February 22, 2012 in News

Mayor defends Thoma settlement

Chelsea Bannach The Spokesman-Review

Tags:Brad ThomaCity of SpokaneDavid CondonSpokane City CouncilSpokane Police Department

Spokane Mayor David Condon today defended a plan to rehire an alcoholic police sergeant fired after an off-duty drunken driving crash, and to give him back pay.

“This settlement is a legal solution to a problem of financial risk for the City,” Condon said in a news release regarding a settlement with former Spokane police Sergeant Brad Thoma. “We are proposing this settlement to protect taxpayer dollars. Within the state legal constraints we operate under, this is a good legal and financial decision for the City.”

However, Condon said the settlement is “an example of seemingly special treatment enjoyed by a police officer to the frustration of the citizens who employ him.”

“The City’s settlement with Mr. Thoma sends the wrong message,” Condon said. “It does not represent our values.”

Thoma was fired in December 2009 following an arrest for driving under the influence and failure to leave information at the scene of a collision when he hit a pickup truck with his own truck and left the scene. If the Spokane City Council agrees on the deal Monday, Thoma will be rehired in the demoted position of detective and be paid about $275,000 for more than two years back pay and benefits. The city would have to pay his attorney, Bob Dunn, $15,000.

Dunn argued alcoholism is a disability that resulted from the stress of Thoma’s job and that his employer neglected to provide treatment. City officials contended they were unaware of evidence of his alcoholism until he claimed to be one after the crash.

“Citizens are rightly upset by this settlement, and I fear that their frustration could impede our ability to help rebuild confidence in our police department,” Condon said. “Our citizens’ perceptions of our officers are tainted by situations like this.”

