ACTING CHIEF JOHN SIKO
the die has been cast but we cannot allow the ink to dry on this
Just a few weeks ago, Interim City Manager Allan Roeder gave the citizens of Fullerton an update on the status of finding a new Police Chief. He said then that it was only a few weeks away until the city named this new Police Chief.
Here is a photo of the New Fullerton Police captain John Siko eager to help shape future of agency back in 2015-shape it into what?
During the short time since 2011 since Siko was promoted to lieutenant and later to captain by Dan Hughes who was the chief, 35 percent of the Fullerton police force left for greener pastures and these were the good officers who left leaving us the dregs. Yes he and Hughes sure shaped it alright and shaped in in their image leaving the worst of the worst to take care of the population of Fullerton.
A week or two later, I learned to my surprise (not a complete surprise since nothing the city does truly surprises me anymore), that the city has named Fullerton Captain John Siko (pronounced psycho) as our new Acting Police Chief. I then asked myself why this turn of events. Why didn’t Hinig wait a few more weeks for the naming of the next permanent Chief of Police as was the plan according to City Manager, Allan Roeder?
The city attorney dozing for dollars while chief Heinig prematurely abandons ship
Did the scheduling of that event just change due to the recent corruption allegations against our last permanent chief Dan Hughes? Did Hinig finally have his fill of embarrassment to continue as chief? As an example he remained publicly silent about a very important police matter, i.e. the repeal of a law enacted to help protect our children from pedophiles, Ordinance 3149. For he did not speak on that agenda item at all. He sat in his chair during that Agenda Item and said absolutely nothing on a matter that should have been front and center for any police chief. Well all I could say is that the only thing for sure that David Hinig appeared to do from my vantage point was to collect a whole bunch of money for 6 months?
Heinig on the right. Was the heat was too much for Heinig?
Will Mayor Bruce Whitaker or any of our other council members bring up that the city just wasted approximately $100,000 or more to bring in an very high price temporary employee for the sole purpose of being a powerless figurehead? Why did they ignore their fiduciary responsibilities once again?
Now lets talk about the guy who really has been running the FPD since Dan Hughes retired from his police chief role in early November 2016. The person I am referring to of course is none other than the recently appointed ACTING POLICE CHIEF JOHN SIKO.
My only exchanges with then Captain Siko (Captain of the Fullerton Uniform Division) was a few weeks ago twice at the Fullerton Police Department. Both times he showed up to deal with our request to file a police report against former Police Chief Dan Hughes for criminal obstruction of justice. The first time he told us that we could not file a report. The second time he told us that he actually filed the police report for us. I specifically asked him then if the police report stated that we were filing charges of obstruction of justice against Dan Hughes. He responded in the affirmative. We learned a few days later from a Cadet at the front desk that Captain Siko did not file a police report on our behalf but rather a Miscellaneous Report outlining the conversation that is solely a Receive and File Report. Unlike a criminal police report that requires the department to investigate the allegations in such report, the Miscellaneous Report requires absolutely no action by the department. Its only function I guess is to gather dust in a file cabinet.
So what did these two encounters teach me about our new Acting Police Chief? First that he can look me in the eye and flat out not tell me the truth. Second, I learned that as the Uniform Officers’ Division Captain that he apparently was already running the FPD micromanaging the department or at least the potential scandals. For I learned that he was informed by the Watch Commandersf when Joe and me made a request concerning former Police Chief Hughes. For in an honest police department, filling out a police report is a very simple and straightforward activity. But Captain Siko apparently had made it his business to be notified of our attempts to file such a report immediately each time. He then chose to take total control of the situation twice while telling us he was actually off-duty both times. Why this perceived kind of paranoid interest in making sure that he would deal with us personally?
One might expect that over the top involvement by an off-duty police captain or chief to come from the Nazi Gestapo or from another fascist police organization but certainly not from an honest small city police department that has nothing to hide.
I have learned one more very disturbing alleged fact about Captain Siko. An unnamed reliable source claims that it was Captain Siko who called the four initial responding officers to the Joe Felz accident into his office a few days after the incident. The source claims that Captain Siko chastised them for not having the common sense to turn off their Axon cameras in such a political situation and for ruining a good man’s life (Joe Felz). This by itself, if it could be confirmed by one of those officers would be such a serious violation of police procedure and ethics to merit severe punishment, even dismissal. For the source is alleging that Captain Siko was upset that the officers did not destroy evidence (shut of their cameras). He also was alleged to be upset with them for being truthful about the condition of Joe Felz at the scene of that accident (i.e. the stench of alcohol). I am hoping that one of those officers or anyone who has first hand knowledge to come forward to stop our City Council from making John Siko’s appointment permanent. We have one former Police Chief, Dan Hughes being accused of criminal obstruction of justice by a OCDA investigator. We certainly can’t afford to appoint another one who allegedly condones the obstruction of justice by FPD personnel.