When I last left the topic of the Irvine Police Department the focus was on whether or not the Department had a “Quota” system within its Traffic Bureau. I got politician style answers and denials which I shared in the last installment. The evidence and reports from Officers on the job I think told another story. Since then further discussion with Officers as well as some concerned citizens has been dominated by more serious matters; Officer morale and safety. While the people who spoke with me (again anonymously-especially since the last story ran) were concerned primarily with Officer on the job safety they also made it clear public safety was an issue as well.
One Irvine citizen-activist who has done a tremendous amount of research as well as expressing her views with Chief Maggard himself, believes the primary issue is in numbers. There are simply too few Officers to handle the Patrol needs of a City the size of Irvine. Her investigating revealed that for a City of over 70 square miles only nine Officers divided into three sectors can be expected to be on patrol and responding to calls at any one time. The Portola sector which is approximately 26 square miles is likely to have only three units at a time. She questioned the Chief about this issue and was continuously reassured there was plenty of patrol coverage. One Officer I spoke with told me that it is simply a matter of time before an Officer is seriously injured or killed due to the inability to get proper backup in a timely manner. This veteran Officer also expressed his concern for the safety of the citizens of Irvine. With so few units on patrol a serious 9-1-1 call could dominate them and as he said to me, “What happens if a second serious 9-1-1 call comes in? It’s about being spread too thin. The Cops are at increased risk and so is the public. But the Chief gets to hold on to the Safest City in America title.” For now that is the case, as Chief Maggard told me himself, “Irvine is very proud of its safe city record and the fact that it has maintained the lowest violent crime rate of any large city in the nation for the past 8 years.” Officers insist that it is only a matter of time before this image fades.
One complaint regarding Officer safety is concerned with the radios they use to perform their duties. Apparently there are buildings in the city that the radios are ineffective transmitting from. If an Officer responds to an apartment on a domestic disturbance call (which are often the most dangerous) and finds him or herself needing assistance and the radio isn’t working, well, the problem and potential for tragedy is obvious.
Officers tell me that this radio issue is addressed by City ordinance but that follow up from the Department has been lax at best. I asked Chief Maggard about the radio problem. He assured me that Officer safety has always been a “top priority with me and our command staff.” My sources have explained what a serious and neglected issue this has been with the leadership and so I feel it is best to quote Chief Maggard at length; “several years ago our city council approved a “first of its kind” ordinance requiring new buildings, including those with subterranean garages or structures that might obstruct the signal of public safety radios, install Bi-directional Amplifiers (BDAs). These BDAs act as “signal boosters” and significantly improve radio communications in these unique areas. Unfortunately, there were a few structures built within the city prior to the ordinance going into effect. As a result we have been partnering with the owners of these developments in order to retrofit them with BDAs. And, we have had good success with these partnerships. We have completed the retrofit of three properties, the most recent, a very large apartment community. Additionally, we are examining a new technology where our patrol cars could be fitted with a “radio power booster” that can respond to areas where there could be radio deficiencies. To further support officer safety, we approved a formal policy for the few remaining buildings in Irvine where communication gaps are known. The policy allows for a responding police officer to request backup assistance prior to entering any location where a communication gap may exist.”
My sources in the Department agree with their Chief that attention has been focused on the matter recently. They also agree that it is not due to forward looking leadership but by pressure applied by outside government agencies such as OSHA. In fact a complaint was filed that initiated momentum to address the problem. Again, one of my new acquaintances explained, “it requires complaining to outside the Department to make any change inside the Department. You have to keep your head down though or your career may be in jeopardy.” This is why Officers like this one have reached out to other agencies and to other press outfits and even to a simple blogger like myself. It is also why I can’t get any of them to speak and agree to use their names. “The leadership keeps its business in house”, I was made to understand.
This returns us to OSHA, the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In the last couple of years they have investigated more than one complaint against the Irvine Police Department. I am told the “radio problem” was one such complaint being investigated and another was even more serious where it focuses on leadership. Apparently, during an exercise on arrest and control techniques one Officer conducting the training session actually broke the neck of a fellow Officer. I was able to find the names of the parties involved in the incident. I made contact with the injured party. I asked him via phone message if he would be willing to discuss his ordeal and the apparent investigation that ensued. He didn’t return my call but did send me a polite email explaining that he would prefer not to relive this event and just wanted to focus on his work. Out of respect to him I chose not to bother him with further questions and am not revealing his name here. There is one interesting aspect to my short exchange with him though; I never left an email address on his voice mail, only a cell phone number. The only people in the Police Department who I have shared that email address with are a Lieutenant who I questioned in my last story and Chief Maggard himself. My guess is this Officer reported my message and was “encouraged” as to how to reply to my query. This is only speculation on my part but interesting just the same. The Officer who conducted the “training” has since retired and I was not able to reach him for comment.
