Friday, January 8, 2010

Chief Monroe will meet with City Council

Rodney Monroe has spoken again this time promising to "To rebuild trust" and to get to the bottom of the Marcus Jackson case and review police policy.

A week from now when all the dust settles, after all the posturing by Rodney Monroe and Mayor Foxx, this is what we may learn if all the rumors and guess work are true:

Marcus Jackson’s prior employment history as a personal trainer was checkered at best.

Jackson has a degree from UNCC.

A total of seven victims will have come forward and countless small crimes and misdemeanors will have been dismissed by the District Attorney's Office.

We will learn that Jackson had a "take home" car. (CP is fairly certain this is false)

We come to know that Jackson and Monroe were classmates at the academy taking several classes together as Monroe was studying to pass his BET.

We will also learn that because he was black, Jackson was given certain “benefits” not afforded to white officers at the CMPD.

We have already learned that the CMPD failed to discover Mr. Jackson’s criminal past, didn't examine the civil court records and may have also over looked his credit scores and while Chief Monroe has redirected the blame to an outside investigation firm, we will learn that he is also telling a half truth.

The truth will come out that ISS the company Monroe referenced, conducts background investigations by calling personal references and former employers of all police candidates, but according to sources familiar with CMPD operations the criminal background check portion of the application process is always conducted by the department.

Monroe has indicated that they will "review" the use of an outside agency for background checks. This we will learn is utter bullshit, ISS is the last hope we have for checks and balances and avoiding Monroe's continued cover up as he hires substandard applicants in the name of diversity. ISS however may become the goat if council is dumb enough to buy into Monroe's lies.

We will understand that Jackson's civil suits and civil court matters were over looked, cases that included allegations of domestic violence, something that should have prevented Jackson’s hiring.

In fairness, finding the prior 50-B order from the civil court would be nearly impossible as the courts have 100’s of Marcus Jackson’s on file.

The Chief in his first press conference stated that Jackson was hired prior his (Monroe’s) coming to Charlotte. Of course this we now know is a lie as Jackson was hired in November nearly 6 months after the Chief’s June hire date.

Now the Chief says he replaced the Captain of the recruiting department in November of 2008. But we already know that the Captain in question was replaced because of that Captain's objection to the hiring of Rodney Monroe's daughter's boyfriend.

Monroe said Jackson would not have been hired had he known about Jackson's past. He also pointed to the fact that the police department changed the structure of its recruiting department and that other personnel in charge of recruitment were replaced in 2008 as well.

We will also eventually learn that Monroe systematically removed those who objected to his hiring demands. These changes have allowed several new officers with less than acceptable records to join CMPD including a rumored assault conviction and armed robbery conviction not to mention his daughter's boyfriend who has both DMV and non-support issues.

We will also understand that Jackson was apparently given a free pass on his first suspension for speeding and second suspension for domestic violence. Suspension for a rookie cop would normally mean termination but in Monroe’s “new” CMPD, the internal affairs department is Rodney Monroe. So one can only assume the Chief signed off on keeping Marcus Jackson in uniform. A mistake he will of course never admit.

We will learn that Chief Monroe's quest for diversity is the reason Marcus Jackson was hired by CMPD.

Sometime before Monday the chief will find a "goat" to throw under the bus. Someone to pass the blame for Jackson's "adjusted" suspension.

On Monday Monroe will appear before City Council. He doesn’t have much to loose, he will not be under oath and will weave and dodge his way through what should be a rather one sided event.

The democrats will go easy praising the Chief for all his hard work and reducing crime, ignoring the fact that across the nation crime is down.

And the Republican council members will press for more transparency.

Mayor Foxx has already tipped his hand by saying: “The police chief in this instance has been very up front with the public, and that’s the most important thing,”

No your honor the most important thing is to have someone we can trust someone that will lead by example, and we don't have that with Chief Monroe.

In the end nothing will change, Monroe and his goonies will still run CMPD, Curt Walton will still have a clown face and Mayor Foxx will say all is well.

Oh and Jackson? He will spend sometime in the slammer, but this too shall pass.

And life in Meckburbia will go on.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cedar I hate to admit it but you are so correct, this will all blow over and we will still be stuck with ROMO!

Anonymous said...

Rumor has it he had a take home car up until his 2nd suspension!! (Not the first suspension) can this be confirmed? And how was that allowed!

Anonymous said...

Next thing we know, another good officer will be sent to 3rd shift as punishment!!!

Anonymous said...

You have no right to post these lies. Chief Monroe is the most respected Chief of the police we have ever had in Charlotte!

I hope he locks your sorry and obviously white ass up!

Anonymous said...

I am not sure who posted the 9:55 comment, but I think they are high on RoMo coolaid.