66 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

misjustice on February 22 at 5:27 p.m.
Welcome, Mr. Condon, as our next one-term mayor!
bradyc on February 22 at 5:38 p.m.
Unfortunately, the uninformed don’t understand that the law changed and was retroactive so the city had no choice but to settle in this matter. Lest you all would want the city to fight up stream, forging ahead to establish new precedent that would have zero to no chance of succeeding. And when it didn’t you same uniformed would have been upset about spending the considerable $$ to prove the “right” that you now don’t really understand anyway.
brianrbreen on February 22 at 5:41 p.m.
Fortunately we have the room bugged where the City Council, the Mayor, and the City Attorney will go into executive session to discuss this personnel issue. So we will end up getting the straight scoop, instead of what is said during the Council Meeting.
jddavis on February 22 at 5:47 p.m.
Maybe you are correct Bradyc. If the job is too stressful for Thoma and it causes him to drink to excess, irresponibly, and commit crimes, then maybe he is unfit for duty.
If I was stupid and got a DUI, I wouldn’t be able to do my job and thus, would not have a job…and I don’t “drive” for any part of my job other than to get there.
At least Condon recognizes the citizens aren’t happy about this and that it sends the wrong message. A VERY small improvement…
brianrbreen on February 22 at 5:49 p.m.
@bradyc
I’m on board. Because the City used the DUI, as a basis instead of the H&R there is no way they would end up on the good end of a 4 million dollar litigation. Condon, and the City Attorney will however have to convince the Council of that, or pay out big bucks to Thoma and Dunn in a settlement that doesn’t include reinstatement, or go to court and risk big bucks and reinstatement.
Shelala on February 22 at 5:51 p.m.
Wow, speaking out of both sides of his mouth simultaneously! I’d pay to see that -oops, I already have.
bradyc on February 22 at 5:55 p.m.
the previous administration was correct in terminating Thoma under the law at that time. The law was overturned and the court made it retroactive, unusual, to previous cases like Thoma’s. So, after these legal developments, and arbitration I believe, the city was stuck with accepting Thoma’s reinstatement or fighting an uphill battle that it had no chance of winning. So Mayor Condon, correctly, decided to cut the city’s losses.
Thoma was a sergeant and is being reinstated as a detective, a demotion, so he’s already on notice as much as possible given the circumstances.
westerly on February 22 at 5:56 p.m.
$250k for couple of years on his butt at home. More money than most spokane peeps make in 12 years.See why city is broke all the time?
Ron_the_Cop on February 22 at 5:57 p.m.
I’ve said my two cents in the earlier related article thread. Basically Thomas doesn’t fall under ADA as he didn’t request help before the crash. The City screwed up and should have just terminated him for the moral turpitude aspect of the HR. The issue is can you unring the bell without costing a log of buck again.
FIRE DELANEY AND TREPPIEDI!
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/feb/22/settlement-awards-officer-job-back-pay/
bradyc on February 22 at 5:58 p.m.
city’s hands are “tied”, see earlier posts
brianrbreen on February 22 at 6:03 p.m.
@bradyc
I’d argue the termination for DUI alone was not correct. Show me where a successful termination for a first offense DUI has taken place in Washington since the enactment of ADA statues.
bradyc on February 22 at 6:03 p.m.
you can argue that Ron, certainly. Hindsight is always 20/20. The path the previous administration took was solid at the time. Not many could have seen an overturn coming and no one would have seen a retroactive ruling coming. So, no one is at fault other than a sub par officer who “lucked’ out under the law. There is no doubt that not only does the current administration have no piece of this, the current administration is actually limiting Spokane’s exposure on this issue with the route they’ve taken
jmsnyper on February 22 at 6:04 p.m.
more good news for the SPD, guess which assclown is back….
bradyc on February 22 at 6:04 p.m.
higher standard for first responders
Shelala on February 22 at 6:18 p.m.
I’d love to see the figures related to costs to the city and taxpayers that could be attributed to or as a result of questionable incidents involving SPD and its officers in the past few years. I imagine that it would make that $400,00 water bill seem like chump change. Maybe we should add these officer’s names under the breakdown on our tax bills - then we could just remark “Boy, my Thoma tax seems higher than last year” or My Thompson tax is a real killer”.
lewis8457 on February 22 at 6:21 p.m.
Kind of funny if it wasn’t so damn sad. Mayor Condon being slapped in the face by the police guild. He will learn, hahahaha
same ol same ol,
Spokane will soon have cop cars with breath interlocks for the POLICE officers.
How did Kirkpatrick not know what the discipline conditions were concerning his employment? There must be a manual some where. Mary Verner, Kirkpatrick’s ex employer should be sued for what these screw ups cost us.
Any half bit manager knows a paper trail needs to be made on anyone getting the boot. Even at will employees need a paper trail.
Even Jerome needs a paper trail.
brianrbreen on February 22 at 6:22 p.m.
@bradyc
“higher standard for first responders”
Enlighten me with a cite.
bradyc on February 22 at 6:27 p.m.
