Red Oak Investigator’s Report – Exclusive
The investigator’s report that was launched as a result of pressure put on Red Oak police to write an excessive amount of traffic tickets is now available for public viewing. Before the report is made public, here is what one city councilman alleged before the report was given:
Councilman: I don't know if anyone has given you the actual investigator's report, but here it is. Now its important to keep in mind that..... the Mayor and City Manager admitted to interfering with the investigation as early as Tuesday before the meeting Saturday night. The Council motion called for this investigator to report directly to Council, but once the Mayor and City Manager heard that the report was going to be damning not just on quotas, but also against the City Manager, they choose to meet with the investigator for over 2 hours in City Hall and whitewhashed his investigation.
Also, keep in mind that the investigator was not asked to give his opinion, nor render a verdict since he is not a court of law, but rather to provide council with the facts he found, and as you can see from the report, there were rampant reports of quotas all through the force. And again, [no council member] ever accused anyone of quotas, we were simply speaking on behalf of what Red's own officers were saying to us, and as this report proves, we were right.
We’ll Mayor Ron Bryce and City Manager Ken Pfeifer respond to these, and publish those as well. Just send them to: elliscountyobserver@hotmail.com.
To: Mayor Ron Bryce
From: Sherman Baxter
Date: March 21, 2007
Subject: Review of Red Oak Police Department
On March 13, 2007, on authority of the City Council of the City of Red Oak, Texas, you authorized me to do a review of the work procedures and practices of the Red Oak Police Department. This review was to include a specific investigation into whether the practice of establishing an illegal ticket quota had occurred. I did begin my investigation on March 13, 2007, and concluded my on- site review on March 20, 2007. The following is a summation of my findings into the allegation of illegal quotas.
I have interviewed almost all of the officers and supervisors of the police department including the Chief of Police, Donald Fullerton, and the Deputy Chief of Police, Steven Anderson. In the Municipal Court, which is under the Police Department, I interviewed the Court Administrator and the Court Clerk, and I also conducted interviews with the Police Communications supervisor and two of the dispatching staff.
In my interviews, I found a fairly consistent pattern that the officers and supervisors feel that the department has shifted its goals. They feel that undue pressure is being placed on them to issue traffic citations at the expense of all other police duties. The general consensus of opinion is that the overall direction of the department has shifted from one of law enforcement and protection of the citizens to one of generating revenue from traffic citations.
I interviewed two current officers and one former officer who felt that they were given a specific number of citations to issue, and they felt that this was establishing a quota. One meeting, between two of the officers and the Chief of Police, seems to be the main source of the allegations of quotas and was described as follows: The officers reported that they were called to a meeting with the Chief of Police, and when they came to his office, they observed that the grease board in the Chief’s office had a list of officers’ names with numbers out beside them. They observed their names and could recognize the first number as the citations they had issued the previous month. The next number was a much higher number and was explained to them to be a projected number. The Chief felt that if they wrote this number monthly, it would help the department, as a whole, attain it’s goals. Both officers felt that the Chief was setting a quota for them and advised him of such. They stated that he did back down from the numbers and changed his approach to the subject. These figures did remain on the board for several days before they were erased. This board was, and still is, easily viewable by anyone in the hallway of the police department when the Chief’s office door is open. Both Lts. in the department, after learning of this meeting, did advise the Chief that in their opinion, he was violating state law by this approach and that he needed to change his methods to avoid further problems. In my interview with the Chief, he did state that the description of the board, as described by the officers, was basically correct. He stated that his intent was not to establish a quota system, but to show the officers what his goals were for the department and what he needed from them to reach his goals as set in the budget.
I interviewed one officer who stated that they were given an exact number of citations that the Chief would like for them to increase their citations by monthly. However, the Chief did not give any repercussions if these goals were not met. The officer did not meet the goals and no repercussions occurred. The officer did not feel that being given a number as a goal was proper, but did not question the Chief about the matter.
