Barry Levinson
There are many people who are upset about the FPD sending 6 police officers and several vehicles all the way up to Pasadena for a half day just to arrest AJ Redkey on a misdemeanor warrant, for failure to disperse during the January 18th protest over the not guilty verdicts of Ramos and Cincinelli. On June 3rd you will have the opportunity to speak before our city council. This issue is on the agenda as Item No. 9 under Regular Business. It will be very interesting if our Police Chief responds to questions from our council members if not from the public.
FPD chief Dan Hughes
Every time I think of that arrest the only two words that make any sense are; political payback! Unless, AJ is a violent felon (and based on all newspaper reports this is not the case), the FPD’s actions are indefensible. Please note that all 5 people streaming (broadcasting) over the internet during the Kelly Thomas not guilty verdict protest on January 18th, 2014 were arrested by the FPD. Coincidence or payback! Remember it was reported that those that were arrested that day while in the police van were heckled by the FPD’s finest with the chant….Not Guilty, Not Guilty! If true just another example of the total lack of professionalism of some of our men and women in blue. I believe that story because I personally know a woman who was not allowed to use a bathroom that day within FPD headquarters after 2 police officers asked her if she was a protester. She said she was peacefully protesting and they told her to take a hike. This woman had major surgery a few days prior and any fool could see that medically she was not doing well. I happened to talk with her right after this alleged innocent and I believe her story 100%. But I guess it was not those 2 officers day to serve and protect the public.
Dan you must be so proud of those 2 officers for refusing a sick woman the “privilege” to use our taxpayer funded FPD bathroom as well as those officers in full riot gear taunting those arrested protesters. A reasonable person would begin to notice a pattern of harassment, by taunting some of the citizens they come into contact with. We all witnessed for ourselves the taunting of Kelly Thomas by Officer Ramos on July 5th, 2011. Instead of police training Dan, how about sending those officers to a class with “Miss Manners”? How about a civics class that teaches your officers the meaning of the words, public servants?
Dan I know a half days pay for 6 highly paid FPD officers for a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an activity that occurred 4 months prior, may not seem like a lot of money to you since you make almost $200K a year plus another over $100K in benefits. However, it makes us taxpayers feel like we had our pockets picked by the FPD.
piece of cake
The other words that I cannot get out of my head are these; 2013 FPD Supervisor of the Year, Sergeant Kevin Craig! You know him as the highest-ranking officer participating in the KT beating death. He testified for the defense that he saw no violations of any FPD policy or procedures the night of July 5th, 2011. He came on the scene and witnessed 4 officers literally beating the life out of a 135 pound unarmed shirtless man with enough of Kelly’s blood all around to make an ER doctor sick. Yet he apparently did nothing to stop this totally unnecessary and senseless beating.
Question to Dan Hughes. Since your award winning Sergeant Craig and your FPD training officer testified under oath, that all officers conducted themselves within prescribed FPD policies and procedures, why sir did you fire Ramos, Cincinelli and Wolfe? Either they did something terribly wrong that night or they did not. You cannot continue to have it both ways. You cannot continue to state that you took care of the problem while you never have admitted any bad acts by those 6 men!
We also know based on the testimony of a Fullerton fireman that Sergeant Craig nor any of the other 5 involved officers directed paramedics to help Kelly Thomas to give him the much needed immediate medical attention he desperately needed that night.
I ask everyone who reads this message to go out and tell at least 10 or your friends to watch the video of our meeting last night. Watch the video of the May 20th meeting concerning the Assessment of the Sex Offender Ordinance and see how rude and disrespectful our Mayor can be. We have work to do and we must start right now!
—BARRY LEVINSON
#1 by Barry Levinson on June 4, 2014 - 1:16 pm
Question your comments are very biased and less than honest on its face. I suspect your a police plant.
The comment that I am holding Chief Hughes “responsible for just about every little thing that has gone wrong” is ridiculous and has no basis in fact.
I am not concerned about the little things but I am concerned with the big things and Chief Hughes is responsible for his department and the conduct of the men and women under his command. He sets the tone and provides the leadership. When big things go wrong it is up to him to make things right. When things continue to go wrong, which I have documented many times, one has to question the man in charge.
You might consider it a little thing, but Chief Hughes was the man in charge of the Fullerton 6 who killed an innocent man, Kelly Thomas. Our police chief, Dan Hughes stated at council a while ago, that Kelly Thomas was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing. If that is the best we can expect from our police department, then our citizens would probably be better off with no police.