I just read this on the WFAE link that Cedar Posts has elsewhere on this site:

Jackson has only been patrolling by himself for the last 7 months. And before then he was always with someone during training.

Makes you wonder was this learned behavior or was Jackson just a sick puppy to begin with.

Anonymous said...

Cedar,

If all of what you say is true then why is Rodney Monroe still Chief of Police?

I just don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:12

Rumor is that people saw this coming the day he stepped into the academy

Anonymous said...

I can't really say anything in regards to Jackson's past, but I can refute two rumors mentioned here: Jackson never did have a take home car, and his behavior was not learned through his training officers because out of all the training officers the Eastway Division has (and I am not one), Jackson had the best, so I have no doubt he had the best field training. Once he was cut loose and other officers began to notice problems, they tried to council him and guide him as best they could, but Jackson would only nod and ignore. They then went to his training officers, who took his ignorance very personally, and tried to help him themselves but Jackson would just never listen.

Unfortunately, we never expected Jackson was capable of anything to the magnitude of what he is accused. If that were the case, we would have gone to the sergeants long ago, but we were trying to keep him out of trouble since he was so new. Everyone just thought these were just rookie mistakes, but no one had any idea what he was sneaking out and doing.

Cedar Posts said...

I'll have to agree with the above post. I doubt anyone thought we'd be having this sort of discusion about a CMPD officer.

This is a sad day.

CP Noted the fact that the report of a take home car is most likley false.

Anonymous said...

I have worked for the CMPD for a long time. The department has hired officers who made committed several crimes: one got addicted to crack, committed several armed robbies, encountered two officers in Rock Hill and attempted to disarm same, got shot and killed (bm). Another killed his girlfriend with his service gun (bm). Another was exposing himself to women (wm). Another attacked and assulted his girlfriend (wm). Another forced entry into her girlfriend's residence to get her vibrator (hf). Several have been arrested for DWI. Several have been arrested for financial crimes. Two are doing federal time for helping a drug dealer. I have read this blog for several weeks. Our department is not perfect. But it is a lot better than most police departments. I have never seen such bitterness. We have some very angry employees who seem happy only when trying to make others miserable. This blog is about 25% accurate. Most of what I read is unsubstantiated rumor. Just a lot of wishful thinking.... RoMo will be indicted, Ray/Ray will leave, this person got this promotion, that person was passed over....wah wah wah. Chief's have been playing favorites for years. They can do that.... they are the ones making the big bucks. RoMo was MIA??? He was on 2 radio stations trying to calm the fears of Hispanics....I am ranting because that's all I see on this blog. I am a white male experienced officer..... get over it..Do your job.... CP stop listening to the rants of a few and get the facts....

Cedar Posts said...

I got to agree with you. There are some bad cops out there but most are hard working, love the job, would rather chase bad guys than go fishing and are very respected.

Plus I really think nothing will come of all of this, the status quo will continue.

But just the same how many past CMPD Chiefs have a monthly "event" the list has gotten too long to even get into.

Why can't RoMo keep it on the DL? Why make a circus out of the CMPD? And why not be more forth coming with the facts?

I'm just saying.

JAT said...

Anon, 6:57, Romo is more than happy is go on Hispanic radio to help turn this into an illegal deportation crisis -- cue Uptown paper of record edit on the jail's 287(g) program -- rather than answer questions about his department's handling of Officer Jackson. So points off there for RoMo.

What he SHOULD do is call a presser to Curt Walton and Mac McCarley that he has NO PROBLEM releasing Jackson's personnel file and force those two yahoos out on a limb.

That is assuming there is nothing very embarrassing to RoMO and CMPD in that file, however. As it stands the public has no clear understanding of the timeline of Jackson's suspensions or CMPD's reaction to them. The UPoR reported one suspension was in July, another in September; WSOC that a July incident prompted the September suspension, then we have claims that the September incident actually prompted a November suspension. Which is it? The answer is in the file.

Further, two suspensions -- whenever they happened -- within Jackson's first year. Why wasn't Jackson dismissed from CMPD for cause automatically? The answer is in the file.

And have to note that CMPD and the city of Charlotte evidently did not have any trouble releasing info regarding the details of Nikita "Nick" Mackey's suspensions with the force.

Finally, the fact that SOMEONE at CMPD is taking on themselves to leak some info tells me that it is not just a handful of whiners and crybabies.

Anonymous said...

RoMo you are (I'm sorry) a buffoon. But before anyone gets all worked up with political correctness, I said buffoon and not baboon.

I honestly feel sorry for you, the first thing you did was get all defensive about Jackson and claim that Jackson was hired by the prior Chief.

WTF does that have to do with anything? And why call attention to the fact?

It doesn't matter who hired him, you're the CHIEF! It happened on your watch.

