest involved should be in jail.
By the way, that motorcycle bust that you ridicule Omodt for happne to the the one that was connected to Fletcher's fake deputy and best man at his wedding- Mark Naylon- now in prison for corruption.
Bud Shaver's daughter is drug addict. If its not one guy its another. She's had problems for years that Bud has ignored. The guy she was with did not have a criminal drug record. But, it didn't matter, did it.
Your excuse about Finney's friend is just as stupid as every thing the press writes is backed up with evidence.
This was nothing but a criminal operation and Rich Stanek saw that while he was in the legislator and tried to cut their funding. Too bad for us it only fueled their criminal behavior.
12:18 PM
Sticking up for Finney.
Bo Ho, You Cry Babies believing in the worst of the criminals.
All should be on the U S Most Wanted list!
12:33
Finney? You are a typical chickensh** deputy.
I don't care about Finney and was happy when he was done with being Chief. He was too big on public relations and not enough on crime fighting.
This has NOTHING to do with him, except his ego allowed Bob Fletcher to serve yet another term.
This has to do with accountability and responsibility. You Ramsey County Deputies have been successful at deflecting criticism to be everybody's fault but yours. But, with the Feds and State investigating the Gang Strike Force, there's too much coming out to show the corruption and incompetence to put this on anyone but those who stepped up to be responsible.
If you were a real cop, you'd be more concerned with the loss of confidence in law enforcement and the black eye you and your comrades have put on law enforcement across the region. But, no, you don't really give a damn about the people. When you hear the words serve and protect, its serve yourself and protect your own.
You know Finney, when you throw crap at a fan you usually get crap on yourself, not to mention all over the room.
Finney you have more crap on you than anyone I know.
Yep, you're right. I have plenty of crap on me. However, my time is over. I don't hold office and there are no investigations against me.
Your boss Bob is five months from being indicted. Once the feds realize that entire Sheriff's Office has been pulling the same type of shit they pulled on the Strike Force, they'll be plenty of other deputies going to prison. I can't wait until the prostitution ring hits the highpoint.
You dirty cops under Fletcher have worked hard to invoke the Finney name in your mess. Problem is, you'd have to believe that Finney has incredible influence over the the governor, legislative auditors office, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, United States Attorney's Office, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Associated Press, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. All of that influence and I could get myself the U.S. Marshall's gig, or beat Fletcher for Sheriff?
It doesn't take a former police Chief to realize every week some story or corruption and ineptness is coming out of the Sheriff's Office. Its a dirty place with dirty badges.
Ok Eric. To afraid to post with your name ? Why is that ?
Bob
Ok Eric. To afraid to post with your name ? Why is that ?
Bob
8:33 AM
Yes, that sounds like me 'Bob'. You must be new or dumb or both. You can't be Bob Johnson. I am not motivated by fear either way.
I sign every post I write, and have for three years on here. Even though I am one of the most attacked and threatened for my posts, I still sign them. You know why, because I'm no coward and I believe if you got something to say, stand behind it.
Cowards and fake name posters lob attacks at people who write something they don't like. They, strangely enough, like you, never address and issue, just attempt to tear down an individual. When asked why they choose to be anonymous, they respond by saying they don't want to be attacked or catch any blowback. That's a coward.
I was pretty clear in the last topic on this issue, I won't get too involved in this topic. It always turn into a Finney-Fletcher fight. Always.
So, consider yourself informed about my habits and if you try to be more informed on other things you speak on plus, sign your name then maybe, one day soon, you will have some credibility.
Eric <---- Real name. Real Deal.
8:13
You say nobody is investigating Finney, eh? Well a little birdy told me just the opposite. I can't wait to see what comes of it!
He's right. Some people always want to blame Finney for Fletcher's problems or talk about how bad Finney was or is.
Can someone explain what this has to do with the illegal behavior in the gang strike force and the failure of the sheriff's office to manage it with any success?
Can someone tell us what Finney has to do with this unit getting millions in tax dollars for less than a 1% conviction rate?
Can someone please slowly explain what Finney has to with the comical police work at the gang task force that had these guys 'taking stuff' according to the Commander, and not doing the basic paperwork that allows the attorneys to build a case?
Even if Finney is the dirtiest cop that ever walked into the SPPD, it has zero, zilch, zerp to do with the evidence coming forth from the three agencies investigating.
Just so everyone is clear on this. The post at 8:33 is not me. I do not post on the Finney Fletcher topics.
7:17 AM,
You got that right, "Finney is the dirtiest cop that ever walked into the SPPD."
Your former Sgt.
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