interesting concept Shelala. The thread started with a bashing of Mayor Condon and his current administration so coming back to that point instead of this going down a tangent that isn’t germane to that, the current administration has acted more than responsibly in this matter and protected the city’s interest in the matter.
bradyc on February 22 at 6:29 p.m.
read the previous posts before spouting off lewis
spokaneresident on February 22 at 6:29 p.m.
“The City’s settlement with Mr. Thoma sends the wrong message,” Condon said. “It does not represent our values.”
Ann Kirkpatrick “represented our values” and did the right thing when she fired an employee that committed this type of crime. Condon is correct, “it does not represent our values” , so why are compromising our values once again for a police officer?
However, Condon said the settlement is “an example of seemingly special treatment enjoyed by a police officer to the frustration of the citizens who employ him.”
Any other citizen would still be paying for that kind of mistake, which, again, Condon is correct. “It is yet another example of seemingly special treatment enjoyed by a police officer”.
If alcoholism were a disbility, our social security disability system would be bankrupt! And why…why…why would Mr. Thoma want a job back that caused him so much stress that it drove him to this point? Perhaps he should consider another career, so we do not have to repeat this scenario again, when his ‘demoted’ position of ‘detective’ causes him too much stress?
I believe in second chances for people, but this case is just another example of ‘city politics’, at the expense of the taxpayers. This is not the way to increase our confidence in the leaders of Spokane.
David Condon,
How about standing up for our values and doing the ‘right’ thing? I am afraid if you don’t, this will be your one and only term as the Mayor of Spokane.
Mr_Injustice on February 22 at 6:41 p.m.
Detective is a demotion and a significant pay decrease, to answer Catbox’s question.
The City led by Queen Anne and the Imperial Leader Vernor caused this to happen. Erin Jacobsen might as well be lumped in with the two of them. Erin Jacobsen was led by her devotion to the Mayor and/or she was ordered to proceed the way that she did. I don’t think that Jacobsen was the issue here. The issue was two administrations Police and City that thought they could garner public support by throwing Officers to the Wolves. Had they reasonably punished Officers the City would be in the better $1 million between Mehring and Thoma. Officer would have still been properly punished and given time and oxygen screwed up enough to lose their jobs through progressive discipline.
There are more lawsuits coming. Condon’s admin wont have enough money light city hall in a couple of years at this rate.
Condon’s only using the Mayor’s office as a step. He doesn’t plan on being a two term Mayor.
SMARTGUY on February 22 at 6:46 p.m.
Lets put the breathalyzer in his car, Leno will love it. Maybe we can be the laughingstock of the whole country, and not just the west coast. His demotion should be all the way to animal control, but unfortunately, he would have to be able to legally drive for that job.
Pigrobin on February 22 at 6:46 p.m.
The sad part to me is how we have been brain washed to believe alcoholism is a disease much less a freakin’ disability. Scammed again!! “There’s a sucker born every minute!!”
PlanB on February 22 at 6:47 p.m.
Well Mayor, if it doesn’t represent your values then don’t agree to it.
Not being able to get rid of bad cops is the impediment, not citizen’s frustration.
brianrbreen on February 22 at 6:51 p.m.
@spokaneresident
“Ann Kirkpatrick “represented our values” and did the right thing when she fired an employee that committed this type of crime.”
So does that mean that Sheriff Ozzie does not represent our values because he was smart enough not to fire Deputies for a first offense DUI and only gave the Deputies suspensions of a few weeks?
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jan/08/change-in-dui-law-means-fired-cop-can-be-rehired/
http://66.45.170.57/blogs/sirens/2011/apr/02/sheriffs-gun-expert-charged-w-dui/
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/2011/jan/10/sheriffs-deputy-sentenced-dui/
Shelala on February 22 at 6:55 p.m.
Perhaps instead of debating the merits of a good/bad settlement of a questionable cop’s actions, more effort should be made to eliminate the potential of having to negotiate or defend a settlement in the first place. Eliminating risks including the seemingly untouchable liabilities currently on the SPD payroll should be explored and hopefully with the help of a legal department who doesn’t try to ensure their continued employment by helping to create problems they will be asked to fix or defend later on a continual basis. How many blown fuses do you need to replace until you finally fix the problem that blows the fuses?
brianrbreen on February 22 at 6:57 p.m.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/08/sheriffs-lieutenant-arrested-dui/
mary1958 on February 22 at 6:57 p.m.
One of Mayor Condons duties will be to find a way to get rid of police who commit crimes and use drugs/alcohol and make it stick. Please tack that onto the top of your list.
brianrbreen on February 22 at 7:14 p.m.
“Detective is a demotion and a significant pay decrease, to answer Catbox’s question.”
Significant pay decrease yes… “demotion”…I don’t know about that.
de3 on February 22 at 7:21 p.m.
There’s plenty of moral hazard in this one - hit and run drunk driving is a serious crime and is not a disease.