I interviewed one Sergeant who stated that when it was time to complete the evaluations on his officers, he was told to base them largely on citations. He did not complete the evaluations at that time and was later told to go ahead and complete them the way he wanted. He then completed the evaluations, properly basing them on the officers’ total abilities and performance in all fields.
These three incidents are the closest I could find to an established quota system. I do not feel that these things constitute establishing a quota system as described in the Texas Transportation Code and do not feel that there is a quota system in place in the City of Red Oak. I think that these described instances show poor managerial abilities in how you convey information to officers under your command. I do feel that if this type of behavior had been allowed to progress, it would have evolved into a quota system as described under the law. However, this did not occur.
_____________________
Sherman W. Baxter
17 Comments
April 1, 2007 at 4:56 pm
“However, this did not occur.”
Technically. Chief was planting the seeds of a quota without ordering it.
April 1, 2007 at 8:16 pm
It is time for the whole truth to come out. This has gone on long enough. The citizens of Red Oak deserves the truth in this matter. If the city manager and Mayor did interfere in the investigation, they should resign without being asked. Enough is enough. If there was a cover up, please city council, clean this up.
April 1, 2007 at 9:36 pm
He did not order the quota, you just said so yourself. This did not occur, it was made public for all to see. What is your point? Anyone that has worked for a department knows they are to make contact with people, it is up to the officer if they write the tickets. I never heard him say” hey you write 30 today and you write 25 today”. He just showed what his projections were. I thought he showed this to the council and they voted on it. Why else would they agree to buy all those new cars? No one was griping about the new cars or the new stuff the department got. There were no problems until people representing the city had friends that got tickets. Speeding is speeding, no matter who you are or who you know. If someone higher up has a girlfriend that got a ticket, does that mean stop the division? I guess so. The councilmen knew this would bring in money to help cover the city’s budget, that is why they voted yes and wanted to add more officers and a motorcycle. Dang, how much longer are we going to keep bringing this up? He was found innocent, he got fired anyway, let it go. Stop letting the councilmen try to defend themselves, they screwed up, they know it. It’s too late to take it back now. The whole town knows and we will all remember when it comes time for election. Now I wonder what councilman gave this report out? Was it the same one who gave the letter the officers wrote? And does the investigator know that you went on here and are saying his investigation report was whitewashed? That does not say too much for him or his ethics. Hey is going to run for council next? How does the Mayor feel about your allegations? I am sure that the city manager is use to you pointing the finger at him, but now saying the mayor is in on it too. Always pulling something else out of your hat, when everything else has failed. One would think that you would just set back and let this rest, but you just keep on, digging yourself deeper and deeper. God help our city if these two stay on the council. And by the way, that report was already printed in the Waxahachie paper last Sunday. What took the councilman so long to come up with this?
April 2, 2007 at 6:32 am
your city council ordered a traffic division. you have to train men or women for a new job. or do you at work just know how to do something new and need no training. i guess you are a special and god gave you a gift to know all.
April 2, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Well I saw the report in the paper also. As soon as I read it. I said yep it was true there was a quota system in Red Oak. I know the laws of Texas very well. As I am a lawyer. And I can tell you this the Texas Rangers should have been call to investigate this one!!! Not someone who got paid big money to say what ever the city manager and Mayor wanted him to say.
Besides the guy never reported to the council as stated for him to do. So his job was not complete!! So he should not get paid!!!
I say call the Texas Rangers anyways and let the investigate the whole matter. The quotas and the cover-up by the mayor and city manager.
April 2, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Your Right
Technically. Chief was planting the seeds of a quota without ordering it.
Thats what the report sounds like to me. Where did they get this guy?? He is a joke!!!!
April 2, 2007 at 3:35 pm
The Mayor hired the investigator, I guess you could say the fox was guarding the henhouse.