So what is the story behind all of this and is there any truth to the notion that anything occurred that required the attention of OSHA? Well, apparently something. While I was unable to obtain copies of the OSHA Investigations I was able to confirm they took place. I can also confirm that fines were imposed regarding proper reporting of a serious work related injury or fatality. These links provide abstracts from the reports:
http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=313168064
http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.violation_detail?id=313168064&citation_id=01001 Standard Cited: 342 A (18B-CA) Work-Connected Fatality/Injury Reporting (Penalty and Failure to Abate Event History)
And:
http://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=315528984
Clearly something was done improperly enough to warrant investigation as well as the imposition of fines against the Department. My contacts inside again assured me that this is the kind of “reactive leadership” they suffer from and one of many reasons why morale is so low among the rank and file. I am working to get the complete reports on the OSHA Investigations and when and if I am able I will report in more detail those findings. In the meantime though it is obvious there are problems. There is a distinct disconnect between the Officers and those they take orders from.
Another morale issue is created by what is deemed to be a Department that is too “management heavy”. One example given is that the Department employs a full time Lieutenant whose, “sole purpose is as a press information officer.” These type of positions, many Officers believe, absorb too much of the budget and are one of the reasons they haven’t received any pay raises since 2008. As one Officer put it, “In a City that is worth over a billion dollars and one of the wealthiest cities in California it is hard to understand why we are so understaffed, underpaid and under appreciated by Management and the City leadership as a whole.” Not only are they not getting raises they are also paid considerably less than their counterparts in other Orange County Police Departments. These Officers are hoping to get the attention of the City leaders without “outing” themselves and facing reprisals from their bosses. Citizen-activists like the brave Irvine resident I mentioned above are taking their concerns to the City Council and making their voices heard. Tonight the meeting should get interesting. In part three of this small series I will discuss the fallout from that meeting (if any) and many of the other concerns of citizens and Officers alike.
Ok, so let me get this straight. You conducted your own investigation in order to figure out the names of the two involved officers. Are you telling me the anonymous cops you have spoken with were willing to give you all of the above information, but refused to tell you who the involved officers were? Really?
Are you also telling me that you possess the exclusive talent to figure out the involved officer names, but you find it surprising that a police officer couldn’t figure out your email address? In today’s world? Really?
First I never expressed any exclusive talent of investigation. Second, of course it would be possible for a Police Officer to locate an email. The speed with which he replied ( and the boiler plate answer he gave led me to conclude he discussed it with his command. Perhaps I should have printed that message. I was trying to respect his privacy. I am posting what has been brought to me and have sought verification along the way. So, again, I make no special claim for myself and am just trying to pass along concerns that were shared with me. (I’m not getting paid here) I also took a moment to approve and post your comment.
Let me start by suggesting the author needs to do better research, because the photo used shows an Officer with the suspect in a head lock and not a carotid control hold . We have never used a “choke hold” in law enforcement to control a suspect. However, the carotid control is very effective, especially if you are dealing with a suspect one on one. I have used it myself successfully many times as part of the Use of Force Continum, based on the magnitude of the event experienced. If applied properly, the hold quickly blocks the two arteries to the brain, stops the flow of blood and the supsect is out like a light. This is however a highly skilled law enforcement technique and should not be used without such training.
On staffing levels at the Irvine Police Department. From the early days in the history of the department we were one of the lowest Officer to citizen ratios in Orange County. Today, the National average runs at about 2.4 Officers per 1000 people. In Orange County, before the current recession, the ratio used to be around 1.4 Officers per 1000 people. In Irvine we have always staffed at around 1.0 Officers per 1000 and I believe the level is less than that today? Twenty years ago, we negotiated into the MOU with the City a mimimum staffing level of no less that eight Officers on a shift, at any time. I believe the department is currently running with a minimum staffing level of nine Officers on a shift. In my professional opinion, such staffing levels are marginal at best for a City of 225,000 people. This is the primary reason the much publicized “Geo-Policing” concept introduced to Irvine by Chief Michael Berkow, has been a failure. We tried the “Geo” concept back in the late 1970’s and experienced the same problems, increase in response times, calls on hold and a direct result of not having enough Officers to make it work. Our Management Team was smart enough analyze the situation and get rid of it. I have heard rumors recently that the department has also gotten rid of “Geo” policing and is returning to the Area Policing Model, which is almost exactly the same, just more efficient.