RoMo I don't think you get it!

Anonymous said...

I think I know why Jackson wasn't fired for his second run-in with IA (kicking in his wife's door): Dee Faulkner (BF) was his captain. Brothers and sisters looking out for each other. In the old CMPD, an officer on probation would've been fired over that.

Anonymous said...

Well this will be a big waste of time and money! I think it is time our City decided to have an oversight committee for CMPD, something I was against in the past! But definitely see the need now....sad isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:57
I totally disagree with you, I would say this Blog is about 75% correct.

And at least Cedar is getting the info out there and sweeping it under the rug.....get info out and sort it out.

This IS NOT just the rants of a few, but the collective legitimate complaints of MANY at CMPD.

Did you read the answers from the SURVEY that was put out?? Those are real responses to what is going on with reverse discrimination at CMPD.

Morale is horrible.

I am glad you feel so good about CMPD with Romo at the helm. He must have promised you a good job!

You have never seen such bitterness? Maybe that is because discrimination of this magnitude has never happened at CMPD before.
And decisions like the ones that Romo has been have not been made before at CMPD.

Romo is NOT a leader nor an innovative thinker from everything I am told.

Maybe you need to take a good, hard look around CMPD, you seem to be a LOT out of touch with what is going on there.

It's hard for a lot of officers to watch what is going on at CMPD and see it turned into the total opposite of what it was.....from a highly regarded PD to what it is becoming.

Anonymous said...

I've been reading Cedar's blog for sometime and have never posted a comment until now.

I know for a fact that many of the silent majority who read and never post are CMPD.

Also know that one or more members of the command staff "leak" info to people like CP, Fox and the Observer. WSOC gets nothing because they exposed a robbery detective last year.

So I'd say Cedar's blog is pretty much dead on.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6;35
You are right, from what I am told, too.

CP is getting his info from people that know.

They say that the FBI is investigating Marcus Jackson, I hope they are investigating romo, too.

I, for one, do not think this is going to just blow over.

THE TWO SUSPENSIONS THAT MARCUS JACKSON HAD UNDER ROMO'S WATCH NEED TO BE MADE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE.
ROMO COUNTERMANDED THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF IA AND REDUCED HIS SUSPENSION IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE TWO TO 2 DAYS FROM FIFTEEN.
SEEMS HE AGREED WITH MARCUS AFTER HE PERSONALLY PLEADED HIS CASE WITH HIM. HOW'S THAT FOR SOUND JUDGMENT? THIS NEEDS TO BE REPORTED ON, AND ANYONE THAT SAYS THIS SHOULD NOT BE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE IS TRYING TO COVER THIS UP.....GET ALL THE FACTS OUT ON THIS SO THE WHOLE TRUTH CAN BE KNOWN, THE WHOLE TRUTH. LET THE 'CHIEF' ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:55,

Do not blame Dee Faulkner for Jackson being able to skate by, Romo needs to bear all of that responsibility. Dee Faulkner could not stand Jackson and she never gave him any leeway in the crap that he was getting into. All of the commuted IA sentences came straight from the top: Romo.

Anonymous said...

In an interview I saw the chief do with Brigida Mac, he said he was highly offended that ANYONE would think that any hiring or promotions had ANYTHING to do with race.

Well, romo apparently doesn't know his OWN goals for his own POLICE DEPARTMENT set by none other than City Council: TO PROCESS MORE MINORITY APPLICATIONS this year than they did last year. HELLO????? Anyone listening?

And if he thinks no one at CMPD thinks current hiring and promoting policies under romo have anything to do with race, HE NEEDS TO GO BACK AND READ EVERY SURVEY THAT WAS RECENTLY TURNED IN.
He must not have read them.

Brigida is obviously a friend of romo's...and really shouldn't be interviewing him with her obvious bias. I remember seeing an interview she did about romo when Sherie Pearsall's promotion was announced, AT A COMMUNITY MEETING, along with another African American officer, she was beside herself....

By the answers he gave in this interview to Brigida, he is very obviously OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE FEELINGS OF THE OFFICERS AT CMPD OR IN TOTAL DENIAL ABOUT HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT HIS OBVIOUS BIAS. And out of touch about the low morale at CMPD....and that has NOTHING to do with Marcus Jackson, or so I am told! My personal feeling that I have formed after talking to many,many people is that he just does not give a rats ass how anyone in the department feels about anything he does.

But to see him stand up there in interview after interview and be so totally disingenuous about these issues is just astounding!

The truth about Marcus Jackson's suspensions and the reverse discrimination going on at CMPD needs to come out in the open.mensy

Anonymous said...

RoMo quoted on WBTV:

"You cringe because each time you know there's another person out there that has been taken advantage of"

Chief Monroe also told Brigida Mack the charges Jackson face(s) have certainly affected the department's morale because no officer wants to see the badge tarnished.

