The Fullerton City Council moved item twelve, an update from Chief Hughes about the trial of two former officers acquitted of charges in the death of Kelly Thomas, to the beginning of its meeting agenda tonight. Of the fifty or so members of the public who spoke about the item, nearly a dozen expressed support for civilian oversight of the Fullerton Police Department. Following public comments of the issue, Councilman Bruce Whitaker reminded the audience that he did support a public police commission, and voted against the proposal to hire the Office of Independent Review to provide a lesser model of oversight through outside audits by…
These coward politicians in Fullerton, Anaheim, Garden Grove etc don’t see a need for civilian police oversight because they refuse to look. A patently obvious con on the people of Orange County, CA. I saw it first hand in Anaheim, Garden Grove and with the Rep. Loretta Sanchez.
The “police officer’s bill of rights” is the mechanism used in order to cover up police corruption. Chief Hughes’ love affair with the “Office of independent review” is a dynamic that perpetuates the false impression that there is oversight here in Orange County. I’ve witnessed way too much criminal activity on the part of OC law – there is no useful accountability here.