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Method of police interviews disputed
By ANNE LINDBERG © St. Petersburg Times, published October 22, 2000 PINELLAS PARK -- The investigation into allegations of a "hit list" in the Police Department crashed to a halt Friday morning as officers and the city's consultant disagreed on the ground rules for interviews. "We want the interviews to be tape recorded. They don't want to tape record them," said Jim Paine of the Florida Police Benevolent Association. Paine was chosen to represent the Pinellas Park police officers who will be questioned during the investigation. The Pinellas County branch of the police union could not do so because of a possible conflict of interest. The allegations potentially pit sergeants against officers, both of whom the local union represents. The investigation was deemed necessary after two male officers filed union grievances saying they were named on a "hit list" of employees targeted for dismissal from the Pinellas Park department based on their ages and willingness to speak out. The city first tried to conduct an internal investigation of the allegations but later decided it would better be handled by an outsider. The City Council at its last meeting agreed to pay Tampa attorney Robert Lewis up to $10,000 to investigate the allegations. That investigation began Thursday with one interview. Interviews with officers were supposed to take up most of Friday, but Lewis did not get far. The issue over tape recording halted the first interviews. Lewis did not return a phone call Friday asking for comment. Pinellas Park City Manager Jerry Mudd said he was aware that the investigation had been halted over the dispute about tape recordings. He said he was not clear why Lewis would not want the interviews recorded, but he was certain things would work out. "I feel very confident this investigation will be recontinued very soon," Mudd said. Other worries may also have been raised during Friday's aborted interviews. Officers and union representatives want to make sure the sessions are conducted with respect to the police officers' Bill of Rights. It's unclear what the city's position on that might be. "We want to make sure these officers are afforded every right they're entitled to," Paine said. "We're having some problems there. It basically boils down to ground rules for these interviews." The inability to reach an agreement halted the investigation. It will not begin again until city and union representatives work out the problems. "This is something that's going to have to be worked out by the attorneys," Paine said. "The city has an opinion. We have an opinion. They differ right now." Mudd said he was not aware that anyone had raised concerns about the officers' Bill of Rights. Allegations of a hit list are just a few of the problems facing the Pinellas Park Police Department. Earlier this year, three women filed separate claims with state and federal agencies alleging they'd been victims of sexual discrimination and harassment. In mid-September, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that the police discriminated against one of them when she was given a civilian job while pregnant. The EEOC also said that police twice retaliated against Shirley Atherton Marsh because she had filed discrimination claims against the department. The federal agency also found that the discrimination extended to all women. Marsh no longer works for the Pinellas Park department. Early last week, the EEOC decided it could not complete its investigations in the other two cases within the 180 days required by law, so it issued right to sue letters in both cases. That means Pinellas Park police Officers Donna Saxer and Cindy Martin have 90 days to file suit against the city or lose their right to do so. St. Petersburg attorney Catherine Kyres said she hopes to avoid a lawsuit. That can be done, she said, if the city will negotiate a settlement with Saxer and Martin. While that could mean some money, it would also mean significant changes in the way the city operates its Police Department, Kyres said. "I have some neat proposals," she said. Kyres declined to enumerate them, saying, "I have to share them with the city first. . . . Then hopefully, we can have a joint announcement on what's been reached. . . . If the olive branch is not accepted, we'll go to court." It's unclear how receptive Pinellas Park might be to suggestions from an outsider, particularly one that's trying to sue officials. First, Pinellas Park leaders say there's no discrimination in the department, despite federal findings. At most, Mudd said, there has been "disrespect" shown the women. "I don't think we're denying there's been disrespect in our Police Department," Mudd said. That disrespect and low morale is why the city hired an outside consultant to do a climate survey. The results should be back by the end of the month, Mudd said. After that, there could be some changes in the department. There have already been changes to improve morale, Mudd said. One of those is the implementation of a four-day work week. Officers will work 10 hours a day and have a three-day weekend. When pressed, however, Mudd could not name any programs directed at solving the specific allegations the department is facing about sex, age and race discrimination. The city manager did point to the bicycle rodeo held this month. That event, Mudd said, gave all officers a chance to do something positive. The officers there were male, female and those whose "origins (are) from many places throughout the world." The department, he said, is doing its job in hiring and fielding a diverse force, even if minorities and women are poorly represented in training and management positions within the department. "I believe today there is equal opportunity in the Police Department," Mudd said. "The fact that the chief is a woman attests to that." Dorene Thomas is the interim chief, appointed by Mudd after David Milchan resigned while under fire from Mudd. She was the only woman in management in the department and Mudd had to reach past two higher-ranking males to appoint her. On Friday, he denied that her selection was a public relations move to offset the allegations of sex discrimination that were swirling around the department. "We did not impede Dorene Thomas or hold her back from becoming interim police chief because she is a (woman)," Mudd said. Thomas was the most qualified for the job, he said. Since Thomas has become chief, no female police officers have been promoted to positions of management. "It's business as usual, which is troubling," Kyres said. Still, Kyres said she's not giving up hope for changes. "I'm an optimistic lawyer."
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