While blowing a hot air about Public Safety being top priority, beating their chests and taking credit for Irvine being America’s Safest City, elected oficials could care less about staffing levels or Officer Safety. They don’t understand it and frankly haven’t a clue what Officer Safety even means. However, if response times go up and citizens complain, then the brown stuff hits the fan. Meanwhile, the men and women on patrol in the City, do what they have always done best, “more with less.”
One would think the City Council would be appreciative for the Officer’s extra efforts and for building the Police-Citizen Partnership, the main reason Irvine is safe, but you would be wrong. Under the lack of leadership of Larry Agran and his clones; Beth Krom and Sukhee Kang, over the past four years the Officers have been penalized where it hurts the most, in the pocketbook. While giving no cost of living raises is understandable in tough times, taking away the Officers Merit Increases (Pay for Performance) is unconscionable. This is what Agran and the Gang did to reward the Officers for their great work. This means that a young Officer with a family to support and who was hired four years ago, is still making entry level wages. As a result, some good Officers have left Irvine for other departments. At the same time Agran and the Gang, have been pouring City General Fund Revenue into worthless projects including but not limited to; the riderless Shuttle to Nowhere, the Barkley Theater (White Elephant) and in recent years adopting the Irvine School District. I support our Irvine schools, but they have their own funding mechanism and the City General Fund is not part of it. Additionally, the School District like any other bureaucracy, wastes a lot of money and needs to clean up it’s own act before taking City money. In all fairness and objectivity, I do understand that the Council in it’s magnanimity has recently restored the Merit Pay for employees. Must be an election year and the Council is hustling for an endorsement from the employee unions. If you want to look at morale issues, this is the biggest single cause of poor morale on the department.
Having worked under the best and worst leadership within the Police Department over my 27 year tenure, I understand the concerns of the men and women on the beat. I never worked for current Police Chief Dave Maggard, but from what I see from the outside looking in, he is doing a pretty good job. He is committed to carrying on the ideals and traditions established over thirty years to make Irvine the great department it is. In any organization, Police or otherwise, there are always perceived morale issues. Some of these issues are legitimate and some are imagined. Serving as President of the Irvine Police Association for 17 years, I pretty much saw it all and worked to get them resolved. In organizations, there are always 10% of the people that you will never be able to please under any conditions. The other 90% are sensitive to things like; are they a valued asset of the organization, or just an employee? All employees want to feel like they are part of a Team and that their input and contributions matter. Ignore those things and you will have a morale problem and job performance will suffer. The author of this article alleges that there is a leadership void in the Police Department. I wonder just how many people he interviewed personally and how many were the 10% and how many were the 90%. I am not there, don’t have the facts and prefer to give Dave Maggard the benefit of the doubt, until I see otherwise. If I were giving Chief Magard advice and I don’t, I would encourage him to work on being more visible in the department and working on direct communications. He should be going to briefings fon occasion and spend time in the field with his Officers. From many years of experience, I can personally attest that the Officer on the beat love to see the boss in uniform, out there on graveyard shift, follwing up on calls. Such actions on the part of the Chief and his Command Staff would directly relate to improving Officer morale.
All in all this article hits on a few topics worthy of review by the department including; lack of staffing, response times, safety issues and even excess management positons. A lot will depend on what happens in the Council election in November. If the current Council majority holds, it will be more wasteful spending, more mismanagement at the Great Park and business as usual. However, if the Council majortiy shifts, all bets are off, for both City operations and the Great Park. I would expect to see the new majority implement major changes in the City and a review of all departments should occur, including Public Safety. Bottom line and one that the author shoud consider when continuing to write about the Irvine Police Department……..even with a few problems, it is the still the best in southern California. The credit for that goes not to the politicians or City Managment, but to the men and women of the Irvine Police Department.
