Police union: Poll rips chief's style

The union's leader says many officers criticized the chief's leadership. He's calling for an outside investigation of the chief.

By ALICIA CALDWELL

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 8, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- The police union upped the ante Friday in its roiling battle with police Chief Goliath Davis when it released a membership survey blasting his management of the department.

Bill LauBach, head of the Pinellas County Police Benevolent Association, said the survey results support the union version of an angry exchange at roll call this week between Davis and an officer.

Union members claim Davis was unprofessional and yelled in the officer's face.

"His entire management style is fear and intimidation," LauBach said.

LauBach said the police union planned to ask St. Petersburg Mayor David Fischer to call for an outside investigation of the chief.

Davis was skeptical of the objectivity of the survey and the union's motives in releasing it.

"This is just another attempt to create a controversy and keep things in the media," Davis said. "Why release it now?"

Davis also said that other surveys of police department personnel show officers generally happy with his management. As for what he thinks about the union's request for an outside investigation, Davis said he would leave that to the mayor to decide.

Fischer said Friday afternoon that he had not yet seen any request from the union for an outside investigation and therefore could not comment on it.

Fischer said he likely would be meeting soon with Davis and other city administrators to discuss the roll call incident and decide what action, if any, would be appropriate.

The PBA survey, conducted in February, polled the union's 454 St. Petersburg police members, half of whom responded. The department has 538 sworn officers.

When asked if they thought morale at the department was good, more than 80 percent of those responding disagreed.

They also strongly disagreed with the statement that Davis' management and leadership style was good, and that the police department was a good place to work.

In the incident at roll call Wednesday, Davis and patrol officer Dan Feeley got into a heated exchange about the firing of another officer.

Accounts of the incident vary. Union officials contend Davis was the aggressor, while the police department's top officers say the patrol officer acted inappropriately.

The roll call incident is the latest episode in the contentious relationship between Davis and the union.

The chief's three-year tenure in the top police post has been punctuated by disputes with the union over disciplinary actions and promotion practices.

Last month, talks between the police administration and the union that were set up to improve relations ended when Davis abruptly left the meeting.

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