Now, any SPD officer can presumably do the same thing - get drunk off the job, blame stress, call it a disease, and is untouchable. Even if the Judge rules they can’t drive with out a breath testing device in a police car - when seconds count, police are only minutes away making sure they are not drunk.
Seems likely that Spokane’s legal staff intentionally lost the case, but why? Who do they work for?
brianrbreen on February 22 at 7:34 p.m.
Well like it or lump it the previous administration and chief blew it, and we have to pay. I’d just as soon pay as little as possible in this one, because I’m sure we are going to have to pay a lot more in the Harvey case.
lowtechmaster on February 22 at 7:46 p.m.
Given all of the favorable decisions in apparently all areas (wait for the final verdict on he who killed Otto), does anyone wonder why the police consider themselves WAY above the law, subject to a law only unto themselves, and able to do whatever they choose on or off duty????
The “nonpartisan” Mayor is rapidly heading to one term, if not a recall. Let’s see what he does about the obscene water rates!
DickAdams on February 22 at 8:32 p.m.
I wonder if Roco Treppiedi took over the H&R and DUI case against Thoma at the outset, and rigged the outcome?
Albert on February 22 at 8:36 p.m.
@lowtech….I recently indicated in a previous post to “wait and give the new mayor a chance”. I see now that “it’s business as usual” and your concerns about the obscene water rates, will be addressed in this same manner. We have yet another “big speak” and no results. The intended removal of Rocky is obviously not going to happen. The SPD is biz as usual as just demonstrated, and the water rates will “flow by the wayside”.
Of course, I could well be wrong, thus I’m still waiting to see what will happen…. dah.
Ed Byrnes on February 22 at 8:49 p.m.
Bradley Thoma’s and Bob Dunn’s shameless behavior is an insult to anyone suffering from a disability.
Let’s hope that the City Council refuses to approve this deal.
From the story:
“Citizens are rightly upset by this settlement, and I fear that their frustration could impede our ability to help rebuild confidence in our police department,” Condon said. “Our citizens’ perceptions of our officers are tainted by situations like this.”
Mr. Condon is accurate in his perception of the outcome from this decision.
It is clear that Bradley Thoma considers himself above the law and any of us civilians who engaged in identical behavior would be treated far differently.
It does indeed appear that business as usual is the order of the day.
I will have a better view of the SPD if even one officer publicly decries this decision and Bradley Thoma’s absolute refusal to accept responsibility for his actions. Nothing short of that will convince me that they are collectively far more concerned with their own interests than those of us civilians who they are supposed to serve. If others share my absence of confidence and trust in the SPD this is the consequence of maintaining a code of silence.
Ed Byrnes
AnalyzeThat on February 22 at 8:59 p.m.
I hope the settlement with Thomas has a clause allowing immediate firing for good if he’s arrested for DUI again.
horse_feathers on February 22 at 9:02 p.m.
We have lost our way. When something like this can happen and we make excuses and rationalizations to justify the injustice that surround us, We have lost our way.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on February 22 at 9:15 p.m.
No wonder nobody trusts the Spokane Police, they are all a bunch of pathetic law-breaking losers. When I see a Spokane police officer I just want to point and laugh at them because they are so pathetic and pointless now.
Hmmm….wonder if he is able to be on DUI patrols, how messed up would that be for this loser to be able to give a DUI out.
Yes, there might be some good cops in Spokane, but they obviously have no backbone to stand up to the corruption that is rampant through that department and therefor they are just as pathetic as the law breaking cops still on the job.
The Spokane Police motto should be changed to “Do as we say, don’t do as we do.”
bradyc on February 22 at 9:41 p.m.
clearly, blah, blah, blah by liberal yet again. 5-6 instances out of hundreds—or is it over 1,000.. And liberal and others will continue to paint the broad brush to push their limited agenda. I know 10-15 officers that are above the fray and counter act the few that liberal and others point to. So, the department is stellar based on the superior numbers I can produce.
how about the sensationalists like liberal and others stop with the generalizations and focus on the specifics. In doing that, the number reduce significantly and the public can concentrate on the few, just like in any industry, that don’t properly represent the many. Novel concept.
liveinfearoftheSPD on February 22 at 9:43 p.m.
I am not sure who said this.
There are no exceptions to the rule of law. Once you begin making exceptions to the rule of law you no longer have a democracy. Once you start imposing you own selfish will upon your people you no longer have a democracy. Once you start ignoring and violating the rule of law you are a criminal - subject to the rule of law and punishable under the law.
I find it fitting in lite of the proof that those who enforce the laws do indeed live by exceptions in every law. Murderers, rapists, thieves….you name it. They ignore all laws and are supported in doing so by the courts and legal system.
They impose their own selfish will upon the citizens of Spokane
.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on February 22 at 9:57 p.m.
