We’ve received a few emails asking why there have been a lack of posts fairly recently. We have not been “muzzled” or won-over by the promises of “change” by ASUPD’s new leadership. The fact of the matter is that everyone who was in Command Staff during the era of Pickens is equally to blame for the department’s problems. Continuously using Pickens as a scapegoat after his departure is cheap; the fact of the matter is, you all were there working under Pickens and you failed to even attempt to do “the right thing”. Why should any department member trust ANY of the previous members of Command Staff that the circumstances have changed?
We want to present more hard factual information about the situation at ASU beyond citing media stories, and unfortunately that takes time.
We’ve been fighting with ASU behind the scenes to receive several FOIA requests we put in months ago. Apparently, we’re not alone in this battle either; our media contacts have also experienced the same stonewalling from ASU. There is information which exists that is obviously damaging , so much so that the university is willing to risk legal action if they don’t comply with the FOIA requests.
The problems at ASUPD didn’t happen overnight, nor were the changes started by The Integrity Report. Anything that is worth having takes time and patience.
As always….stand by, folks.
No amount of pandering to the Michael Crow, Morgan Olsen, and Kevin Salcido crew will fix the issues with the department. Even if we were able to retain some of the officers we hired it wouldn’t fix it. We haven’t retained hardly any officers yet, so something isn’t working. The remaining command will argue we don’t pay enough.
This is a half truth. Yes, we don’t pay enough. It’s also more than that. They deal with our problem supervisors who outnumber them five to one and say to themselves, “This shit isn’t worth it. I’m getting out of here.” This is the environment Pickens and his command appointments have created. They will never change.
You’re right, we still can’t retain anyone. Our retention and training record over the years is horrific. The amount taxpayer money wasted by this tiny state agency for years on this issue alone must be staggering.
They aren’t interested in fixing department issues, they want to make appearances and hopefully save the jobs they don’t deserve to hold. Most of them only know ASUPD under John L Pickens and their lack of morale fiber, imagination, and inspiration is a throwback to his tarnished legacy.
That’s what I figured. I haven’t seen much hope and change since Thompson took command. I agree, there’s a silent consensus he’s trying to bury the past, hide the skeletons, and look as on top of things as possible before the new chief rolls in. His job and all their jobs may be on the line and giving the place a cheap coat of paint doesn’t cut it.
Appointing Rourke as assistant chief was disastrous. She’s a perfect example of what went wrong when Pickens was here, no people skills and hostile towards subordinates. I’m sure West was more than happy to see her leave.
My advice to everyone is don’t believe a word of it until you see results…talk is cheap.
When was the last time I heard someone prancing around promising Hope and Change? That was bullshit to, let’s see it. Make me a believer.
To oversimplify for the sake of understanding there are two parts to the problem.
1. Thompson, with the remaining ASU command dunces in tow, is setting out to undo the damage of the John Pickens era. This sounds good but…
2. He’s having to do so with all the negative leadership who caused the damage, the same people blaming Pickens, and who are collectively ignoring the past and how we arrived at this crisis in the first place. The result will be continued decline and more news headlines to come.
Here’s another example of the lack of staffing preventing the ASU police department from performing it’s job function
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/tempe/valley-cities-say-no-to-potential-bunny-ranch-style-brothel-proposal-continues-to-grab-attention
Look at the part that says, “Campus police were not prepared with sufficient staff at the late notice and F.R.E.E. International, the group holding the event, was told it was being cancelled.” The truth is Campus police AKA ASU Police can rarely staff overtime positions of any size beyond a single officer. The football games look like a valley wide convention of law enforcement from all the separate agencies called in to work overtime for the games.
They are trying to buy time to save their jobs and appear to be something completely different than they are. The disappointments will continue until their superior replacements arrive.
You are exactly right and most people agree with the poor leadership assessment. Crow and friends don’t get that the leadership problems at ASU went far from being isolated to Pickens and Hardina. If they get it now or later it makes no difference to them other than how much shame and fail they want to diffuse.
Will they be personally sued civilly? Probably not. Will the university be sued and the state of Arizona have to pay out over and over like it has been? Definitely so. It’s not their money and they don’t care.
The problem I have is that the safety of the public and the safety of everyone on patrol is at stake when ASUPD is lead by people who hurt the mission of the agency. We all deserve better than that.