One commenter last night asked Chief Hughes to provide the DAR to prove that harassing comments were made to those arrested once placed in the police wagon. Let us see if Chief Hughes follows that suggestion or whether he hides from this as his is usual mode of conduct. He claims an open and honest police department, but then never delivers the bacon.
Here is another chance for him to do the honest and the right thing. I am not holding my breath.
Finally, this is a serious website that deals with facts. By your extremely vague question, it is apparent that facts are not what you care to discuss.
#2 by question on June 4, 2014 - 2:09 pm
Mr. Levinson, Chief Hughes was not responsible for the death of Kelly Thomas, nor were the rest of the Fullerton Police department or the council. The officers had their day in court and were found to be innocent of all charges.
Why does your hate group continue to commandeer the council meetings and spew vitriol against those whom we have elected? What purpose does this serve other than merely grandstanding?
#3 by Jamie on June 4, 2014 - 3:35 pm
Why do the Fullerton police act as thugs? After the brutal murder of a homeless man by those that are supposed to serve and protect, after the expense of a council recall, after the supposed reform and education of the FPD, we are left with a police department that is just as corrupt and lawless as it ever was. Why does this Hughes-led faction of the FPD hate its residents? How come we can’t feel safe if our children and elderly parents happen to be put in a position where they need a police officer? If our loved ones ever needed the help of the FPD, God help them. After hearing what is currently going on with the FPD, it is evident that they are just as troubled a police force as ever.
This is not the whole force, but the few that were and continue to act in an unlawful and dangerous manner (taunting, threatening) need to be weeded out and fired. Chief Hughes is among them. He does not belong anywhere near the public. He appears vindictive and out to teach peaceful demonstrators a lesson. At the last council meeting, he called one of the commenters a liar. That should have never happened and is an indicator that the man is out of control, not safe.
FPD needed to wipe the slate clean with a new chief from another state and this should have been done after the last chief stepped down. Otherwise, we have the same corrupted police culture as we started out with.
#4 by Joe Imbriano on June 5, 2014 - 8:15 am
Dan Hughes is directly responsible for the behavior of his REFORMED” department. He is also been asked to provide the DAR’s of the officers in the FPD van on January 18, 2014 when FPD officers allegedly threatened multiple men and women in custody with grave bodily harm (more references to having their f****ing faces smashed in). This is the second time this information has been entered into the public record at a council meeting.
Dan Hughes is directly responsible for his men. I don’t give a hoot about some open house or his dog and pony show. We have non violent offenders alleging that they had their lives threatened while in custody. The last time an FPD officer made those statements to someone in custody, that someone ended up in the morgue.
We will wait and see if he produces the evidence for the public and if he takes action against those so called “peace officers”. I believe that there are still killers on the loose in this town and they wear badges ladies and gentlemen.
Jan Flory and Jennifer Fitzgerald did a wonderful job on Tuesday night showing their true colors. You know what they say about a man in a uniform.
#5 by Rudy on June 5, 2014 - 1:37 pm
I though Mr. Genaco and Dan Hughes implemented reforms? What the hell?
#6 by Anonymous on June 8, 2014 - 5:25 pm
There is no excuse for what they have done. There is no excuse for what they are doing. There is no way they can be ignored. There is no excuse for Hughes’s behavior. There is no way that the current council majority will do the right thing. They need to be recalled over their behavior. They are ignoring death threats against members of the public while in police custody.
#7 by Woodstock on June 9, 2014 - 8:56 am
You actually believe those losers are telling the truth? Did it ever occur to you that those arrested were probably combative? Those were hardly death threats. If those idiots simply obeyed lawful commands, no one would have been arrested.
#8 by Joe Imbriano on June 9, 2014 - 11:24 am
Yeah sure, just like Kelly-lawful commands like “see these fists? They are getting ready to F^%$ you up.” Is that a lawful command? How about being a woman in custody in the FPD love van where you are told “..there are……….who are gonna smash your F….ing faces in”
Pat Mckinley with a smile ladies and gentlement Pat Mckinley with a smile. If he was not, he would be investigating those allegations and admit publicly that he is doing so.
Those are criminal threats.
#9 by Establishment? on June 9, 2014 - 6:22 pm
Member of the Establishment, huh, Woodstock? You like your status quo.