Monday, November 8, 2010

The Game Changer

It took some doing but the truth seems to finally be falling into place.

The CMPD Chaplain Unit has functioned autonomously within the Charlotte Police Department since its founding. All members are un-paid non sworn volunteers who provide comfort, counseling and spiritual guidance to CMPD officers and victims of crime.

The unit has included members of every religion, sex, race and sexual orientation for a number of years. The Rev. Frances Cook has been a member of the unit for some time and she has openly ministered to Charlotte’s LGBT community for as long as anyone can remember.


CMPD Chaplain Fran Cook

Other members of the Chaplains Unit come from a broad range of religions, beliefs and guiding principles.

Rev. Floretta Watkins is an extreme left and radical pastor with The Siegel Avenue Presbyterian Church in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood. Pastor Watkins is well known as an outspoken minister who promotes acceptance of homosexuality and disregard for the bible’s literal interpretations regarding that subject.


Rev. Floretta Watkins

(How extreme is Pastor Watkins? Cedar Posts has dug up a video interview from the Public Access Cable Channel 21 show "The Soap Box Reel Talk for Reel People". The original video has since been removed from the show's web site. However the video has resurfaced here. The video has a graphic offensive contact warning so you have been forewarned. Cedar's Thoughts: The video is extremely painful to watch but doesn't get crazy until she starts talking about voodoo.)

At some point during the summer Rev Watkins applied to join CMPD’s Chaplain Unit.

Up until now the CMPD directives stated that “Chaplains are appointed by the Chief of Police and must be recommended by an active senior chaplain”. Additionally they must, satisfactorily complete a thorough background investigation (including driving record and history, criminal records, drug testing).

According to more than one source Rev. Watkins was, at least on paper, more than qualified. However, “she interviewed horribly for the position. Her role as an activist also concerned the chaplain unit deeply. They felt she would not be serving as a chaplain out of a desire to help the officers, but instead would use it as a platform for her activism. She also could not or would not tell the chaplains what her spiritual beliefs were, when she was specifically asked".

It was also noted that she was unprofessional in her interview as well. Ultimately the chaplains were not comfortable with bringing her aboard and rejected her application. Accordingly the senior chaplain refused to submit her name to Chief Monroe for approval.

At this point the consensus is that Chief Monroe stepped in.

In a statement released last week CMPD officials stated: “The Volunteer Coordinator Unit of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department “now” has the responsibility of vetting all of the department’s volunteers, including those interested in serving as chaplains. The screening and selection process for our volunteer chaplains rests with the Volunteer Coordinator Unit and Major John Diggs”

The press release went on to say: “Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe is not part of the selection process for our volunteer chaplains….”

If the cloudy facts are correct, in other words the chaplains rejected Rev. Watkins by some reports unanimously and refused to submit her name to Chief Monroe. They did so based on the CMPD directives and felt they were within their rights to do so. Chief Monroe didn’t like that, changed the game and re-wrote the rules to suit his needs.

As one recent comment on this blog said: "There are NO universal DIRECTIVES anymore....no one knows what is going on. People can't look to a directive to guide them, to make an impartial decision. It has all become personal with Rodney, his own little game book with his own little rules. Which, by the way, change on his whim. There are no impartial decisions with Rodney, all of his decisions are simply personal with no thought to qualifications."

So it seems the Chaplain in question resigned after having the rules yanked out from under him and others followed in support. Doing so allowed Chief Monroe to claim diversity of race and sexual orientation, and allowed the Chief to distance himself from the sudden melee by stating he wasn’t involved.

The point that Chief Monroe re-wrote the rules to force the Chaplain Unit to accept Pastor Floretta Watkins a known lesbian seems lost at the "Local Paper's" editorial board. The most recent latest comment is here.

Finally on a troubling note, that last paragraph of the assumed CMPD Memo addressed to FOX News reads:

"Lastly, we would like to emphasize that the unofficial blog site, which was quoted in your story, is not a credible source of information. The information published on this site is not fact based. As a blog, the users and subscribers can write anything they wish, regardless of validity. It is our hope that a responsible and ethical news organization would examine all of their sources before publishing a story. The fact is, the citizens of Charlotte deserve to receive accurate facts and information, especially as it relates to the law enforcement agency that serves them."

