There Goes Our Carping, Conniving Constabulary Again

Spokane street cops have once again mercilessly ganged up on a man. They did it publicly and nobody stopped them. In fact, the sheriff joined them right in front of TV cameras. Then, high-ranking SPD officers came along and banged on the lone victim. It was classic them-andus cop behavior.

The victim’s only crime, as far as I could see, was being an outsider. He was a them, not an us. But he was a them who apparently believed Spokane taxpayers should be included in the us category. That flies in the face of traditional SPD thinking.

The victim’s name was Alan Chertok and he’s been our police chief for nine months. He dared to tell a high school criminal justice class that former chief Terry Mangan’s name was one of hundreds given by tipsters to the serial killer task force. Negative comments about other insiders is unthinkable to cops raised under the SPD’s old rules. Sheriff Mark Sterk announced Chertok was being investigated for possible criminal wrongdoing because he spoke publicly about the serial killer investigation. Of course, Sterk did the same thing when he publicly named Chertok as an uncharged suspect in a pending criminal investigation. But Sterk is an us, not a them.

I once respected Sterk. Now, unless he publicly apologizes to Chertok, just as Chertok has apologized to Mangan, I will wonder whether Sterk sold out his normally high ethics and values for political purposes. He aided a mutiny he had no business joining.

Sterk’s own claim of possible criminal wrongdoing by Chertok didn’t hold water. Prosecutor Steve Tucker refused to pursue the matter. The allegations against Chertok were bogus.

It’s no coincidence Sterk’s remarks came the day after the Spokane Police Guild spent an hour whining to City Manager Bill Pupo that Chertok is failing to lead the SPD. And it’s no coincidence the day after Sterk publicly suggested Chertok was a criminal, the SPD’s Lieutenants and Captains Association followed suit with its own unsubstantiated claims. Denigration upon slander upon innuendo. These three events don’t pass the smell test.

I don’t know Alan Chertok. He may be an abrasive Easterner, as some cops claim. He may have earned the nickname, “Rudey.” But I do know nine months isn’t long enough to prove he can’t lead the SPD. Speaking of proof, neither the Guild nor officers’ union has offered any real proof Chertok isn’t a good leader. Now that their claim is public, they should put up or shut up. Give us substantial proof or quit whining.

Of course, Sterk didn’t offer any real evidence that Chertok’s remarks hurt the serial killer investigation. Somebody suggested other agencies wouldn’t share information if they feared leaks. You mean to tell me insider cops would jeopardize public safety because they disagree with the new chief’s judgment about the public’s right to know? If cops around here are so puerile they would allow this incident to muddy their focus, it’s small wonder the serial killer investigation hasn’t stopped the murders.

A sheriff’s department spokesperson claimed Chertok’s comments might hurt the tipster trade. Let me get this straight. After years of silence, the right tipster was finally ready to drop the dime on the serial killer but then Alan Chertok made one remark about Terry Mangan and the tipster decided against calling. God help us if the best investigation we can muster pivots on such fickle and fragile circumstances.

It seems to me it’s healthy to have a top cop who’s courageous enough to state publicly that even former SPD officers will be investigated right along with other tips. It tells the public everybody is going to be treated equally. Seems to me that might prompt more tips, not fewer.

By ignoring the “policy” that nobody talks about the serial killer investigation, Chertok committed one other sin. He implicitly introduced a different paradigm for running major investigations. Before anybody claims his way is inferior, we need to examine the results of the current no-public-comment approach. Besides, the Police Guild wanted Chertok to set some policy and show some leadership, right?

Chertok’s fate now rests with the city manager. I hope Bill Pupo’s grasp of reality is better than his comb-over would indicate. His decision about Chertok’s future will have long-range ramifications for our future. It would be a shame to allow the cops’ selfish interests to widen mistrust between local cops and citizens. It’s time for Spokane cops to stop the them-and-us game.