Recently the Sierrra Madre Police Association gave a vote of no confidence to their Chief Marilyn Diaz. After this vote and lawsuits being filed by the POA, Bill Coburn had the opportunity to interview the chief recently and catch up. Unfortunately because of the pending lawsuits she was unable to say much on that subject.
I was curious as to why our dynamic Chief was having such dissenting amongst the masses. But when I read the text of the actual complaint (complete below), it was juvenile and petty. The Chief is doing her job by implementing change and making the “status quo” no longer acceptable, this department that has not seen new blood for years doesn’t like change, it means more work and more challenge. After this community voted to implement the UUT to give them a raise, they are acting like spoiled children!
A recent news article highlights the need for change in the department and how our Chief is doing just that:
Chief Diaz has been instrumental in implementing changes within the dept and how it interacts with and for the community it serves. Programs such as the popular Neighborhood Watch have greatly increased since Diaz took charge of the department two and a half years ago.
Diaz said that she recognized opportunities to “raise the dept to provide a higher level of service delivery and create more partnerships within the community,” going on to assert that, “In carrying out this mission – some people have been a little reticent to follow through – it’s difficult for some people to change.”
“I think [the SMPOA lawsuit] is a response to the changes we’re trying to bring about – like greater accountability,” Diaz continued, “The dept has been in existence for 100 years and has developed its own culture. Sierra Madre is wonderful community. I cherish working here for a terrific city manager and city council. I am confident and eager to move this department ahead in pursuit of this mission.
Vote of No Confidence Press Release:
TO: PRESS RELEASE TO LOCAL MEDIA
FROM: SIERRA MADRE’S POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
DATE: NOVEMBER 4, 2008
SUBJECT: VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN POLICE CHIEF MARILYN DIAZ
To preserve the quality of public safety provided to the Sierra Madre community as well as maintaining integrity and moral within the Sierra Madre Police Department, the Sierra Madre Police Officers’ Association (SMPOA) regretfully announces that it has taken a vote of no confidence in its Police Chief, Marilyn Diaz. The vote was conducted by secret ballot in which 100% of the SMPOA members responded (all dispatchers, police officers, corporals and sergeants in the Police Department). The count has recently been finalized. The vote of no confidence in Chief Marilyn Diaz demonstrates the Chief’s failure in her job and her waste of taxpayer money.
A number of incidents during Chief Diaz’s two-year tenure with the Department have resulted in this vote of no confidence. Primarily, it is Chief Diaz’s lack of leadership, hypocrisy, and expensive paranoia that has led the small and once close-knit cohesive Department to render such a damning indictment regarding her failure.
As a few samples of Chief Diaz’s lack of leadership and ability we include the following.
1. This week, Chief Diaz is requiring all Sierra Madre Police Department personnel to attend a retreat run by Win-Win Workplace Solutions. The purpose of the retreat is to engage in team building and improve morale within the Department. The retreat will last two days, with the first day attended by supervisory personnel, and the second day by all other personnel. This retreat costs the City of Sierra Madre money, not only in the amounts paid to the retreat operators, but for the time of Department personnel and for the time of the individuals filling in for those gone to the retreat. Chief Diaz required all Department personnel to attend this retreat upon her arrival two years ago. The fact that such a small police department (roughly 20 employees) is required to attend this retreat yet again, on the taxpayers’ dime, is indicative of the Chief’s lack of leadership.
2. Chief Diaz has implemented a rule of three whereby every call requires three officers to go. The Chief participated as the third officer in a call-out, however when the arrestee began to resist arrest a struggle ensued. While the two officers struggled with the suspect, Chief Diaz stood idly by, doing absolutely nothing. She failed to step-up and to protect her own officers.
3. There are several reports of Chief Diaz falling asleep at a variety of meetings, including City Council meetings. This raises a serious fitness for duty question. In such a small police department where Chief Diaz responds to calls, it is imperative that she is physically alert at all times. Not only for the safety of the citizens, but for herself and other officers. In addition, it is very disrespectful for Chief Diaz to be in attendance at a meeting with her head bobbing up and down as she sleeps while someone is making a critical presentation or speaking.
4. The Association recently made a public records request to the City of Sierra Madre regarding how many Internal Affair investigations have taken place during Chief Diaz’s two-year tenure. The City stated that 12 have taken place during calendar years 2006 – 2008 (up to October 23, 2008). However, the Associations legal defense group stated that at least 18 have taken place during this time period. Either way, based upon the City’s number or the legal defense group’s number, the amount of Internal Affairs investigations have increased approximately 100% – 500% per year since Chief Diaz’s arrival. The City contracts out to the firm Norman Traub Associates to conduct these investigations. These investigations cost the City thousands of dollars, all on the taxpayer dime.
5. Due to Chief Diaz’s arrogant acts and horrible management, the Association has had to file two lawsuits against her and the City. The first deals with her violation of the MOU by changing the schedules of dispatchers and officers. The second, is her illegal search of the officers’ private lockers. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of dollars will have to be spent by the City to defend these lawsuits.
6. Chief Diaz has repeatedly harassed her own employees. Chief Diaz has demonstrated a propensity to invade to privacy of her employees for no valid reason. A dispatcher who underwent surgery recently had to deal with the Chief showing up to her house, obtaining her medical records, and having an officer drive her to her medical appointment and wait in the car for her (an utter waste of City money). All of these incidents were against the will of the employee.
It is only after numerous attempts to work together and hoping that Chief Diaz would turn around that the Police Officers Association has taken this action. As members of the community responsible for its public safety and well being, the SMPOA feel an obligation to rid its Department of someone who has an obvious lack of respect for the individuals she supervises and tax-payer money. We seek community support in contacting our City Council Members to rid our Department of such poor leadership. The SMPOA is asking members of the community who have concern with this issue to attend the City Council Meetings generally held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm.
A green flag alert has been issued. Please remember IF a yellow flag alert is issued CARS WILL BE TOWED from streets in the upper and lower canyon. The affected streets are: Mount Wilson Trail, Churchill Rd., Skyland Dr., Fern Glen, Fern Dr., Idlehour Ln., Canyon Crest Dr., Orange Dr., Woodland Dr., Brookside Lane, Sunnyside Lane, Yucca Trail, and Holly Trail. The cars will be towed to Saint Rita’s catholic church at he corner of Grandview and Baldwin, parking lot on Grandview.