LtPar,
I always enjoy your comments! With the numbers that you reported, you can see that the department is understaffed. What I found is that the national average is 1 officer per 1000 residents for a population 200,000 to 249,000 and then 2.5 for populations over 250,000. Irvine has 225,000 residents so using the lowest average of 1/1000, there should be 225 sworn officers and there is only 195, which is about .8/1000. How do they expect to cover the area which clearly has grown over the last 20 years. You mean to tell me that in 20 years, they have only increased 1 officer for their minimum?
Thanks again for your clarification!
Mia
Once again it appears that a public entity is not being transparent with their citizens and top management is just covering their butts. Does this surprise anyone? As usual, the officers who are working there and working the streets are telling the truth because they see it, and the end results, on the street level.
Ltpar, what evidence do you possess that proves Irvine is the best police department in southern California? What are you using to make such a claim? If I was to ask the 8,000 men and woman at the LAPD who is the best I think they would have a different opinion. I think any department in Orange County would not agree with you. Based on what i’ve read, I see nothing special and only the same government bureaucratic issues because Irvine Council is run by Democrats. Only a democrat can take a good idea like the Great Park, waste millions of dollars and still have virtually nothing to show for it 10 years later other than a project that costs more to run than it draws in.
Vince, we could start with the Police-Citizen partnership developed over the past thirty years, resulting in a Team approach to Public Safety. Then, how bout we move on to Problem Base Policing, a concept practiced in Irvine for the last twenty years. Officers no longer tell citizens, sorry that is not a Police problem, we can’t help you. Officers are trained to be problem solvers, working closely with clients, bringing in whatever resources are needed to fix the problem. Next, for the past thirty years Irvine has functioned with a high profile Community Policing Program, with a variety of proactive not reactive programs focused on stopping crime before it occurs. Now, the question is; has this effort paid off? For the last ten years, Irvine has been ranked by the FBI (statistics) as America’s Safest City with a population of over 100,000. Prior to that we were in the top two or three every year. People pay the high prices of housing to live in Irvine for two specific reasons. First is safety for their family. Second, is for the quality schools. Bottom line is you are correct in suggesting that Irvine politics suck big time. While taking credit for the achievements of Community Policing, Agranistas (Agran, Krom & Kang) have screwed the men and women of law enforcement coming and going. At the same time, the quality of the Offficers hired speaks for itself. Their loyalty is to the citizens of the community and not flake politicans who are here today and gone tomorrow. I have the utmost respect for LAPD and my oldest son is a Sergeant in 77th Division. They deal with a different type of client base and do an excellent job of providing police service in a difficult environment. We get many applications from LAPD Officers looking to make the move to Orange County and have hired a number over the years. Hope this answers your question as to why Irvine is the “best of the best.”
Sir, It does to some degree.
I understand the Irvine is a Master Planned Community and with that idea comes many advantages. Some of the programs you speak of where around long before Irvine was even a city. I agree Irvine cops contribute to making Irvine safe, but why hasnt the department and or the city taken care of their cops (Morale, quota issues, etc) ? If Irvine Police Department is the “best of the best”, why is there a morale issue and why are the cops not the best paid? Why is the department supposedly understaffed? These are not the makings of “best of the best.” I thank you for your response to these questions.
Kind Regards,
Vince
Vince, since I am no longer on the inside, I do not have first hand knowledge as to internal issues at Irvine P.D. I do still have sources there and yes, hear the same rumors you do. That said, it would be irresponsible for me to second guess and arm chair quarterback what is happening and to criticise anyone there.
As far as the external issues, I have no such limitations. It all comes down to the City Council majority of Larry Agran, Beth Krom and Sukhee Kang, also known as the Agranistas. While continuing to waste multi-millions of tax dollars on worthless projects like the riderless shuttle to nowhere, Barkley Theater, Childrens Health Initiative and soon to be 5 million annual giveaway of City General Funds to the School District, the Agranistas four years ago, cut off all pay increases to the Cops, including their Merit Pay. Merit pay, is an annual increase, within established salary ranges, based on the quality of the Officers work. With the lowest Officer to Citizen ratio in California, Irvines finest continue to do more with less. Has it worked, you might ask? Excellent question Vince and for the past 10 years, Irvine has been recognized by FBI statistics as America’s Safest City, with a population of over 100,000. While the Agranistas love to bow at public conferences and take credit for this achievement , these clowns had nothing to do with it and in fact have punished the Officers by taking their Merit Pay. If anyone thinks this kind of treatment doesn’t cause major morale issues, then they are in another cosmos. Morale issues have caused the loss of good Officers to other departments. In all objectivity however, I should spoint out the City Council has recently restored the Merit Pay. Unfortunately, there are a number of disgruntled Officers who do not believe (correctly or incorrectly) that their leaders in the Police Department have stood up to the Council and fought for them on the pay and other issues.