bradyc, you have your horrible stupid conservative opinions and I have my liberal opinions. So I say, blah blah blah to whatever garbage you are spewing. Also, my opinion about the police is shared by FAR more people that just liberals in Spokane, so yeah, nice try though.
As for your 10-15 cop friends, well they SUCK because, like I said, haven’t changed the culture of corruption in the Spokane Police. If they were good at their job they would be fighting and doing everything possible to get a good public relations campaign going and doing other work throughout the community to change peoples opinion about them. However, they are, they are sitting behind the Police Guild like all the corrupt cops and doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to change the publics perception about them. So yeah, they are pathetic losers also, deal with it.
lewis8457 on February 22 at 9:58 p.m.
I think being a re instated as a rookie bicycle cop would be more fitting instead of being reinstated as a detective. I thought that was what most cops wanted was to make it to detective.
lewis8457 on February 22 at 10:10 p.m.
bradyc we need to see these above board cops where are they? can you show them to us? WE hear they are present but we have not seen one stand up through all these kick in the face of our common laws?
Are any of them part of the 505? Or one or more of the saluting 50?
just wondering…..
jddavis on February 22 at 10:17 p.m.
Brady—I am far from “liberal” and rarely agree with Liberal in right wing land. Although you may be correct in the fact that the majority of SPD officers are good guys, the seemingly unending scandels coming out of the department pull the cream back into the sewage. Liberal is correct in his assessment.
I generally hold law enforcement in high regard. The SPD however, appear to me as a group of wanna-be’s that were cut from the team. I know that’s painting them with a wide dirty brush…but faith in their abilities to conduct themselves professionally and according to the law in almost nil.
Scoutster on February 22 at 11:03 p.m.
It would be refreshing to have 50 police officers at the Mayor’s statement expressing their solidarity to the hardworking taxpayers of Spokane and denouncing this travesty.
Instead, these guys are out for themselves only. None of them have the balls to stand up for what’s right.
Instead, it is siege mentality and a wider wedge between them and us.
Sad and discouraging.
bradyc on February 22 at 11:30 p.m.
i love it when the idiots on the blog rat themselves out. It doesn’t matter if you’re liberal or conservative, if you can’t form an intelligent thought, don’t post. nice going liberal.
clearly you and others continue to point to 5 or so when there are hundreds that serve the city every day and protect your sorry rear end. Man it pains me that you call yourself a Coug! We don’t claim you!
Please know how ridiculous you sound when you paint hundreds with your tainted brush for what 5 or so have done. Interesting that a liberal is stereotyping and discriminating. I’ve been told that’s reserved for neanderthal right wingers, right liberal?
Now that its been said out loud admit it that it sounds asinine what your spewing. And if you really think that front line police officers are there for PR purposes you are more remedial than anyone could have imagined.
Shelala on February 22 at 11:57 p.m.
@Brady
You seem to have a pretty inflated view of yourself and your opinion
“And if you really think that front line police officers are there for PR purposes you are more remedial than anyone could have imagined”
Oh, pul—eeze, They are not occupying Afghanistan and public relations are a big part of the job.
As far as “protecting” my sorry a**, who’s protecting me from them?
Those good cops you speak of seem to be more elusive than bigfoot, the yetti or Loch Ness. We have all heard stories about them, but have yet to encounter them, Maybe he’s the guy riding around with that truck full of beanie babies?
Right wing, left wing, broken wing, BBQ wing-makes no difference.
bradyc on February 23 at 12:03 a.m.
so you really believe there are 5 officers total, all of them bad, who patrol the streets of Spokane? it doesn’t matter what handle is used, it is the same erroneous argument.
and since “you’re” so committed to it, list the multitude of bad cops, by name, you all are talking about.
Shelala on February 23 at 12:10 a.m.
@Brady
The magical number of “five” is your number - not mine. You seem to claim you have a handle on those good cops, why don’t YOU list them by name, as a sort of public service if you will.
bradyc on February 23 at 12:15 a.m.
oh no, you’ve helped to paint the broad brush of how bad the department is, list the bad cops you’re specifically talking about. You likely only have two max, 5 was a gift to you and your kind.
Shelala on February 23 at 12:32 a.m.
@Brady
Get real, No one is gonna make you a list. Not even a grocery list. BTW. what exactly is “my kind”?
bradyc on February 23 at 12:36 a.m.
that’s the thing about extremist bullies, when confronted they slink into the shadows.
Shelala on February 23 at 12:41 a.m.
@Brady
Ain’t it the truth? Us “concerned informed citizens wishing for a functional police force” feel the same way about those bullies.
bradyc on February 23 at 12:51 a.m.
yeah, the thing is that when you present such a narrow minded argument that bases the actions of the limited few to be representative of the masses your “concerned Informed (yeah right) citizens…” statement holds no water since your entire argument is based on stereotypes and discrimination against an entire group for the actions of a limited few.
