Tuesday, January 12, 2010

RoMo Meets City Council

Rodney Monroe as expected appeared before Charlotte City Council dressed out in his new "command staff" uniform complete with gold banded CMPD patch, five gold rings on each sleeve and two gold stars and white shirt.



Monroe called Jackson's crimes despicable, and admitted again that CMPD dropped the ball by missing red flags in Jackson's background.

Monroe didn't answer questions from the media and none were asked by Charlotte's City Council. More about Monroe's statement to Charlotte's City Council from WFAE.

Councilman Andy Dulin was later quoted as saying, "We can rest assured this thing has got his attention. Because it makes him look bad. And the chief doesn't want to look bad. So he's going to get it fixed." WSOC Coverage is here.

Dulin voted against reviewing Jackson's file but the majority of council members voted to take a look in 2 weeks.

Cedar's observation:

Dulin may have had too many drinks as he looked to be still in a holiday frame of mind, willing to believe anything the chief said as long as the chief fixed the parking ticket he was holding in his left hand.

The rest of council asked no questions of Monroe and council as a whole act like deer in the headlights when the chief entered the room.

The Chief however looked a little uncomfortable taking all the heat from the media, even though temps were in the 30's. Maybe it was the over starched white shirt.

RoMo suddenly finds himself facing the possibility of having to answer to the City Council rather than Curt the Clown.

RoMo maybe good at making up rules as he goes, dodging and weaving like a pro but the council may be better at playing "wack a rat".

To be continued.....

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cedar based on RoMo's monolog you have his attention. Many of his points spoke directly to points you and the other posters have made on this blog. Major Props to you!

Anonymous said...

RoMo is an idiot and he needs to GO before ALL our good officers leave or CMPD goes broke!

Anonymous said...

The big question is can Monroe tell the truth and still keep his job?

Anonymous said...

Chief Monroe told the truth and this blog is full of bunk. Unless you have proof standards where lowered and Jackson was given a free pass shut up!

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:51,
Start your own Blog trying to defend "slowmo"...really, that's the best you've got, "shut up", you must be all of 14 yrs. old.

Back to business, I'm only disappointed the vote was as close as it was.
Romo needs to be held accountable for his actions, it's really that simple. He needs accountability and supervision and, I hate to use this overused word, but, he needs TRANSPARENCY. I believe, from all I am told, that he really does think he should answer to NO ONE.
It just doesn't work that way, or rather, it SHOULDN'T work that way.
This is a first step.
I must ask, I don't work at CMPD....so,is there ANY way that romo can "sanitize" the files?
I would hope not, especially since IA did the investigations. But is there ANY way that romo can demand things be left out of the file that city council gets? I don't know, I'm just curious.

JAT said...

Anon, 7:51, the proof is in the file, that is why some of us want it released.

Some other folks want a continued cover-up, to keep the contents of the file secret.

What I want to know is: the dates of any suspensions, the length of those suspensions, their causes, who order any reduction in the term of the suspension (if any), and if anyone at CMPD wanted Jackson fired prior to the alleged incidents which got him arrested.

Does not seem like a lot to ask for.

Anonymous said...

JAT,
I agree 100% with everything you said.

But I also wonder, is there any way romo can order that the answers to these essential questions be left out of the file he hands over to city council???

I have heard from way too many people that he lowered at least one suspension to not believe it.
And I don't believe for one moment that if it had been someone else that had lowered the suspension that romo wouldn't have demanded the files be made public so he could of had his scapegoat.
Looks like he is the goat now.

Anonymous said...

You can bet someone is going to take a fall.

But I haven't heard Romo saying they are still investigating.

Which is his standard MO.

Anonymous said...

You can bet someone is going to take a fall.

But I haven't heard Romo saying they are still investigating.

Which is his standard MO.

Anonymous said...

Oh, yea, I am sure they are scurrying around like rats desperately trying to "fix" this, that is, find someone, anyone, to fall on their sword for this. Or to throw under the proverbial bus.

Just maybe he has burned way too many bridges for anyone to want to continue circling the wagons around him.....

But this is what happens when you answer to no one, when you operate by your OWN personal rules and have no accountability, no rules, no regs that you can't change, without oversight, to suit your personal agenda.

And slomo said at the council meeting last night that he had made changes BEFORE this all came out at the academy. Yes, he replaced everyone out there with his own "personal" staff, starting with Sherie Pearsall, as someone has said, was promoted waayyy to soon, and romo changed the regs to allow that to happen, then put her in charge at the academy, which she promptly left to attend the FBI academy for THREE MONTHS, on romo's recommendation.

Did romo EVER SAY exactly what standards, rules or regs he changed at the academy? NO, just that he had "made changes", which is disingenuous at best. HE MADE PERSONNEL CHANGES, that's it.

