Alton Washington replied immediately. His response is at the bottom.June 14, 2009
Alton Washington
Assistant City Manager
Phoenix City Hall
200 W. Washington St., 12th floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
RE: Breach of Operations Order 5.2 by Sergeant Michael Polombo #4696
Mr. Washington:
I am in receipt of a recent article published in the Phoenix New Times, entitled Behind BadPhoenixCops.com: The Blogger Who Took on the Phoenix PD — and the Homicide Detective Who Might Be His Best Source. Within this article the author Ms. Sarah Fenske writes:
In a written statement to New Times, Detective Mike Polombo calls the authors of the posts "pathetic." "Unfortunately, those responsible don't bother to let the truth or facts get in the way of a good story," he writes. "These people are obsessed, mentally ill cowards and perpetual liars who hide safely behind computer keyboards and a perceived cloak of anonymity, though their identity is known to everyone."
In this written statement, Sergeant Michael Polombo(#4696) has openly and publically defied the Phoenix Police Department’s Operations Order 5.2 on Media Relations, specifically A, 1 & 2, subsection a, b & c (page 1) and 5.2.1 E & G (page 3); where persons below the rank of Lieutenant may not speak with the media or comment on a controversial investigation.
Operations Order 5.2 states that any and all questions or probes of a controversial nature, require a report to the Media Relations Unit, via the PIO message line at 602-534-2134. What makes Mike Polombo’s comments more troubling is that Sergeant Polombo and his wife Heather are directly in the center of the investigation mentioned in the article. Being a controversial topic, he clearly was not authorized to comment, nor did he contact his supervisor or refer commentary to the Media Relations Unit, as required in Operations Order 5.2. This was affirmed when Ms. Fenske’s article also stated:
And many of the key people in this case refused interviews with New Times. Both Pataky and Barnes declined comment. So did the Phoenix Police Department and Barnes' attorney, Mehrens.
The Phoenix Police Department declined being interviewed for the article and no one in Media Relations has commented on the case, except for Sergeant Michael Polombo. This is a flagrant breach of protocol on a high-profile case, involving litigation at the Federal level. It only exemplifies what an ineffectual and inadequate Sergeant, Michael Polombo is and I hope this insubordination won’t be tolerated. Sergeant Michael Polombo believes he has his own set of rules and refuses to follow police procedures or follow “common sense” police protocol.
As a citizen of Phoenix, and a constituent in Council District One, I am requesting an investigation into Sergeant Michael Polombo (#4696) including disciplinary action, suspension and possible termination for his breach of Operations Order 5.2 and public commentary on an open investigation. Sourcing the written statement and communiqué from Sergeant Michael Polombo to Ms. Sarah Fenske should be effortless.
I send this letter to you and have carbon copied others within the City of Phoenix command structure since prior requests for investigations to Commander George Richards (#2830) and Lieutenant Stanton Hoover (#3486) in Professional Standards have gone unanswered, or are simply lost or misplaced. By way of example, most recently (last week) Lieutenant Stanton Hoover (#3486) obtained yet another Phoenix Police Department audio CD from the former home of Sergeant Mike Polombo (a CD that contains information from his days as an officer in Professional Standards), and no investigation against Sergeant Michael Polombo has commenced.
It appears the Professional Standards Bureau has a biased, selective investigation process and investigates whomever they want, whenever they want and reply in a less-than-timely manner.
Warm Regards,
JEFFREY P.
Citizen, City of Phoenix
& Blogger for BadPhoenixCops.com
cc:
Thelda Williams – Councilwoman District One
Joe Yahner, Executive Assistant Chief
Blake McClellan, Professional Standards Bureau, Assistant Chief
Jim Pina, Commander, Investigations Division
Dave Faulkner, Commander, Violent Crimes Bureau
George Richards, Commander, Professional Standards Bureau
Jess Lorona – Counsel for Jeffrey Pataky
Reply
From: alton.washington@phoenix.gov
[mailto:alton.washington@phoenix.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 5:25 PM
To: Jeffrey Pataky
Cc: blake.mcclellen@phoneix.gov; council.district.1@phoenix.gov; dave.faulkner@phoenix.gov; george.richards@phoenix.gov; jim.pina@phoneix.gov; joe.yahner@phoenix.gov
Subject: Re: Response Requested: Breach of Operations Order 5.2 by Sergeant Michael Polombo #4696
Mr. Pataky,
Thank you for bringing the issues you raised to my attention. I will be asking Executive Chief Joe Yahner to look into the issues that you raised as it relates to possible violation of Operation Order 5.2. Internal policies and procedures are designed to protect our officers and the public they serve. The department does a good job in ensuring compliance is generally achieved. Whenever that standard is not reached that can be validated appropriate action generally takes place. I have confidence in Chief Yahner in determining the facts and to take the action necessary to address the issue that you raised.