You asked why the department is understaffed? Another very good question. With the tough economic times City revenues have not matched expenditures. With the Agranistas continuing to fund their special projects and the masive boondogle of giving millions to the School District, the City continues to run a “deficit budget.” The Agranistas will deny that to their last breath, but every year it is necessary for them to dip into the Reserve Fund for Economic Uncertainty to cover the deficit. As I understand it , that Reserve has been pretty much depleted and may run out of money in the next year or two. With the 5 million dollar Save Our Schools give away (vote buying) about to be locked in for four years, the Agranistas are rolling the dice and betting the economy will improve. If it does not, serious budget cuts will have to be made.
“Eureka,” there is however a bright side to this story of corruption, mismanagement and lack of leadership at the Irvine City Council? It is an election year and the conservatives have mounted a quality slate of candidates to run against the Agranista Political Machine. Team Irvine 2012, consists of long time School Board and City Council Member, Steven Choi running for Mayor against Larry Agran. Long time former City Councilwoman, Christans Shea is coming out of retirement to run for a City Council seat against the Agranista candidates (Beth Krom & PK Wong) Rounding out Team Irvine 2012, is Lynn Schott, a newcomer to elected office, but a high quality candidate who ran agains Larry Agran in 2010, loosing by only 2,500 votes. If elected, Team Irvine will join fellow conservative, Jeff Lalloway on the Council and be the new majority. Team Irvine will return the City of Irvine to fiscal responsibility, open and honest government and clean up the mess at the” Not So Great Park.” So the only question remaining is; are the voters of Irvine ready to clean up both National and Local government? Guess we will know the answer to that question on November 7th. Semper Fidelis.
Oh, for god’s sake — has this whole thing just been setting up a Republican political ad? From the looks of it, yes.
I had a lot of contact with Irvine city government, and with the Irvine P.D. especially, as the primary liaison from Occupy starting last October 13 or so. I did not and still do not see the sorts of disaffection you suggest. I also sat through various budget meetings (while waiting to speak or for them to act) — again, the Irvine budget appears to be in good shape. (I’ll invite some people here to weigh in.) I’ve also had occasion to compare their government to those in Fullerton, Santa Ana, and Anaheim. It’s a standout.
So we have your pseudonymous assertion here that the City Council actually has no responsibility for the “Satest City” ranking, that the police are unhappy, that the reserve is depleted — by the way, the economy is improving, it was in the news — and yet despite the supposedly emptying reserve the Council is somehow able to add $1.5 million per year to its already $6 million per year (cash and in-kind) donation to the city’s schools, without raising taxes. Yeah, something doesn’t add up here — and I think it’s your depiction of crisis and irresponsibility (and corruption, on top of that?) in Irvine. This looks a lot like political hackery on your part.
Your candor has to be considered suspect, given your failure to describe Lynn Schott as a Tea Party leader and Christine Shea as the former Councilmember who fired current Councilmember Jeff Lalloway from a City Commission out of pique a couple of weeks before the 2010 election. But you’re right that the conservative council majority would surely love to sell off hunks of the Great Park to private interests if it gets the chance — which is presumably what you’re hinting at.
I could have lived with your penultimate paragraph, but the treacle level in the last one just made me sick. So bring it, pseudonymous one, if you think that you have the goods. You’ll have a nice debate right here, with people with names.
Greg Diamond, for so little substance, you are a man of a lot of hot air and B/S. Not impressed either with your big words trying to show your intelligence. Intelligence stems not from words, but rather from actions you take. I strongly suspect that if you were anything but a half assed, wantabee writer, you would be commenting somewhere other than the OJ Blog. Of course as an “Occupy” member, that explains a lot as to your lack of credibility. You clowns think you have all the answers to what is wrong with this country. One has to wonder, if you have ever held a real job, or are your just hanging on waiting for The “Great Pretender,” to distribute someone elses wealth your way. From your tent city encampment on the lawn of Irvine City Hall, it is doubtful that you and your fellow Anarchists learned anything about the City of Irvine or Irvine Police Department. What you did learn was the Agranista’s were much more tolerant in dealing with you misfits, than have been other cities. Really don’t have the time or inclination to debate some punk wantabee Anarchist, who would like to join the Great Pretender in destroying our country and then rebuild it in the Marxist Model. I can tell you “Jack” is isn’t going to happen. In conclusion, enjoy your fifteen minutes of fantasy, because those Tea Party People, Republicans and a host of other patriotic American you referred to are coming to take back the government on November 6. When that happens, there is a good chance you social misfits will have to crawl back under your rocks, or worse yet, get a job. Been a slice chatting with you.