And you want proof of the lowering of standards with romo, well, start with him, someone pointed out that the standards for chief of police in charlotte had been that you needed a Masters Degree, well, we KNOW Rodney doesn't have that, so the standards were lowered right off the bat!

Anonymous said...

If the FBI has the file it is all over for Romo

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:03
Good to know!!!

Anonymous said...

Here's my question...I know that the file will be open to the council soon, and someone said the FBI already has it. But, before the file leaves the hands of CMPD, is there a way to clear out the reasoning and the person behind commuting Jackson's punishment so that it's not in the file? If it's in there, I would not put it past Romo that he delegated the tasks of helping Jackson out so that his name is not in there once...similar to the Campagna incident.

My other question is similar, but it involves Jackson's hiring. We know that Jackson's first recruiter was reassigned after he recommended Jackson not be hired. He shipped off to 2nd shift Eastway Division (ironically) with no rhyme or reason why. Then, a team player was put in his place who did give the go ahead for Mr. Jackson. My question here is, when the second recruiter stepped in, was the first file where the information was logged that the recruiter did not want to hire him thrown out and a new file started? Or is the file all one big file with everything written there in black and white? Was Raleigh notified of Jackson's first denial...or did the recruiting division hold off on sending his information up until he was given the golden ticket?

Anonymous said...

If I were Monroe, I'd be packing my bags. The man is a legend in his own mine.

The truth will come out, but for now I'm amazed that he fails to point out the crime for some strange reason is down nationwide.

As Cedar has pointed out Charlotte's crime numbers are good but only average when compared on a national basis.

You can say he got lucky, but let us put Charlotte's number up against say Salt Lake, or Phoenix... or Springfield or Columbia.

I'd bet we are no better off than anywhere else.

Come on RoMo let's see how you really stack up!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have the answer to the question of whether or not romo can somehow "sanitize" the files before they go to City Council?
As it was an IA Investigation, can he actually change THEIR recommendations in the file?
And was it ray/ray's name on it or was it romo's name? I mean, that is why ray/ray is here, to keep romo from having to sign or take DIRECT responsibility for anything...he is the buffer. And they don't put ANYTHING in writing, and encourage others NOT TO PUT ANYTHING IN WRITING.

So, will he be able to somehow sanitize or take anything out of the file? Or make a whole new file???
Will ray/ray fall on his sword for romo yet one more time? Will he take the fall for this? I have heard he wants to go back to Richmond, anyhow.

Anonymous said...

I know that Cedar Posts was just adding a little humor to this sad story about Jackson, and Monroe but Dulin did look a little too happy.

What the F is up with that?

He sure acted drunk if you ask me.

Anyone else think this?

Anonymous said...

Why Dulin was just basking in the glow of the Apostle Rodney Monroe. The Apostle Rodney Monroe can do no wrong. Don't you know that crime is down only because of the Apostle Rodney Monroe. In fact CMPD didn't know crime from its rear end, until the Apostle Rodney Monroe arrived to deliver the fine citizens of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County from the criminal evil-doers.

Anonymous said...

City Council members, if they value their jobs and reputations, had better be taking a cold, long, hard look at Rodney Monroe, Ray and what they have done and are doing at CMPD, and TO CMPD.

And does anyone trust the judgment of Curt Walton??? Come on....

Rodney didn't see the red flags all over Marcus Jackson, and Curt Walton refused to see the red flags all over Rodney Monroe, even when they were POINTED OUT TO HIM before romo was hired....much like how some tried to point out the red flags attached to Marcus.

Anonymous said...

I will answer your question about "sanitizing" a personnel file. That answer is "yes, of course it can be sanitized." And the ONLY way to catch it will be someone with courage to have made copies, just in case.......

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:07:
You are kidding, right? I asked myself if romo would stoop so low as to do that, and I answered myself, YES, if it would save his ass.

But, if he did that, anyone that signed off on it would be as guilty as he would be. And I don't think a Grand Jury or a Civil case would look too kindly on that.

So, the IA file would include all of his disciplinary "actions", right? So, that would mean that he would have to change the IA FILE, which would be against the law, right? And if the IA Major or Captains allowed that to happen, they would be as culpable as romo, right?

AND, his "days off" would be in his district records, right? So that would mean changing them, too.

He could pull it off, I agree, but it would involve a lot of people, and people always talk.

Everyone at CMPD knows what happened with his "suspensions", and how romo reduced AT LEAST one of them, so if City Council gets a "cleaned up" file, people will find out. And I am thinking CMPD will not stand for that, it would be the straw that broke romo's back.

What a coward he is, couldn't even stand up and admit what happened, what he did, tried to shift the "blame" to ANYONE else. I don't think he has ever personally taken any kind of responsibility for anything that has gone awry in his career.....starting with his NON COLLEGE DEGREE.

He is smarmy.