Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan
Posted on 03/16/2012 2:38:12 PM PDT by SmithL
The city of Berkeley has hired a law firm to investigate the police chief's decision to send an officer to a reporter's home after midnight to push for changes in a story, officials said today.
Interim City Manager Christine Daniel issued a statement confirming the independent investigation shortly after the police union called for an outside probe, saying the top cop should be held to the same standard as the rank and file.
Chief Michael Meehan has apologized for what he has described as an "error in judgment." Any officer under his command who did what the chief did would have to undergo a formal inquiry, leading to possible disciplinary action, said Rocky Lucia, an attorney for the Berkeley Police Association.
"It is appalling that the city of Berkeley has seen fit to simply allow this incident to slide into a media graveyard without further examination or review," Lucia wrote in a letter to Daniel. "Based on the reported comments by city officials, it is abundantly clear that the chief's mea culpa has afforded him a 'free pass.'"
The attorney said Meehan may have violated department policies, including those requiring officers to be courteous and not to engage in supervisory misconduct.
...controversy erupted after Meehan ordered police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, the department's public information officer, to go to the Berkeley home of Bay Area News Group reporter Doug Oakley at 12:45 a.m. last Friday after efforts to reach the journalist by phone and e-mail failed.
About an hour earlier, Oakley had posted an online story about a raucous community meeting Meehan had attended that evening. The story reported that Meehan had apologized for the department's slow response in connection with the Feb. 18 slaying of Berkeley hills resident Peter Cukor, who had called police about an intruder in his garage.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan
Pure intimidation tactics by the police chief. He should be fired at 12:45am. The only saving grace is no dogs were killed in the encounter.
Hey, why doesn’t he have five stars? Eisenhower did!
Any officer under his command who did what the chief did would have to undergo a formal inquiry, leading to possible disciplinary action, said Rocky Lucia, an attorney for the Berkeley Police Association.That'll teach him to listen to orders to go easy on Occutards.
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