I generally don’t dumb down my writing, but my previous post wasn’t anything particularly abstruse. (Of course, the word “abstruse” is abstruse, so you can look that one up.) Let me know what words you didn’t understand and I’ll define them for you.
I said “So bring it, pseudonymous one, if you think that you have the goods” — and you didn’t. Your post is mostly insults. Despite your failure, I’ll pick some buts to address.
Occupy does not “think that [it has] all of the answers to what is wrong with this country” — in fact, not promoting specific ideas was one of the major criticisms of the movement almost a year ago. What we do think is that we’re asking the right questions and engaging the right issues.
Have I had a job? That’s weak. For the record, I was a college and university professor for nine years after getting my Ph.D., spent a year as a federal appellate clerk and then as a lawyer in Manhattan, then a few other law-related jobs here prior to becoming a solo practitioner.
I’m not an anarchist, nor any kind of committed Marxist (though his writings does contain some good critiques and concepts, such as “false consciousness” and “the reserve army of the unemployed,” but I do have friends from Occupy who are nonviolent anarchists, with whom I often argue and respect even when we disagree. I was the point person for dealing with government and police in both Irvine and Fullerton, so yes I had a good vantage point.
Irvine spent less dealing with its occupation (among the longest continuing ones in the country) and came out with its reputation enhanced, to the point that it was getting calls from all over the country asking for tips in how to deal with Occupations. Irvine’s sharing of its experience is one reason why Fullerton’s occupation was also non-violent and productive.
By the way, I do comment someplace other than OJB as well, where I have a much wider audience but not one as local. They’re different kinds of blogging; both have their uses and their satisfactions and I find them quite complimentary.
I’d say that I’m sorry to see you duck the discussion, but as you’re apparently only here to push a slate of candidates you won’t much be missed.
Well now, that was a heated exchange but educational. LTpar, you spoke of the story of lack of leadership, mismanagement and corruption. Would you be so kind to explain to all of us reading this what you are referring to? It seems you have a connection to Irvine and it’s inner workings and I would like your opinion on that. As for Mr. Diamond, I can only say as a civilian observer most of the Occupy people generated more violence, chaos and damage than a positive imprint on society. Greg, with due respect, whether you want to hear this or not, it is the 1% ers that generate the most taxes for those generous government programs and the 1% ers that create most of the private sector jobs in this nation. Government jobs are created from private sector taxes. If Occupy has a beef, it should be with Obama and all the debt and unemployment that has occurred under his watch as President for the last 3 1/2 years. I’ll leave it at that. LTpar, could you please answer my questions? The corruption allegation is most interesting. Thank You kindly, Vince
Vince, would be happy to respond and yours was a good question. Larry Agran has been involved in pay for play going back fifteen or twenty years. In all honesty, it has not been for personal wealth, but rather for retaining power for his Policical Machine, There were developers in Irvine who had to pony up donations to the Agranista Independent Committee to get their projects fast tracked by the city. In those days the Committee was the Hometown Voters Guide, run by an Agran crony and former Council Member Ed Dornan. Over the years millions of dollars were collected and spent by Hometown Voters Guide promoting Agran and his gang and beating up on the opponents. Then, Dorrnan died and the Voters Guide went by the wayside.
