Monday, January 25, 2010

Rodney Monroe Gets a Free Pass Observer Crime Reporter Chris Kirkpatrick Laid Off

I've got to say this for the embattled Chief, he has the damn best luck when it comes to snaking his way out of trouble. Just when the heat was on about his spending the DSS and Harry Jones mess got the attention of the news media.

He hired Rob Trufono just when the water started to boil over about his phony degree and last week the Observer's top crime reporter was given the ax by the McClatchy Company just as the Marcus Jackson scandal gets interesting.

According to Greg Collard at WFAE Kirkpatrick got the ax in most recent round of Observer cutbacks. The Observer recruited him a few years ago after being a Pulitzer Prize finalist at the Toledo Blade. He was the Observer’s primary crime reporter had done a lot of work on the CMPD and Marcus Jackson scandal.

Kirkpatrick was also one of Cedar's contracts for vetting out fact from fiction and spin from reality. Much of what you read here comes from discussions and emails that help eliminate gossip and sift out fact and people like Chris are the bedrock of investigative journalism.

It wouldn't surprise me that Kirkpatrick started asking too many questions and the Observer was told to shut him down.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unfreakingbelievable!

Now it is more important than ever to have Cedar, MeckDeck and Lisa staying on these stories.

Please, do not let rodney monroe get away with yet another piece of corruption!

Hold him accountable for his actions, City Council, someone has to.

He should not be allowed to continue his reign of dishonesty, deceit and unethical behavior at CMPD.

Anonymous said...

No surprise. RoMo has pull just about everywhere. Watch your back Cedar!

Anonymous said...

You can bet that RuttMutt is going to come out of that meeting tonight looking like a hero.

Council will buy his bullshit and no one at CMPD is going to out his. I have no doubt that if Cedar really had proof or if any of his contacts could provide it they would have already posted it.

Without the real file the Marcus Jackson saga is buried and that is all there is to it.

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:18
People just don't get it, even with this overwhelming cover up.

Romo and ray/ray are running the CMPD much like the mob runs their "business". From everything I am told on a daily basis, if you dare go up against them, your "career" while they are here IS OVER. They operate on a fear based level with everyone that is not a "crony". They have from the first day they arrived at CMPD.
They laid that foundation first thing.
Do you not remember the Robbery Detective who TRIED IN VAIN to get the truth about how crime stats were being reported and found himself back in patrol?
They have threatened people with polygraphs if they talked to ANYONE.
If someone has a copy of the original file, I imagine they are scared crapless. They should turn it over to the media, or to the only Deputy Chief, from what I am told, that can be trusted, Kerr Putney.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, from all the people I have talked to, that there were TWO SUSPENSIONS, WHILE HE WAS STILL ON PROBATION!!! He was still on probation when he was "fired".

And, once again, in at least ONE OF THOSE SUSPENSIONS, RODNEY MONROE OVERTURNED THE IA RECOMMENDED SUSPENSION AND LOWERED IT, FROM 15 DAYS, to either 2 or 5 days.

IF THIS DOES NOT SHOW UP IN THE FILE THAT CITY COUNCIL GETS, IT IS NOT THE WHOLE FILE, OR SOMEONE IS TAKING A HUGE FALL FOR RODNEY AND CURT...which, at this point, would not shock me. The COVER UP will have begun.

But you can't cover up something like this, you simply cannot, people talk, they always talk, sooner or later.

Whichever way it goes tonight, people know the truth, and whatever credibility rodney and ray/ray had is gone, they will not be able to recover from this inside the department.

Their effectiveness will be NONE.

People are telling me every day, it can't get much worse inside the department.

Anonymous said...

Trust Me if RoMo gets away with this it will get much worse. And if the public only knew the truth this as Cedar Posts keeps saying is just the tip of the iceberg.

Anonymous said...

You people are nuts! Calling Chief Monroe by names like RoMo and RuttMutt is disrespectful and shows to you are nothing but low life. He is a good man you has saved this city money and lives. You know he had nothing to do with Marcus Jackson and fired him just as soon as he learned what he had be up to. SHAME ON YOU!

Anonymous said...

Clueless at 4:02

You know nothing.

You must EARN respect, he hasn't.
He doesn't treat people with any kind of respect, so he gets none.

Oh, he can be charming to the public when he wants something, that's just surface crap.

SAVED money, that really is a good one. He has cost the county millions and the resulting lawsuits are REALLY going to cost.

He had no choice but to terminate him.

Anonymous said...

Of course Rodney and Curt, and most likely "scared" City Council don't want the truth to come out to the public, as it would just show legally "pattern and practice".

And that is exactly what any good Attorney is going to argue in civil suits.

And in a civil/and/or criminal trial, they don't give a rats butt about what City Council or Curt Walton OR Rodney Monroe want.

Anonymous said...

I worked with Chris and can't say he was a friend to Rodney Monroe but he was always very careful. Much of what is on this blog made for good sourcing. Monroe has made it clear that he wasn't to be messed with.

As much as I'd like to toss fuel on the conspiracy theory it should be noted that a dozen or more in the newsroom got pink slips since the 1st of the year and Monroe doesn't have any friends at the Observer.

Anonymous said...

shame on the city council members that did not want to look in the file! they might as well have said...look...we would rather turn our heads to what is going on in this city. That way we dont have to feel responsible for the corruption that goes on here but we can still support it without getting our hands dirty. also...if we know and everybody else knows we know, then we might have to do something.

dc Transplant said...

to person who wrote this- Anonymous said...
You people are nuts! Calling Chief Monroe by names like RoMo and RuttMutt is disrespectful and shows to you are nothing but low life. He is a good man you has saved this city money and lives. You know he had nothing to do with Marcus Jackson and fired him just as soon as he learned what he had be up to. SHAME ON YOU!
What planet are you on?? Or is this Romo's family or maybe one of his people he promoted??? Your Boss, husband ,self whatever is a crook, not a good man- he has repeatdley screwed over the very people he was hired to work for- namely the community! He has screwed the officers he was supposed to lead- BAD THING IS it hasn't just taken place here in Charlotte but let's look at his track record- Let's start with DC..such a ridiculous cry baby, Oh and Georgia- thief...let's not forget Richmond-ALMOST IDENTICAL PROBLEMS THERE TOO..BUT IN THEIR DEFENSE Richmond Officers warned us...
So I don't ever want to hear he is a good man- he is a liar and a bully, and a criminal no better than those who hired him- he will be held accountable as will Curt Walton and City Council.The people of Charlotte aren't that stupid- they will demand something be done- so annonymous Pack your bags and head back North the South is revolting...and has just put you on notice...