I've just posted a new edition of "Catching Up With..." on my SierraMadreNews.Net website. Catching Up With... is an occasional interview column where I chat and/or carry on an e-mail dialogue with people that I think might hold an interest for News Net readers. This edition of the column includes a telephone interview I conducted with Sierra Madre Police Chief Marilyn Diaz.
Catching Up With…Sierra Madre Police Chief Marilyn Diaz
Recently, the Sierra Madre Police Dept. has been the subject of news articles, relating to lawsuits filed against the Chief and the City by the Sierra Madre Police Officers’ Association (POA), and a Vote of No Confidence announced by the POA. After I read about the lawsuits being announced in the Sierra Madre Weekly, I contacted SMPD Chief Marilyn Diaz, and requested to talk with her about them. The Chief was out of town, but upon her return, she said she’d be willing to discuss them with me. In the interim, the Star News story about the Vote of No Confidence was published. Chief Diaz and I were finally able to connect by phone on Saturday, Nov. 8th, and that conversation is excerpted here as this edition of “Catching Up With…”
SMNN: It has been suggested to me that what we have here is you trying to hold people accountable, and them not liking it.
Chief: I think that…in any organization when you try to bring about changes some people have a harder time adjusting to the changes, and they aren’t comfortable with the challenges associated with providing upgraded services to the community.
Read the rest of the interview here...but remember to come back and post your thoughts after you've read it...
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It's interesting that now the department has got their raise, they are raising hell. Thanks for taking the time to interview the Chief, I think that there have not been enough outsiders brought into the department to add fresh and new vision and ideas.
ReplyDeleteHey 91024, welcome back. For those who don't know, 91024's blog is back in action after being idle since late May or early June. http://sierramadre91024.wordpress.com. Regarding this police issue, I also find it ironic that the City didn't have the money to give them their raise without raising the residents' utility tax, and now the city may have to spend that money on attorneys instead of the cops. Remember, the money raised by the utility tax was not earmarked specifically for the PD's pay raises, so the City can use it however they see fit. With all the money the City is going to have to pay for emergency services if the rains come down this winter, there may not be money to pay the attorneys without dipping into the utility tax money. Of course, there is a contract with the POA, so the City's on the hook to them, no matter what. It would just be nice if they could settle this without costing the City tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in attorney fees.
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