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Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Harrington won't seek reappointment as St. Paul police chief

Please click onto the COMMENTS for the story.

posted by Bob at Wednesday, December 09, 2009

6 Comments:

Anonymous Pioneer Press said...

By Mara H. Gottfried
mgottfried@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 12/09/2009 07:48:13 PM CST


St. Paul police Chief John Harrington announced today that he wouldn't be seeking another term at the helm of the department.

His six-year term ends June 30. Harrington notified Mayor Chris Coleman and the rank-and-file that he wouldn't seek reappointment. With the announcement, the search and selection process for the next chief will begin, the department said tonight.

"It has been a great career, in a great city, working with many great people," Harrington said in a statement. "The department has accomplished much and I am proud to have been part of leading it over the past five years."

Harrington became a St. Paul police officer in 1977. He rose through the ranks, moving from patrol officer to patrol supervisor, investigator and training unit director. He was senior commander in the department's Western District before being appointed police chief in 2004.

"In the remaining months of my term, I look forward to overseeing implementation of the department's Blueprint for Safety domestic violence response protocol, along with further enhancement of our gang prevention and intervention efforts," Harrington said. "These have been major areas of effort in my administration, and while we have made a real difference much work remains to be done."

11:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

St. Paul police Chief John Harrington
with a career like his, Obama must have a descent job in his administration for him.


Harrington became a St. Paul police officer in 1977. He rose through the ranks, moving from patrol officer to patrol supervisor, investigator and training unit director. He was senior commander in the department's Western District before being appointed police chief in 2004.

He just might throw his hat in for governor?

6:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always thought he had too much class for this city. Now he can use his talents to do good.

8:49 PM  
Anonymous Harrington sued said...

Two St. Paul police officers sue over 'secret' discipline
Reprimands in files were a surprise
By Mara H. Gottfried
mgottfried@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 12/03/2009 12:12:20 AM CST


Two St. Paul police officers allege in a lawsuit against the city and the police chief that they were disciplined and never told about it.

The lawsuit claims violations of the Minnesota Peace Officer Discipline Procedures Act, which states a disciplinary letter or reprimand cannot be "included in an officer's personnel record unless the officer has been given a copy of the letter or reprimand."

The impact on police officers includes not having the opportunity to appeal and being blindsided if their personnel record comes up in criminal cases in which they are testifying, said Chris Wachtler, the attorney representing the St. Paul Police Federation.

"This is no different than if I wrote someone a speeding tag and submitted it. We go to court, and we convict the person, but we never subpoena the person for the court appearance," said Dave Titus, federation president. "These officers were never given the ability to respond. It simply isn't fair."

Assistant City Attorney Portia Hampton-Flowers said the city would defend its position in the lawsuit.

"The police officers' bill of rights statute offers important protections for law enforcement personnel, and we take these allegations seriously," she said.

In 2004, a St. Paul police officer won a lawsuit under the same section of the law and was awarded damages and attorney's fees, Wachtler said.

The current suit, served on the city and Police Chief John Harrington last week, makes the following allegations:

In September, St. Paul police Sgt. Julie Maidment was scheduled to testify in a juvenile trial. The defense made a motion, which a judge granted, to review the internal affairs files of all officers who were to testify.

A prosecutor informed Maidment that her file showed she had received an "oral reprimand" for "improper conduct" after an allegation in January 2006.

"Apparently, we're in a situation where these things are going to start coming in as evidence in criminal trials and officers' credibility in court becomes a huge issue," Wachtler said. "The irony is that it ... ruins their criminal case."

Maidment "had no prior knowledge of this discipline, and it had never been provided to her," the suit said. Last week, Harrington changed the discipline in the case to an "oral warning," which is not considered discipline under the union contract, Titus said.

The other officer who filed suit, Cornelius Benner, learned of three incidents of discipline when he asked to see his internal affairs file Oct. 13.

Benner could see something in his file had been whited out — it related to a December 2008 incident, in which an internal affairs complaint had been filed about a month later. An internal affairs unit employee told Benner he couldn't be told of the outcome until Harrington approved it.

On Oct. 21, Benner received a written "oral reprimand" for "poor public relations" in the December case.

Benner also found in his file two other incidents of discipline he didn't know about. One was a 1998 letter of reprimand for "improper conduct, improper procedure" and a 2002 written reprimand for "improper procedure," the suit said.

The federation believes neither Maidment nor Benner should have been disciplined and has filed grievances, Titus said.

The police union has been asking all officers to check their internal affairs records, Titus said. So far, about six officers have told the federation they found discipline they didn't know about, he said. In at least one case, an officer's file showed a suspension that the officer had never been notified about, Titus said.

Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262.

7:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always thought he had too much class for this city. Now he can use his talents to do good.8:49 PM


Two St. Paul police officers allege in a lawsuit against the city and the police chief that they were disciplined and never told about it.

The lawsuit claims violations of the Minnesota Peace Officer Discipline Procedures Act, which states a disciplinary letter or reprimand cannot be "included in an officer's personnel record unless the officer has been given a copy of the letter or reprimand."


See
They pull sh-t on even their own people and employees, how can we have any trust in government and their agencies?

>

8:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

8:19 PM Are you saying Republican, Democrats, Independent Parties are all unworthy for our trust.
Chris Coleman would probably tell the tax payers , I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

8:34 PM  

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