It will be taken seriously like all issues that raises to this level. Again, thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.
Alton
15 comments:
so does anyone else see this as "the definition of irony"?
almost funny that THIS of all things could be the thing that gets him canned?
Awesome!
Don't hold your breath. I would bet the farm he will again get away with his misconduct. Nothing will change until the leadership at the top of the Phx PD is changed, which will take the city council to finally step in and say enough is enough!!
Mike Mike He's our Man if he can't do it GREAT!
Thanks Jeff Keep it up.
Statistics are a funny thing. We always here about how something like Lysol is 99.99% effective against germs or how things are 99.99% likely to be true, but we rarely discuss or think about the leftover .1%.
Mr, Pataky, you are the .1% that the Phoenix Police department never account for in their disaster plan. They plan for pandemics, anarchy, global unrest, protests, dirty bombs and undoubtedly have a plan for practically every event; except on what to do with an outspoken, highly critical citizen like you. You have shown them what .1% can and will do to a city. You sir are a remarkable .1%.
You continually use PPD and city resources and their own policies against them. This latest Blog on Sergeant Mike Polombo violating Ops Order 5.2 is short of brilliance. It lays a great foundation for your trial and they are damned if they investigate and fire him and if they don’t investigate him and take significant action, it plays into your mass corruption accusations. I might add that Mr. Polombo is also not allowed to speak about citizens in a disparaging way – referring to you (and all of us) as “mentally ill cowards and perpetual liars.” I would suggest you contact your counsel Jess Lorona for a libel suit. Mr. Polombo forgets that he is a cop and he is not entitled to an opinion nor is he allowed to comment. Just the facts please. Even Sergeant Tommy Thompson declined commentary, but Mike Polombo was allowed to write in? Simply brilliant on your part for pointing that out. I just can’t say it enough.
I read this article in the PNT and was personally traumatized by what they have done to you. I imagine myself in a similar position and would have probably gone ballistic. No cop (warrant or not) would ever enter my home, or at least there would be one or two carried out with me.
I applaud you for your actions, your resilience, your perseverance, and your dedication. To copy a previous comment what you are doing requires some major balls. The Phoenix PD don’t know how to deal with exceptionally smart people, at least people who are much smarter than them and can beat them at their own game. What’s ironic is if the Police would just acquiesce to you (fire the bad cops, do their job, act with integrity, investigate the cops and your ex who wronged you) it would save them a lot of trouble and resource dollars. Why is that so hard for them to do? Maybe it would show that a citizen WAS RIGHT? That they made a mistake? Are they not infallible?
The harder they keep trying to get you and the longer they harass you and hold onto your belongings, the larger your dollar claim against the city becomes. It just goes to show how stupid they truly are! They are in a no-win situation. It’s a Blog for Christ’s sake if they don’t like, they don’t have to read it! Keep blogging and keep up the good work.
Check please!
Jeff,
I was just interviewed about the bad cop in Oklahoma and mentioned the fact that you also inspired me to start a petition to fire this guy. I’ll keep you updated if/when it published.
You and Carlos have been very inspirational to me.
Keep up the good work.
http://firemartin.com
Theo
This is fantastic.
Fuck you Mike plombo. i hope the bjs from heather were worth it.
keep up thw good work BPC. we love the site.
Ha!-Ha! You guys don't miss too much, do you? Good job! I'm enjoying this. Someday there should be a movie made about all this titled "Makin' It Hot For The Phoenix P.D."
I don't ordinarily read that commie rag the Phoenix New Times, but when I saw y'all were the June 11-17 cover story recently, I dug in with enthusiasm and now I have a basic understanding of how all this got started. (Three cheers for Jeff Pataky, a man who wouldn't let a police department bully him without paying a price for it.)
Because of a youth organization I was involved with over 3 decades ago, I have known a lot of police officers through the years in a friendly context, and although I certainly don't wish to paint all cops with the same broad brush (as there are occasional exceptions), I've found that most cops are asses.
When law-abiding citizens - such as myself and others I know - have rather pronounced anti-cop feelings, there must be SOMETHING wrong with the police mentality. After all, WE are the very people they supposedly exist for; it is we they are supposed "to protect and to serve." But most policeMEN (both male and female) quietly harbor an "Us [Police] Against Them" attitude. And the "them" is us, the "dickweeds" - both the lawbreaking "dickweeds" AND the law-abiding "dickweeds." To a lot of cops, we're all "the dickweed citizenry."