April 2, 2007 at 7:50 pm
You want to investigate people, try the city councilmen who started this mess. Let’s look at the code of ethics for the council and the code of conduct. I don’t think they are suppose to just go to the press without consulting everyone else, but they did. I don’t think they were suppose to be talking to the press when the investigation started, but they did. They are the only ones on tv talking. How is that not hendering the investigation? The men were fired, what else do you want? We know why you wanted them fired, so Ben’s good friend Tom could have the chiefs job. And they want the city manager fired, so they can do what they want, when they want. I have seen several blogs on here bring up the fact that these men knew all along about the traffic division but failed to mention it, until someone told on them. And now instead of facing the music and admitting “their” wrong doing, they are now trying to get another investigation going. How many will it take until they are satisfied? How much more tax dollars will they spend of ours? They are already in so much debt, how much more do the councilmen expect us to pay? I say if there is an investigation, it should include investigating the two councilmen who started this and the officers who complained about having to work. What do they have to lose? I find it very odd that this all started by two councilmen griping that the streets were not being patrolled because the police were too busy working the interstate. Then it shifted to
“our friends” got tickets and we think there might be a quota. Then to top it all off you are playing “it was a botched” investigation. You can come up with something better than that…how ’bout we were wrong. That would be a great campaign slogan.
April 2, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Where have you been? This report came out in the Waxahachie paper over a week ago…thanks for the latest breaking news. Did the anonymous councilmen really think he was giving us something new?
April 4, 2007 at 11:50 am
Nope you’re wrong! Ben and Casey are citizen’s first then councilmen. They had just as much Wright as you are I have to go to the paper. You want to talk about code of ethics and the code of conduct. Well let’s look at that for the mayor and city manager. They should have never talked to the investigator with out the council. Because the council order the investigation by a vote of 4-0. And they ordered the investigator to report to them. Not the Mayor and city manager. He never reported to the council! So someone needs to file ethics charges on the mayor and city manager!
April 4, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Oh, I am sure that Ben and Casey will do that. They are good at starting investigations, anything to take the heat off them. We also know that at least one of them, Ben, doesn’t keep his word. I believe that he told one of the papers that if Fullerton and Anderson were found not guilty, that he would apologize. Still have not heard of him doing so. I guess the words” I was wrong” or “I am sorry” are not in his big vocabulary. He can only point fingers and say ” vote for me”. I hope that none of his skeletons come out of the closet before election time or he is going to wish he never had opened his mouth. Like you said, everyone has the right to go the paper. I just wonder if he will like what he reads? Hmmm, I wonder if he will like seeing his picture this time?
April 4, 2007 at 7:42 pm
I agree that they have the right to go to the paper, but they are also obligated to tell the whole story, which they did not. They first went saying that the city was not being protected, failing to tell the citizens that there was a traffic division (how could they forget, they voted for it and wanted more officers hired to write more tickets, to bring in more money), then they went with the whole quota thing. And now they want the city manager and mayor investigated. It seems to me they are always busy trying to stir up things around here. How do they have time to run their business when they are so busy in everyone else’s? I think that when it comes to something they voted on as councilmen, it is a conflict of interest. I guess they did not think that it would come out that they wanted to hire more officers to write more tickets, so that they city would get more money.
April 4, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Joe M,
Why would you want to waste more time on something that does not matter anymore? The two were fired, what else are you going to do to them? And I don’t think that the officers still working want too much more investigating done, they might be the next ones to go. Hasn’t our town had enough bad press. It was really nice to go a whole week without seeing us on the news. Let it go. Or are you friends with Ben and Casey and want to see the Mayor and City manager gone? The grass is not always greener on the other side.
