The same Pacific Grove Police Officer who was put on administrative leave in May for decals connected to anti-government groups he placed on his personal vehicle is back on administrative leave, this time as an investigation is launched into whether or not the officer posted disparaging messages on the social media site Parler.
The announcement came from P.G. Chief Cathy Madalone during a rare Sunday afternoon press conference today, Nov. 29, inside P.G. City Hall. Four reporters were allowed inside the City Council Chambers following social distancing guidelines. Members of the public, including some who gathered outside City Hall, were told to watch the press conference on Zoom.
"Our public deserves transparency and as your chief I have a responsibility to inform our community members when something deeply troubling is brought to my attention," she said.
The "deeply troubling" issue was a social media post from a Parler account that appeared to represent the officer. The post in question was a meme from a right wing group that stated "Fuck 'Black Lives Matter.'" Another post featured a meme with the words "Hate Group" over the BLM logo. About an hour after the Weekly contacted Madalone about the posts, the account disappeared from the Parler site.
It's not clear if the account in fact belonged to the officer, which is part of the investigation which will be carried out by a third party firm, Madalone said during the conference.
“Make no mistake, this allegation will be investigated. The city takes allegations of this type of misconduct extremely seriously," she said. "If true, I want to make it clear that this conduct is contrary to our department mission, and unbecoming of any police officer and that is not the type of behavior expected of our employees.”
If it's determined someone created that account in an effort to get the officer into trouble, Madalone said police would try to determine that person's identity and bring charges against them.
The first time the officer was put on leave back in May, the investigation was into three decals displayed on the back window of his truck, one connected to the anti-government group the Three Percenters, another to a group that disparages LGBTQ people and a third referencing Molon Labe, a gun rights group.
The city hired an Arizona-based firm, Sacks, Ricketts & Case, to conduct an investigation, at a cost of $23,605. On Sept. 3, the department released statements from Madalone and from the unnamed officer that stated the investigation showed he "is not a member of any militia group and is deeply sorry for any turmoil this matter caused."
In the officer's statement, he said he thought the decals had other less negative connotations that denoted groups that support the U.S. Constitution, especially the Second Amendment. He also said he did not intend any anti-gay message with a Liberty, Guns, Beer, Trump decal. "Moreover, the officer is not a white male and clearly does not support any white supremacy group," the statement reads.
The officer removed the decals immediately "upon learning the some public members perceived them negatively."
Some residents were dubious about whether the officer was truthful in saying he did not know what the decals stood for, and some complained to the P.G. City Council over numerous meetings during public comment periods about the city's handling of the issue. On Nov. 24, one of those residents who spoke to the council, Randy Fairgarden, launched an online petition asking the city to remove the officer from the department.
As of today the petition has over 1,100 signatures.
On Saturday, some members of the community became aware of the social media posts on Parler, a site similar to Twitter that launched in 2018. Parler's founders marketed it as a platform for free speech and as an alternative to mainstream social media networks. It's since become a favorite site for supporters of Donald Trump, conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists.
An account under the handle MAGS3PER was created on Nov. 9. One of the first posts from the account included a photo of a man who looks similar to the officer at a Trump rally, with the words, "The fight is not over!" On Friday a screenshot of the citizen petition was posted, with the statement, "Look at this attack on me."
During the press conference, Madalone was particularly focused on the department's relationship with the community and asked residents to not lose trust in the entire department.
“I want to assure the public that we are committed to providing the highest-quality public safety service regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or any other factor," she said. "I urge you not to let the actions of one affect the relationships the city has built between the department, the community, and the rest of the women and men of the Pacific Grove Police Department who work tirelessly to keep the community safe. I understand this may erode the public's trust which we have worked so hard to attain and for that I am deeply sorry."
She promised the city would be as "transparent as the law allows." Residents complained after the earlier investigation that the city was not transparent enough, something Madalone expressed frustration with back in September, telling residents she could not say more because it was a personnel matter.
During the press conference at least two protestors showed up outside, including Lyle Skeen, a member of the local Republican Party and a recent candidate for the North Monterey County Unified School District Board. (He lost to Liz Games Samuels, with less than 34 percent of the vote.) They held Blue Line flags as they tried to enter the building, but the door was locked to limit people coming into the building to prevent spread of Covid-19.
(1) comment
Obviously, this unnamed Pacific Grove Police Officer has an alternate agenda and DOES NOT earn the right to be employed by Pacific Grove Tax Payers! [thumbdown]
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