A Comment In The Spotlight!

On June 5, 2008 8:36 PM

Anonymous said...

"PRU, enjoy the weekend. Police Department members won't since many of them will be thinking about yesterday:

Members of the police department were told (and told and told and emailed and encouraged and informed and advised, etc) that Terry Ekls and his associates would be available at 5pm on both Tuesday, June 3rd and Wednesday, June 4th to listen to any department members who wished to voice concerns of any kind for the investigation/audit. The PD members were told that Ekl and his staff would stay as long as it took to ensure all voices could be heard. These two dates were to cover all four patrol shifts since 6pm is the end of the day shift tour and the start of the evening shift tour.

So when at least five department members went to speak with Ekl and his people after the previous shift's end and the oncoming shift's 6pm roll call, there was no one to be found. Where did they go? Ekl was tracked down climbing into his vehicle in the parking lot. He was leaving at 6:30 pm. He was confronted by several of those who wished to speak with him. He said he was done. He said he thought no one wanted to talk to him, so he sent his people home. No, no, no, we have people who want to speak to you! Who need to speak to you! Who have important things to say! Come back in. Please! You're just here in the parking lot. Let's walk right back inside. Your staff must have cell phones, right? Call them and have them turn around and come back. You're being paid $75,000 to conduct an investigation but you're only staying an hour and a half? (and you were late after 5pm.) You didn't check with a supervisor to see if maybe there was an emergency call that tied everyone up so that was the reason no one just walked into your conference room? You didn't know shift change was at 6pm? That's why 5pm was the set time! You just decided, I'm outta here?

He handed out a fistfull of business cards to pass around. Just have everyone call me. I gotta go! Bye!

Low bid. This is what you get. And the truth is what you'll be missing...."

Alderman Wsol, you are the chairman of the Public Safety committee. This police department investigation was your idea. While you allegedly had another firm for your first choice to do this investigation, you went along with the first choice recommendation of your two fellow City Council subcommittee members, Mayor Howard Frimark and Alderman Jim Allegretti, in selecting the firm of Ekl Williams to do this investigation.

Alderman Wsol, you were the point-man who insisted that the City Council defer consideration on former Chief Caudill's amended separation agreement, to ensure his full cooperation with the Ekl Williams investigation of the police department; even though that assurance was already part of the separation agreement you previously agreed to in full. Will you be relying on the word of Ekl Williams in assessing the former police chief's level of cooperation? Will you be relying on the word of Ekl Williams in assessing the level of cooperation Mr. Ekl, himself, demanded from the police department in his meetings with City staff (.pdf)?

Alderman Wsol, did you see to it that there were provisions in the agreement between the City and Ekl Williams to ensure that Ekl Williams would fully cooperate with members of the police department in this investigation? Is there any potential for deferred or withheld compensation to Ekl Williams for their failure to cooperate in this investigation? Whose word will you rely on in assessing the level of cooperation and effort made in this investigation by Ekl Williams?

Alderman Wsol, what are you going to do about this?

Mayor Howard and Alderman Allegretti, Ekl Williams was each of your first choices for the investigation of the police department. What are you going to do about this?

Remember folks, there are two sides to every story. The PRU Crew can't wait to hear this one.