Standard-Examiner: Grievance Against OPD Heard Again

We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that the Commission will boldly embrace its jurisdictional responsibilities in this matter, and unequivocally step down hard, once and for all, against this facially-immoral "double-dipping practice"

Following up on its April 24 story, the Standard now reports that OPD Sgt. Blaine Clifford's grievance matter, objecting to the "Ogden Police Department's practice of allowing selected high-ranking officers to "double dip" salary and pension," was heard yesterday by the Ogden City Civil Service Commission:

• Grievance against OPD heard again

For the sake of Sgt. Clifford, we're delighted that the Ogden City Council, back in 2006, wisely preserved the Civil Service Commission, even in the face of mean-spirited Utah legislation which allowed for its dissolution.

We'll be keeping our fingers crossed that the Commission will boldly embrace its jurisdictional responsibilities in this matter, and unequivocally step down hard, once and for all, against this facially-immoral "double-dipping practice."

That's our take; and we're stickin' to it.

So what say our gentle readers about all this?

Officer Ken Hammond: Two Sides to Every Story

One gentle reader expresses her regret that Officer Hammond's side of the story remains untold

By Dorrene Jeske

There is an excellent letter to the editor in this morning’s Standard Examiner by Janet Rabe.

I agree with her that one mistake does not undo the good things that one has done. Ogden PD has lost a fine and courageous police officer. Officer Hammond has been an exemplary officer who was accused of allegedly using excessive force in arresting a couple.

There are always two sides to every story. That is one reason the Council voted to pass the resolution to retain the Civil Service Commission to protect the Ogden City police officers and firefighters who risk their lives every day that they report to duty. I and a friend lobbied legislators during the legislative session to not support the bill that Mayor Godfrey had sponsored by his cousin, Senator Scott Jenkins, that tried to do away with that protection. I do not condone the use of force, but realistically I am sure there are times when it is necessary especially in our drug-using society.

I regret that Officer Hammond was not able to give his side of the story and that consideration of his heroic and dedicated service was not taken into account by the investigating committee.

"Godfrey's Revenge" Arrives in the House

Senator Scott Jenkins' Senate Bill 229 has cleared the senate by an 18-9 vote, as was reported yesterday by the Standard-Examiner's John Wright:

SALT LAKE CITY - One senator called Ogden's Civil Service Commission Mayor Matthew Godfrey's problem, but that didn't stop the full Senate from passing a bill Wednesday that would allow the City Council to abolish the commission.
Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley, said during floor debate that he couldn't recall Godfrey's name. But Mayne said representatives from the fire service and law enforcement, as well as the Ogden City Council itself, oppose the bill.
This is an Ogden issue that particularly impacts the mayor of Ogden, he said.
Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, the sponsor of the bill, reminded Mayne of Godfrey's name and said he is the son-in-law of former state Sen. Ed Allen.
It doesn't matter, Mayne replied. If it's his problem, let him deal with it. I'm just wondering why we're dealing with legislation to take care of one mayor's problem.
The Civil Service Commission oversees police and fire personnel matters and must approve hiring and firing.
Critics of the legislation argue Godfrey's administration requested it to remove a layer of insulation so the mayor can get back at Ogden firefighters, who did not back his candidates in November's City Council election.
But after the Senate passed the bill in an 18-9 vote, Ogden Management Services Director Mark Johnson said the Civil Service Commission is not Godfrey's problem, it's the city's.
Our ability to hire qualified firefighters and police officers is severely hampered, he said. This rumor that we're going to have mass layoffs is simply untrue.

For those gentle readers who are carefully following the progress of this bill, the following Real Audio files (from the excellent Utah Legislature Website) should be interesting:

Senate floor debate for day 30
Senate floor debate for day 31.

The bill has now been received and introduced in the House of Representatives, but has not yet apparently been put on calendar for debate. Thus, there still remains time to contact your house representatives, if you'd like to register your opposition to this bill.

For our readers' convenience, we are furnishing a link to the Utah House of Representative roster here, from which you can directly transmit your email message.

For those who have not been following this bill, you'll find a background article and many choice reader comments here.

Comments, Anyone?

Keep the Civil Service Commission

We mentioned "Republican" Senator Scott Jenkins in an earlier article, and how he "killed" his own eminent domain revival bill when it became apparent his fellow Republican senators thought him to be "nuts." This previously obscure and relatively unknown senate hack has suddenly come to the public forefront recently, with a flurry of pro-neoCON bills.

We have no idea what's recently driving Senator Jenkins, nor why he's come to the neoCON forefront. Maybe it has something to do with Mr. Jolley, the Ogden City Council bagman lobbyist who, for unknown reasons, still remains on the Ogden Council payroll, despite the swearing in, a month or so ago, of a whole new non-rubber-stamp council group, who were elected to clean up Ogden City's dysfunctional city government.

At any rate, suburban Senator Jenkins still has another bill on the table which is designed to foul up the proper function of our city. Here's a link to his SB 229, which is a true marvel of "intelligent" neoCON draftsmanship. What Senator Jenkins did, in all his brilliance, (with the helpful assistance of Ogden City's Mark Johnson, we understand) was to take a magic marker to an existing statute, and cross out a word or two.

The purpose of this bill, of course, is to punish firefighters and police officers, the people upon whom we depend most primarily for our safety. The object is to remove an objective civil service board from public safety employee protection, and to reduce elite firefighters and police to "employees at will," just like the employees who cut the lawns in the parks... or the employees in the Ogden City recorder's office. What this bill will do, if enacted, is to give tyrannical Utah city administrators unrestrained hiring and firing authority over our professional and primary Ogden City public safety employees. If all goes well for the aparatchiks in the Ogden Administration, Public Safety employees will be grovelling VERY SOON.

I talked with Republican Utah Legislative District 8 Representative Joe Murray today. He knows more than a little bit about the firefighters, having served for about thirty years with the Ogden City Fire Department, before being elected to the state legislature. He's sympathetic to the firefighters, and also VERY sympathetic to the Ogden City Police Department, and their impending plight.

He pledged to me today, that he'll fight with all his effort to kill neoCON Senator Jenkins' ill-conceived SB 229, and to prevent the neoCON drones from reducing our Ogden City Police and Fire Departments to the equivalent of "parks" employees. Joe Murray understands that the layer of protection afforded by a civil service commission is essential to preserving high quality and professional public safety in larger Utah cities; and I'm assured he will not let our firefighters and police down on that.

Please email Rep. Joe Murray at this address, and offer your support for his efforts in this regard.

You can also email your other legislators from these sites:

State Senate

Utah House of Representatives

Let's stand up for the men and women who risk their lives every day to protect our freedom and safety.

Tell your legislators to vote "NO" on neoCON Senator Jenkins' radical SB 229.

Reader comments are welcome as always