Not to fear however, because Larry Agran being the master politican, had another scheme up his sleeve. He has just inherited the Great Park and it’s 200 milllion dollars, supposedly to be used for building a world class park. The Agranistas were way out of their leagure on this project from day one and the Park Board of Directors had only one person on it that was qualified, that being retired Irvine Company executive, Dick Sim. It was noteworthy that Dick Sim later quit the board because of the activities going on there that he did not agre with. The Agranistas jumped into this massive planning scenario, traveling the globe on junkets looking at other Great Parks. They used “No Biid” contracts to reward their political cronies and came up with a plan that couldn’t be done. Fromer Agran political consultants, Forde & Moolrich who had run his election campaigns, overnight became media consultants to the Great Park. They were on a 100,000 per month retainer and turned out milions upon millions of dollars worth of glossy brochures promoting the Great Park where not a shovel of dirt had been turned. At the same time, each election cycle, the Agranistas would assure that there was a local Initiative on the ballot. As with Hometown Voters Gudie a friend of Larry Agran would be running an Independent Political Action Committee supporting that Initiative. Since there is no limit to contributions to Independent Committees, big money from those feeding at thetrough at the Great Park and other vendors doing business with the City poured in like a flood. The Voters Guide was replaced by a weekly newspaper called the Irvine Community News. It looked so much like the Irvine World News, many people thought it was one and the same. 90% of the newspaper promoted the Agranista slate of candidates and 10% supported the Inititative. The editor of this propaganda sheet was a former assoicate of Larry Agran, living somewhere in Central California. It came out one a week flooding the mailboxes in Irivne. We estimated in the 2008 election, when I myself ran on a slate with Christina Shea and Steven Choi, they spend a million dollars. For the most part, we each pretty much financed our own campaign and had minimal contributions. Being incumbents, Steven and Christina were reelected and I was not. Lets face the facts, the old days of a citizen who wants to get elected and work for good local government are long since past. Today, it is “Show me the money.”
Fast forward to the present. This year the Agranista Initiative is the Save our Schools scam. The Initiative, (Measure BB) was not needed, as the City Council could have merely put the contribution to the School District on the Council agenda and passed it by a simple vote. However, Agran needed his legal money laundering mechanisn and here we have the Independent Committee running the intiative with none other than Larry Agran as the Chairman. The O.C. Register just did a very well written article last week about this scam to avoid campaign contribution limits in Irvine and who has already donated to it. Included was a developer with a $20,000contribution and the Irvine Police Union with $5,000. To the normal citizen it looks as if they are supporting local schools, To someone who understands how the game is played, it is clearly a quid pro quo contribution for those who want something from the Agranistas. What kind of deals have been cut behind the scenes, I couldn’t tell you. Anyone who knows how the political game is played in Irvine will tell you, those donations were not made out of the kindness of their heart. I notice that just this week I recieved on my doorstept the first of the many to come propaganda door hangers paid for by the SOS Committee. Yes, frriends the Agranistas are alive and on the march in Irvine.
Is the above legal, apparently so. Is it ethical, honest and transparent government, not on your life. This type of political action by Larry Agran, Beth Krom and P.K. Wong, who love to pat themselves on the back about campaign limits in Irvine, are instead the height of hypocrisy. Sour grapes on my part some may say and they are probably correct. I worked my entire career supporting law and order and giving citizens good government. It rubs me the wrong way to see politicans like the Agranistas who think they are above the law, continue to fool the voters of Irvine. We deserve better representation that these people are giving us. I am not a candidate for anything and will now descend from my soap box. Hope I have answered your question. Stay tuned because I expect the Register to write more about the Agranistas during the campaign ahead.
The officer or officers who have leaked out or out of policy released information, pictures and people’s personal details are an embarrassment to the other IPD officers. They are no less than disgruntled employees and they are more than welcome to leave the organization if they are so unhappy. How unprofessional can you be to air our slightly unclean laundry in public, because that is all this blog has revealed, not much of anything. Just the workings like any other ordinary organization. You can’t please everyone all the time.
Every police department is facing financial challenges right now. We are all lucky that IPD is still able to keep hiring new officers while other departments are facing layoffs or number reductions by natural attrition.
The radio issues came about when the entire county switched to 800mhz and all PD’s have the same problems with reception.
The officer who broke his neck is no lemming. No one can make or pressure him to say anything. He is a good cop with strong moral values and more than smart enough to find a way to contact you. I’m sure he felt that his medical issues were non of your’s, the disgruntled officer’s or anyone else’s business who reads this blog.
Chief Maggard is a good man and I for one am grateful we have a fair leader like him. It bothers me to see him bashed for everything he tries to explain to you. You are trying to dig up some conspiracy or tragic condition that does not exist.
I have never felt like I was in an unsafe situation because of lack of numbers. What you fail to point out is that there are shift overlaps, special detail officers and supervisors on duty at any given time. There are always many more than just nine officers on duty but hey, more officers means more cops to share the work load. Shame on you for letting Irvine citizens feel like they are unprotected because of officer numbers. There are more than enough dedicated cops always vigilant and there to protect them at any given time.
