Omak Police Chief Faces Dismissal Misconduct Includes Downloading Porn To Office Computer, Mayor Says

Omak Police Chief Mikael Cramer will be fired for misconduct that included filling his office computer with pornography over the past three years, Mayor Walt Smith said Tuesday.

An Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office investigation alleges Cramer turned his office into a virtual peep-show booth, with hundreds of downloads from Internet porn sites. Sheriff’s officers said they even found an “interactive porn program.”

Cramer, 48, and his attorney weren’t immediately available for comment, but Smith said Cramer claimed to have been looking for ways to block Internet pornography in Omak.

The mayor said Cramer also denied allegations that he participated in an illegal high-stakes pyramid scheme.

Smith said he “put a stop to it” earlier this year when he found that Cramer and others in the Police Department were involved in a chain-letter-style “gifting club.” Participants gave large amounts of money to people above them in the hope of getting even more money back from those below them in the expanding pyramid.

Pyramids, also known as Ponzi schemes, are illegal because people at the bottom are left holding the bag when the system inevitably collapses.

“He said that his wife was involved and he wasn’t, but I have other testimony on that,” Smith said.

Later, Smith said, he began hearing rumors from constituents that there was more than criminal records in the city Police Department computers.

“Outsiders, I don’t know how they found out about it, but they did,” Smith said. “My police guys didn’t tell me about it. They were very reluctant, so we had a secret meeting and talked about it, and they came out with it.”

He said he found some officers in the 12-man department who hesitated to talk for fear of retaliation.

When they did talk, Smith said, they expressed concern about the chief’s computer habits because they would reflect badly on the department. When Smith asked the county sheriff’s office about two months ago to investigate, he found that sheriff’s investigators also knew about the porn and were concerned.

Cramer joined the Police Department 24 years ago as a patrolman and was assistant chief for 13 years before becoming chief three years ago.

Undersheriff Mike Murray led the investigation into Cramer’s computer use and reported Cramer had been visiting pornographic Web sites since at least mid-1997 - about the same time he became chief. Cramer’s browser log filled 124 pages and much of it reflected visits to porn sites.

Murray said one porn site was visited 246 times.

At the relatively slow speed of Cramer’s office Internet connection, it takes about 35 minutes to download videos, Murray said. He said Cramer admitted downloading porn while on duty, but he claimed he was looking for ways to combat Internet porn.

Murray called that claim “ludicrous.”

He said Cramer admitted he didn’t ask any Internet companies about blocking software, and his computer logs show no visits to Web sites that provide pornblocking software.

Smith said he confronted Cramer with Murray’s report on April 14 and gave him until last Wednesday to respond. Cramer’s response was to submit an application to go on disability leave on grounds that he is suffering from stress and depression.

The mayor said there may be little the city can do to prevent Cramer from taking disability retirement under the now-closed Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters I state pension plan, which covers Cramer. But Smith said he wants to make sure Smith can’t get his $47,556-a-year job back by claiming to have recovered.

So, when Cramer failed to appear at a disciplinary hearing Tuesday morning, Smith began drafting a dismissal letter.

“It’s a bummer,” Smith said. “Nobody likes to do it, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”