Council OKs budget shift to rehire cop

With no discussion or questions, the Spokane City Council has agreed to pay more than $40,000 to hire back a police officer who was terminated over allegations of excessive force.

Details surrounding the Monday decision remained sketchy Tuesday, as did the circumstances surrounding the unidentified officer’s earlier dismissal.

Various city officials didn’t return messages left at their offices, refused to talk and said they didn’t have enough information to explain why the City Council was asked to approve the $43,214 budget amendment to hire the former sergeant back at the lower rank of detective.

Councilman Bob Apple said he was the only council member to vote against the amendment request Monday night. He said he remembered the matter coming up about three weeks ago in executive session.

“I heard that he hit somebody when they were down,” Apple said. “If he did an offense that they thought was bad enough to demote him, they should have terminated him.”

Spokane Police Department spokesman Dick Cottam said he was aware of the situation but didn’t have enough information to comment.

“It is something the administration would have to speak to,” he said. “I don’t discuss things unless there is a specific release. It’s an internal matter.”

Police Guild President Sgt. Chuck Reisenauer confirmed that the city had to hire back the officer, whom he would not name.

“There are privacy concerns for the officer,” Reisenauer said. “If the administration wants to make a press release, they will do it.”

Police Chief Roger Bragdon was out on vacation, and his secretary said Deputy Chief Al Odenthal was acting chief. Odenthal did not return two messages left at his office Tuesday.

Apple said if it costs taxpayers $43,000, it should be a public matter.

“Basically, we are throwing money into a situation that was a bad situation,” he said. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”

Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch presented the action Monday, saying the budget change was the result of a demotion from sergeant to detective in lieu of termination following arbitration. But Lynch did not return three messages left at his office Tuesday.

City Human Resources Director Mike Shea refused to name the officer or explain the disciplinary matter that resulted in his termination.

“I don’t know if I can give you that information, because it is part of an arbitration settlement,” Shea said. “It is a personnel matter, and it really isn’t a public issue. It’s important that our personnel matters are taken care of internally.”

Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers disagreed with Shea, saying the public has a right to know how its tax dollars are spent.

She voted to approve the budget amendment, which funds the detective’s position for the remainder of the year.

But she said the item appeared in the consent agenda, which normally is a collection of various routine items that can be approved or rejected with a single council vote.

Council members rely on city staff to give them information on the consent agenda items, but Rodgers said nothing was said about the budget amendment.

“That’s the first time I heard about it was yesterday,” Rodgers said. “But given the situation with the mayor and council I shouldn’t be surprised. Because what you have up there is a little, mini war. We are not getting as much information ever since the vote of no confidence” against Mayor Jim West.

The Public Safety Committee met at 10:30 a.m. Monday, and Rodgers said she’s disappointed that police officials did not mention the situation at that time.

“The city was going to lose. That’s why the city hired him back,” Rodgers said of the information she obtained Tuesday about the arbitration hearing. “I would think that is something the City Council should have heard. This is just puzzling why they are so secret about this stuff. It’s public money.”