Shelala on February 23 at 1:05 a.m.
Does that mean the actions of a few reported in the media or the actions of few who are involved in legal actions or the actions of the few who have substance abuse problems or the actions of a few who were in a courtroom saluting a felon or the actions of a few spewing disdain for the public on a facebook page or the actions of a few who were involved in incidents of brutality or the actions of the few involved in rape cases. You just gotta be more specific.
bradyc on February 23 at 1:14 a.m.
and you just gotta keep grasping for straws to desperately try and make your failed point. you mix fact with lies with opinion with conjecture with innuendo with half truths with ignorance with irrelevance with an unrelated department with falsehoods with fantasy with duplicity with no grasp of reality. you just gotta wake up, focus and deal in truth and come to your senses, scratch that, come to one that has senses and leave your erroneous ways behind
Shelala on February 23 at 1:23 a.m.
Whatever trips your trigger, sport… and if you are a cop, please don’t take that literally.
bradyc on February 23 at 1:34 a.m.
oh, and I had figured you were one given how bad of actors they’re supposed to be according to this thread and how well you fit that MO
Shelala on February 23 at 1:45 a.m.
Pretty telling when we are both insulted when called a cop. Why, I have never been so insulted. I am slamming that cyber door and walking out. Good night:).
bradyc on February 23 at 1:48 a.m.
satire, the dangest thing
slednek509 on February 23 at 6:04 a.m.
Wow…woke up to read all the bickering back and forth. Pretty sad folks. I think we can all agree that something needs to be done about the lack of confidence in our Police Department. Also the lack of realistic oversight is jus plain unacceptable. There may only be a hand full of bad cops, but the frequency of scandals with the SPD is mind boggling. Personally…the City no longer does what’s right, rather which will cost less in litigation. Whatever happened to what’s right is right? If you wanna know how ffd up the “culture” is within the SPD, think bout all those officers who were supportive of Thompson at his trial. Supporting their “bad Apple” puts things into perspective.
I think its time for the feds to come in and clean house. Like they did with the Zhem case. It’s obvious the good ole boys of Spokane (including City Officials) do not have the publics best interest in mind. This town needs and enema!
lewis8457 on February 23 at 7:52 a.m.
bradyc I believe there are 28% of the force that is bad, they all posted on the 505 page how Karl was just in beating Otto into a coma. 28% is a few more then 5, more like 92 officers.
and every week there is a new name to add to the list,
justmy2 on February 23 at 11:48 a.m.
I agree with the thought that police and fire employees should be held to a higher standard, and to some degree so should all public employees, especially if they drive a vehicle as part of their job. However, being held to a higher standard doen not equate to losing your full rights as a citizen. We all have the same rights of due process, appeals, etc. The bottom line is, if someone needs to be fired or otherwise disciplined, it needs to be done for the right reason and in the right way. If that had happened in this case, we wouldn’t have anything to be upset about. And really, blaming all the cops and the police guild for this is ridiculous. Blame the decision makers and the legislators. If you people who claim that all of SPD is so evil actually got to know a few of the officers who aren’t in the headlines, you might just change your opinions a little.
Scoutster on February 23 at 12:09 p.m.
justmy…
the real problem is the good cops do nothing to stand apart from the bad ones.
Like Nazi Germany…there were lots of good Germans, but we were unable to find them because the Nazis (the majority of cops in this case) had too much power.
The good ones need to form a Guild Resistance if they really believe this is wrong. Stand up and do something and stop being victims of the Guild. Stand on principles, instead of laying in a feather-bed.
Yeah, sure, that will happen…the SPD hires for compliant grunts who follow orders and want to belong to the Big Boys Club, not creatives who question authority.
Nugget on February 25 at 9:11 a.m.
Justmy….you are talking to a fence post when it comes to those that live on this site & can’t think beyond the small space between their ears. Their only objective is to bash law enforcement.
HammerSix on February 25 at 11:18 a.m.
The next time the City and the Guild sit down and hammer out their collective bargaining agreement, they need to write in provisions for handling these cases. It would go something like this:
Officer Thoma, an otherwise decorated Officer, does something stupid (again) which is a fire-able offense (say, Leaving the Scene). City officials and SPD (Guild) officials, sit at a table, draw the curtains and play fantasy Police Officer. If the City wants the Officer, they continue to pay him/her. If the Guild insists they want the Officer, they pay him/her. If neither want the Officer, both parties break out the Scotch and fire up the stogies.
In this scenario, the taxpayers are represented by City officials that they have some say in electing. Conversely, if the Guild wants a dirtbag (Thoma) to remain on their force, why should we care? We’re not paying for it.
This is how you build a culture within an armed force in which the force keeps itself clean. It can be done—I’ve lived it.
Problem solved!