April 9, 2007 at 7:34 am
Ladies and Gentlemen of Red Oak,
I really don’t know what to say about all this mess. Its embarrassing and does not bode well for our city but it seems to have been handled quickly and with prudency and for that I do appreicate our City Manager and Mayor. I work at DFW Airport and I received a citation on Ovilla Road, March 5, 2007 for going 50 in a 45 at 4:50 am on my way to work. I don’t believe I was going even that fast but could not make any headway with Officer C. Janzten Badge #322. He was adamant on giving me a citation for 10 mph over so he wrote the ticket for 55 in a 45. I really believe he was just out trying to increase his citation total and I do believe he is in the wrong for harrassing people that are law abiding citizens on their way to work. The speed limit on that stretch of Ovilla Road, just before FM 342 coming from East to West goes from 55mph to 45mph. I think its ridiculous to give me a ticket for this and had he not been on a citation issuing mandate he would not have done this. My point is this: Give the police department something productive, something more important, something that generates better Public Relations; issuing tickets to law abiding, speed abiding citizens only makes things worse. Its hard to believe that this kind of stuff still goes on. There is no room for me to make a mistake but the City of Red Oak can? I don’t think so. Robert Montalbo. Stainback Road. Red Oak. Have a good day and here’s to no more rain as I get flooded on Bear Creek. If anyone knows who might be able to deliver some free fill dirt at 1629 Stainback I’ll take it. Thanks and God Bless. That’s it. This is a Blog, isn’t it?
April 9, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Isn’t it strange that most of the people on here bloggin seems to be from the Stainback Rd area? They all admit that they were speeding, but none think that they deserve the ticket. I love how they think it is ridiculous to write a ticket for speeding and that they think that the department is harrassing them. One gentlemen even gave the name of the officer that gave him the ticket. If he was harrassing him, did he file a complaint? Let me guess, he filed one with the officers who are no longer there. It’s a sad day when citizens admit they were speeding, but think that they are sooooo special that they don’t deserve a ticket. What makes them so special? I got one in Dallas for 10 over and I did not get anyone fired over it and I did not go and complain to my boyfriend, who is on the council. I just pressed hard(three copies you know) thanked the motorcycle cop for making my day and went on and paid the ticket. I see Lancaster, DeSoto, Glen Heights, and Dallas sitting on the highway everyday writing tickets and have not seen them on the news. Oh, but I guess they were not writing tickets to their own citizens or the citizens were not someone’s girlfriend or wife. I never knew the oath the officers took, said not to write tickets to the people on Stainback or to the councilmen’s friends or girlfriends. But I guess as long as Ben and Casey are still on board that is how it is. The fact is the law is the law and weither or not you think there was a quota does not matter. The investigation was done, they were fired, what else do you want?
April 10, 2007 at 1:18 am
Let me guess your Scott lindsey’s girlfreind. Well I think you are a fool. Because if you do a little research you will find that most of the tickets were wrote to citzens in uptown Red Oak not in Stainback area as you stated. I am a police officer in another city and it is very common that officers do not strat writing tickets untill 10-13 over the speed limit. And it is very uncommon for a officer to write a ticket because someone did not use thier turn signal when changing lanes. But these officers all went to councilmen and reported that they were being forced to write more tickets. So I guess your saying all the other officers are lying? And Red was not? Well I can tell you this protecting the citzens of Red Oak was put on the back burner under Reds command. And the investigator stated at the council meeting tonight that Red put The city of Red Oak under a great risk of liablity under his command. So there was other problems with him besides the ticket stuff.
April 10, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I am not anyone’s girlfriend. And how was he putting anyone on the back burner, when he started the traffic division to keep more officers on patrol and the “traffic division” doing traffic. I stated that the majority of people griping were from the Stainback area, not that the tickets were given in that area. And if you were listening the investigator stated that in his opinion the officers that were let loose from training too soon could have been a liability. Check your facts, Fullerton was out of town when most of those officers were let loose too soon. So go blame the one in charge of that while he was gone. And what did the city do before the training program was started? You are the fool for believing everything you hear. I say we investigate the actual tickets that were given and lets see how many were written for less than 10 over. And why we are at it, lets request the personal files of the officers who made these complaints, because I know the department is full of bad seeds. Many have been given second chances from other departments and inside the ROPD itself. He’s gone, but you continue to still point fingers at him, so I think we should start pointing fingers at the ones that are still there. I think the citizens will love to hear all the stuff that goes in the police department. How many officers are on probation? And why? I hope they are not your girlfriend or boyfriends, because they will probably be on the unemployment line before this is all over.
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