I have always felt proud to be a part of the IPD and have been treated great there. We will continue to care and work hard for our citizen’s no matter who tries to undermine our agency.
By the way, no one made me write this and I’m not seeking a promotion.
Shirl, I’m glad all is good for you. But it seems that there are others who would disagree with your assessment about your place and your Council. If I’m not mistaken, law enforcement agencies serve the public and are transparent in their all of their duties and are held at a higher standard than private businesses. Officers names on a leader board are not secret. There is no such thing as dirty laundry. Your wages and benefits are public information. If you cant accept the criticism from others you are in the wrong line of work. Im glad your coworkers spoke out. Thats how corruption is brought to light. I have read both blogs and have come to the conclusion that Irvine needs to do a better job on how they police and how they serve. Have you read all of the lady’s comments? Even she had an issue with how the department answered her concerns. How do you explain that? We all know that no organization is perfect, but that’s why you have a mechanism of answerability. I’m glad this has come to light. Maybe it will force a change for the better and improve morale. If it was a grand as you claim, why is there low morale? I don’t think anyone was forced to write what they did. It came to light because there are problems. Regards, Vince
Shirl,
I agree with Vince but let me add a few of my own thoughts…
I have several friends at IPD and I have spoken with them and heard their complaints on several occasions. I also have worked (and am educated in) in law-enforcement and have experienced firsthand how the politics work within a department.
I have learned through personal experience that if you challenge the status quo of management, you will be labeled and quickly insulated from any access to the inner circle. Because you easily labeled your coworkers who spoke about your dirty laundry as “disgruntled”, it would appear to me that nothing has changed.
I applaud the officers who had the balls to speak out about the problems within IPD. Irvine residents, including myself, need to know the concerns of the officers we support and rely on to keep us safe. The officers who spoke out are the type of officers I wish we had more of working for society, not politically correct lemmings like yourself. Your comments only prove my point.
Journalists, whether they are from the paper, or on a blog serve a vital role in today’s society as they provide a way to expose problems within our govenemtn when their leaders either fail to, or choose not to, correct issues. Whether it was the video of the Rodney King being beaten, or the Thomas Kelly incident in Fullerton, today’s blogger plays a role in exposing problems by bringing these otherwise silent issues to our attention. As an officer, your view is very narrow-minded and I imagine you are the type of officer who is stat-driven, rather than community oriented, safety, or education-driven.
Do you ever do any research? Irvine is not facing any financial challenges. Please take the time to read your city’s budget. The Orange County Register has even reported that Irvine is wealthy and has over $1 billion in assets. If anything, Irvine should have more cops on the streets than other cities with lesser means but it doesn’t! It concerns me, that once again we are falling in to a trap where the police department and public safety in general is not a priority.
You may feel safe, but others in this city do not. And it is obviously enough of a problem that officers felt compelled to tell this blogger about it.
I am sure Chief Maggard is good man. But don’t confuse being a good person and being a good leader. If he was a good leader as you claim, then why are officers desperate enough to go outside to get relief? Could it be because he doesn’t fix problems? Is he more concerned about political ramifications to himself and close advisors than he is about being the leader this community deserves? If that’s the case, then IPD needs to find new leadership.
Out of curiosity, I reviewed the uniform crime statistics presented by the FBI and looked at Irvine’s crime numbers. You may be doing well with violent crime but you’re getting killed on auto thefts. Maybe if you spent less time trying to write everyone tickets to keep up your stats and instead focused your patrolling in the crime areas where your cars are getting stolen from, you would see a drop in that crime index? I am tired of watching the very citizens who pay their taxes to support the General Fund being treated like a second revenue stream for the department. If you were truly concerned about safety, you would educate motorists, rather than cashing in on them.
Vince was correct. Citizen “Mia”, who posted on these blogs is not happy with your service. Is she disgruntled? I read her blogs on parts 1 and 2 and saw her speak to council on September 11th. Your Chief has not answered her questions and it appears he is just trying to side step her based on what she posted.
My sources say she probably caught him in his staffing numbers game. You call that being a good leader? I don’t. You can’t tell me that on graveyards you have all those extra people on patrol. And graveyards is probably when most of the property crimes and auto thefts are occurring.
Ted, keep up the good work. We citizens want transparency at our public agencies.