So there you have it the official word from Rodney Monroe is this Blog is BS!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

How much more can the CMPD stand? Have you ever seen so much drama at a police department? I've been looking for drama in CMPD's past 20 years and I can't find any, at least not about the Chief, that is until Monroe and his BS degree showed up.

Makes me sick, glad I'm outofhere in Decemeber.

Anonymous said...

Cedar so you are saying that this was more about control than the fact that Pastor Watkins is a Homosexual/LGBT/Lesbian or whatever?

If so then per RoMo none of this would be true.

Anonymous said...

Well, it has been rodney's modus operandi since the very day he arrived at CMPD, that if you disagreed with rodney, or if he perceived you did not agree with him, or if he perceived you "slighted" him in ANY way, or, most importantly, if you wanted to tell the TRUTH about something, you would feel the wrath of rodney fall upon you.

It's always been about drama, revenge, personal agenda with rodney, from the very beginning.

He has used his position to divide CMPD in ways it was never divided before....kind of "divide and conquer".

He has shown gross partiality to his "inner circle", composed of butt smoochers and, as painful as it is for me to say, African Americans. By blindly promoting his own personal agendas at CMPD, he has actually set race relations back years and years.

And the results of him promoting people based solely on race and not qualifications, tenure, competency, etc. will be felt for years and years.

He has single handedly trashed CMPD, well, with the "help" of Ray, his henchman.

And Cedar has brought many, many of his missteps and transgressions and outright lies to the attention of the public, and that is a GOOD thing.

And Cedar has his own agenda, but on the whole, he tries to be as unbiased as his personal "opinions" allow him to be.

And this is a BLOG, and CMPD and rodney are free to have their own BLOG, or to answer any allegations made by Cedar or Posters ON THIS BLOG. A simple yes or no answer, or a simple you are right or you are wrong would do.

But the fact is, Cedar has been correct 99.9% of the time on CMPD matters. And rodney can't refute the truths told on here, because they are just that, truths.

And let Foster answer allegations made on here....she can't.

But she took the back door and got "her lawyers" involved over a technicality. Now THAT is BS.

And rodney is BS, all smoke and mirrors, not ANY substance, not ANY leadership, not ANY integrity or ethics......

EVERYONE will be glad to see him walk out the door for the last time.

Anonymous said...

Yes, this all revolves around the fact that Rodney can supercede and change anything around in this department to set things up his way. Why else would CMPD have a major as the 2nd in command over deputy chiefs??? But it seems that the underlying message is repeatedly lost because of the sensitive nature about this issue involving the chaplains against an openly gay minister.

BUT...the reason that started all this mess keeps taking 2nd fiddle and getting pushed back. We can't forget that all of this started by Rodney completely cutting 90% of the chaplain's responsibilties by making the Mobile Crisis Team take point on everything that the chaplains were trained and experienced to do...and did for free. Now you have a county run organization...funded by tax dollars (that are apparently so low that we have to cut schools and fire teachers) to do a job that many fine men and women had been doing for decades FOR FREE!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, this all revolves around the fact that Rodney can supercede and change anything around in this department to set things up his way. Why else would CMPD have a major as the 2nd in command over deputy chiefs??? But it seems that the underlying message is repeatedly lost because of the sensitive nature about this issue involving the chaplains against an openly gay minister.

BUT...the reason that started all this mess keeps taking 2nd fiddle and getting pushed back. We can't forget that all of this started by Rodney completely cutting 90% of the chaplain's responsibilties by making the Mobile Crisis Team take point on everything that the chaplains were trained and experienced to do...and did for free. Now you have a county run organization...funded by tax dollars (that are apparently so low that we have to cut schools and fire teachers) to do a job that many fine men and women had been doing for decades FOR FREE!!!

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:14
Agreed, but it all goes back to RODNEY.

And his total lack of directives, rules and regulations ACROSS THE BOARD.

That's how he got away with pushing his personal agenda to get rid of the Chaplains, whatever they "did" or "didn't" do.

It became PERSONAL with Rodney, and he abused his power, and he got his way.... he got rid of them...period.