It should have said “…campus police are not prepared and have for a third year in a row, a severe lack of staffing. Campus police are optimistic that they may be ready to staff this event sometime next year if nobody quits between now and then, but they always are quitting, so no, try us in 2016.”
It’s has nothing to do with the late notice! We don’t have any fucking staffing! When have we ever assigned regular patrol units to work football games? This has always been an overtime detail.
More shady withholding of information for the sake of artificially maintaining a false image to the public. The truth is there and they don’t want the public to know about it. Maybe they should just do the right thing the first time to avoid the image crisis and game playing.
Look at the track records of the people making up this command. Integrity is their last priority making truth the first casualty. They think and care only for themselves and that’s why we are in this mess as a department.
The more they resist giving out information the more they have to hide. If you have nothing to hide you don’t hide it!
They think the Pickens/Hardiner scapegoat thing is winning an audience, but only a few people are believers. Everyone else knows people selling this talk are full of shit.
They are running around trying to paint over all the telltale stains and get rid of the smell before the new chief comes in to do some much needed housecleaning. It’s time to appear worthy of retention unlike Chief Darth Pickens and Ass Chief Jimmy Hardwhiner who were poorly polished expendable liabilities.
The new chief will inherit the old chief’s problematic and expendable people who defaulted on the promise to protect and serve by putting their own whims and interests primary to the department mission time after time. They were the “ME” in team losing the game.
Can anyone justify why the tiny ASUPD has the same level of people in the command structure as Tempe PD? Maybe that’s why we can’t pay officers what they’re worth, but we’re paying command far beyond what they’re worth and equal or higher than their city counterparts. We can attract some talent with that money, or the University can stay permanently fixed in the news with negative coverage.
I’m not buying it. I don’t know who is.
They very act of them trying to put everything on the chief says they are not willing to take responsibility for their own actions.
The persistence of the blog and everyone involved in it is an example of doing the right thing even though there could be repercussions for doing so. Nobody here has been intimidated and silenced by the schoolyard bullies of command and their lackeys.
Looking the other way as your partner stole the candy bar at the convenience store was an option for some, but not anyone here. Please proceed with kicking the shit out of the people who took the candy and didn’t pay for it.
Everyone here has decided to stand for something instead of standing for trash, immorality, and the kind of criminal-minded scum who have no business being in law enforcement. I look forward to your next release that will bring us one step closer to the right people packing their moving cart like the last two pussies. A real man would have carried a box.
When you are making unscrupulous people uneasy or upset by telling the truth you are on the right path. I look forward to the release of new information, truth, and people being held accountable for it. I’m on board now and here for the duration.
Agreed, but what will it take to get the university leadership/ our pd leadership to conduct business in an ethical manner? Clearly they don’t view ethics as essential to leadership, so what do you have to work with and appeal to? Maybe exposed, shamed, and forced into doing the right thing is the only option.
That sums things up perfectly. Some of the subjects of interest on here have gone on record saying the blog tells half truths or lies, but can never cite one example. Convicted criminals say the same thing, but can’t prove innocence in court. Most of the employees here know bullshit when they see it, it’s been on the menu here for years. Thanks for that valuable lesson JP.
Acting Chief Mike Thompson’s integrity and ethics are nonexistent. He’s damaged goods from long ago and is desperately trying to hang on to power like former Chief John Pickens and former Assistant Chief James Hardina.
Truth be told, Chief Mike Thompson, acting Assistant Chief Michele Rourke, Commander Bill Orr, Commander Chris Speranza, Commander Lou Scichilone, Sergeant Pam Osborne, Sergeant Mark Aston, interim Sergeant Mark Janda, and Corporal Luke Khalid are all morally and ethically bankrupt.
The aforementioned individuals have been key players in helping drive the ASUPD into the ground. Until those individuals are permanently removed from the ASUPD, nothing will ever change, including the low morale and anemic patrol numbers.
If the university’s leadership doesn’t start some serious housecleaning, and soon, things will only get worse.
Maybe the new chief will have the inner fortitude and vision to turn the state of affairs around at the ASUPD–one can only hope.
And one can only hope that the university’s leadership will allow the new chief to run the ASUPD like a real functioning police department, not some illusion of a police department controlled by their whims.