"We're not going to hide from this, we're not going to try make excuses for this,"

"We're going to deal with it head on, forthright."

Brigida Mack "But as the investigation unfolds, we've learned of other unsettling accusations--rumors that some believe Jackson was hired because of his race, and that had he been white he never would have been hired".

Chief Monroe denounced the notion saying race has nothing to do with the situation.

RoMo: "I take offense to the fact that somebody would say that it's simply because of a person's race and that's not the case,"

Chief Monroe also told Brigida Mack he couldn't "chase ghosts" and that no one has brought any concerns to him.

He also said he wanted the community to know:

"race is never a factor when it comes to hiring or promoting officers. The top priority is whether individuals are qualified".

Cedar sounds like RoMo is reading your work.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:58

Well, it just sounds like romo is not telling the truth, but what is new?

He spins, he spins, he lies, he lies.....surely it will catch up with him, like the old saying goes, "oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive"....simple, but true!

Anonymous said...

Time will tell Cedar. I think you're facts are spot on but I wish it wasn't true.

In one of your prior post on RoMo you point out that neither the current CFD Chief nor any of the past CMPD Chiefs have created even 1/10th the press that RoMo has.

What a mess!

Anonymous said...

Romo and ray/ray do not have a clue how the people in the department perceive them, they are only concerned with how the media sees them, and that is turning quickly.

As someone said, how can the two suspensions be so obviously swept under the rug? These two suspensions are obviously the smoking gun and that is why rodney, foxx and others in romo's "camp" are lobbying so hard for them to be not made public.

From everything I have heard, these suspensions ARE the smoking gun in this investigation, as they not only speak to romo's judgment in this matter, but to his judgment about other decisions made solely on the "diverse" qualifications of candidates.

And, as someone else said, if the real truth about these does not come out, there IS a cover up going on!

Anonymous said...

If city council and Foxx go easy on romo tonight and don't ask the HARD QUESTIONS, AND DON'T DEMAND TO SEE THE DISCIPLINARY RECORDS of Marcus Jackson, then we will know, that once again, a COVER UP has been put in place, one with city council abetting romo in his total lack of transparency and that he truly does rule with impunity at CMPD and really answers to NO ONE.
This we will know for SURE, as we have only surmised it so far!!
I hope they have a few questions for Curt Walton as well, the clown that hired romo. Starting back then, it looks like background checks were seriously lacking.

So, will CITY COUNCIL STEP UP? Or will they allow themselves to be manipulated and bullied by romo as well as everyone else?

COME ON CITY COUNCIL, DO THE RIGHT THING TONIGHT, ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, DEMAND REAL ANSWERS, GIVE THE PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT JACKSONGATE!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know if anyone has watched the personal video that Romo made for CMPD in response to the Jackson fiasco. I personally was not going to waste my time to even bother with watching it, but I observed a coworker watching it, and I about fell out laughing at Romo's self made uniform. He looks like he thinks he's some war hero admiral! Where does he get off making up his own uniform without having to go through a uniform committee? I especially love the fact that he had the audacity to redo our department patch and add the gold trim to ensure he looks like royalty. All hail king rodney!

Cedar Posts said...

Oh that had to be a sight! Someone please post it to YouTube!

We could use a good laugh!

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:22
I know, what is UP with that???
And what does all that crap mean??
Sergeant Pepper at his best, I never really thought about how SHORT he is, but that jacket is not a good look, it comes down to his knees!

But he truly did get the GOLD PACKAGE, and really, I would LOVE to know what it all means....

Seems as even uniform "standards" have been lowered. Someone was telling me that even the "one hashmark" on the sleeve for every five years of ACTIVE DUTY has been changed, WTF? I am so glad I do not work at or anywhere near CMPD, I know I would be in the WC's Office or on third shift in the boonies somewhere.

How can you look at him in all his gold glory and NOT laugh.

What an ego, Napoleon complex, textbook!!

From what I am told, the "video" is on CMPD's website that will register you if you try to view it elsewhere or copy it, THEY WANT TO LEAVE AS LITTLE A TRAIL AS POSSIBLE. SAME REASON THEY DON'T PUT ANYTHING IN WRITIING UNLESS THEY ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.

I would love to see the video, though.

I understand there is a mandatory attend news conference today, I am sure he will be in the gold package for that.

And let me say this, CRIME ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES IS DOWN...SloMo just lucked out, well, that and the manipulation of crime stats, that he adamantly denied in front of City Council last night, whoa.......

I have just heard from WAY too many people that they ARE, INDEED, REPORTING CRIME differently than it had been reported before. I think he believes his own press, which is a dangerous place to be!