No oversight, and he only listens to the butt smoochers who tell him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear. His ego knows no bounds....as we have seen over and over and over again.

Anonymous said...

Can you name one Police Department that has the daily uproar and witch hunts, like CMPD does?

This incident was so poorly handled. Now we get more scare emails from command, on the plus side we all laugh when they mention Cedar Posts. Never heard of it is my answer and the crowd roars with laughter.

Anonymous said...

I watched the video Cedar and you are correct its painful. Watkins has porked out as well I noticed. So the photo you have posted must be 10 years old or so.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the CMPD inner circle is none to happy with Cedar Posts.

I hear Foster was flipping out and the whole place is on lock down til they figure out who leaked the information to Cedar Posts and Fox.

But reading what Cedar said early last week is not that far off from what WSOC said tonight, so I'd say Cedar is a pretty credible source.

I've got to admit I've heard the word to call the county and not look for CMPD Chaplains.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:03

Really, that's all they have got to worry about?

But I do believe that they are just that childish and egotistical.

But honestly, in their "positions", this is the last thing they should be focusing ANY attention on...right?

It just, once again, highlights why they are such poor leaders. And why they have they respect of no one.

They are emotionally totally immature, stunted.

And they are "in charge" at CMPD....now that is a really scary reality!!

Anonymous said...

If CMPD was more open, direct, responsive and, oh, I don't know, PROACTIVE in what, how, when and with whom they communicated, there would be little need for anyone leaking anything, especially stuff like this. For all his blowhard rhetoric when he first arrived about being transparent, all monroe can do is obfuscate and hope no one finds out what he's doing and then staff runs around like their hair is on fire when something gets out. But when you're running a dept into the ground, what do you expect the good people inside to do? Of course they will want to tell someone what's going on, ostensibly in hopes someone with authority over him would intervene and DO SOMETHING. Sadly, that hasn't happened.

Where did the significant events log go? And calls for service?

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:07
Good points!

Anonymous said...

Wow. I don't know why this is such a big deal. I looked all over for info on this lady. Nowhere did I find anything that pointed to or confirmed her sexuality. Then I pulled her resume and found it to be quite complete. I also find it odd that someone with her background and creditialing could inteview so horridly. I guess I come from the position that says that if we have all types of people on our police force, why shouldn't we have them as Chaplain?

However, something isn't adding up here. I find it odd that others have quit, and I don't know that any main line denomination would have a problem with a minister working with a person who's lesbian (and I repeat, I found no info that states her sexuality). I work with all types of people, including gays and lesbians. I don't think my church would put me out.

I really feel this is a power struggle and that the true root of this has nothing to do with the candidate.

Anonymous said...

Yes it is not about Gay vs Straight its RoMo the King vs the Little People.

He played this well, but its about to catch up with him. Just as soon as City Council gets a look at the numbers CMPD is in the red because he doesn't care.

The new training class won't cover the number of officers who have left so he'll have a hard time saying the budget mess is because of more boots on the street.

It's coming and it's big.

Anonymous said...

The way I see it is RoMo was covering up the lesbain smack down and Cedar broke the story wide open. RoMo might want to get all pissed but it is his fault for not being transparent.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:04

CMPD has been in the red since rodney started "doing the books".

What do you expect when you give someone carte blanche with NO oversight??

Happens every time....

He has treated the CMPD "budget" like his own personal money tree.

Anonymous said...

How much more do we have to put up with this stupid so called Chief? Is it not enough that he has proven himself to corrupt, with nor ethics or morals...WHEN do we get rid of him? THE SOONER THE BETTER FOR ALL!

DC TRANSPLANT said...

Right Monroe doesnt have a say in that ...are you kidding me everything goes past him ..straight from the horses mouth- he has final say his command staff has no say ...

Anonymous said...

It's really simple- Chief RoMo is bringing the arrogant Washington DC Police attitude to CMPD. Now what's so hard to understand?

Anonymous said...

It's not the arrogant DC Police attitude that he brings it's the I'm a short little puggy Blackman kind of like Napoleon Syndrome..but he thinks because he is black he can do, say and act however he chooses and no one is going to say a word...