Over many years, I have often said that police departments are "a necessary evil." I have since changed my mind. I'm certain that there must be a better way. At the very, very least, there should be a standing citizens committee of oversight to investigate police actions. Trusting the police to investigate their own is like believing the Big Bad Wolf is capable of completing a thoroughly honest self-assessment and arriving at the conclusion that he's bad.
Anyway, keep up the good work, Jeff Pataky! You really got 'em squirming.
~STMcC
"As a dog returns to his own vomit,
so a fool repeats his folly."
~Proverbs 26:11
Let me translate Alton's email for you all.
Shit, I better respond to this knuckleheads email because when the investigation takes place, at least it will show that I "did" respond, so i "am" doing my job appropriately, and I, unlike theother two yahoo's, respond to every email I receive. so there...
This blog wouldnt be complete without a few innapropriate sexual jabs at heather and mike.
Hey Mike,
How'd I taste? I drank only pineapple juice and water for the last week. Heather told me that My "goo" tasted weird. People ask me all the time at 500, Don't you feel weird getting hummers from the biggest whore in the department? My answer is always this. You see, before I allow Heather down on my member, I find a strungout "ho" down near CASS or strolling up 27th ave. I force her to go down with no jimmy. Then, I race over to the parking lot at 800 at mach 3 with a still wet willy and watch the back of Heathers head and wonder if she can taste the Jack Daniels the whore was drinking while blowing me just 20 minutes prior.
One down, many more to go. Good riddance Frank Fairbanks. Take Jack with you and let's get this city back on track!!
If even one of the claims of misconduct on this site is true then something needs to happen!
Why aren't the rules being followed? Aren't any allegations, whether anonymous or not, supposed to be investigated?
What is keeping Phil Gordon and the city council from doing something about all this?
All I can think of is that they all have some serious dirt on eachother and none of them wants the boat rocked.
I for one wish none of this was true because it makes my job on the front lines even harder. Every time a cop of any rank makes a bonehead move and it hits the press, all the good cops pay the price as well.
I don't think a little honesty and integrity is to much to ask of our command staff and our elected public officials. For once I wish that the wellfare of this department and city would be the catalyst for decision making. Instead it appears that self preservation may be what is running this show.
I just hope the truth comes out and anyone that has involvement in any of this is dealt with appropriatly.
One more thing. I recently saw a list of cash "bonuses" that were handed out to upper level management within the city. I can't believe that they had the balls to ask the police union to ask us if we would be willing to give part or all of our contractually obligated pay raise back. Fairbanks said the reason the management got the bonuses is that they were contractual. I wonder if they were asked to give part or all of their bonuses back? I doubt it, but if they were asked apparently they said no but still wanted us frontline guys to do it.
Maybe Fairbanks saw the writting on the wall and got out before this all comes to a head. I hope for the sake of all the decent cops that it happens fast.
You are the MAN Jeff!!!
I was a ASU intern working at an "agency" with Phoenix PD detectives for 30 hours per week for 1 semester. I even thought about testing for the PPD, because I am in shape, I am a woman & they could use a "few good women", wink, wink.....Since I was involved in a intense, torrid "relationship" with a certain Sgt. (at the time, prior to his promotion) I decided to pursue legal work & advocating for others in a different arena......
The detectives from PDD I worked with were professional & completely appropriate. I have no doubt that JackASS & his crew of henchmen are dirty, but what really bothers me is that Lt. Spalla did nothing wrong except get caught up in a corrupt department that wants to drag him down with it. Him writing "the memo" has nothing to do with him being "dirty". Shit rolls down hill.......Lt. Spalla is a decent, honest person caught in a firestorm of rogue dirty cops that couldn't pass the physical agility test by todays standard if their life depended on it. Those lazy, fat ass rogue cops have nothing more that a GED, a gun & a badge. PATHETIC!!!!!!
Imagine the tears, the frustration, the regret.
Getting up day after day for 20+ years, risking your life, to go to the 4th Floor on HDQTRS only to surrounded by the toxic, evil henchman & their Boy Toy.
BPC thank you for having the courage & decency to expose these losers. Keep up the good work....
No wonder the PPD has to recruit from other states, to many locals know what a dirty department it is!
Costco sounds a lot more appealing than working @ PPD....plus free samples, a free membership & you get to wear jeans in a air conditioned building!
PPD is so pathetic and ridiculous. I hope to God that I never have to deal with them, or God Forbid ever need the crime lab to process any evidence regarding me or my family. Well unless, the detective handling my case is giving serious ass kisses to whomever is in charge down there.......
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