By Emerson Drake
2/4/11
Are You Really Investigating the MPD Letter Mr. Aaronson or are you just preparing your usual white wash of the incident? Here is what other have said about you.
Aaronson interviewed only Anaheim police officials—and not one member of the community that the department serves.
My question to you is, are you talking with the Officers who, despite being told to sit down and shut up by Chief Harden have said privately they are willing to discuss what they witnessed. http://voiceofmodesto.org/wordpress/?p=1254
Will Aaronson interview these employees or just pore over old paperwork having little or nothing to do with getting to the bottom of a troubling situation inside the Modesto Police Department.We have no doubt that the paper trail is in order, but if it was written by the same people who are intent on covering-up the actions of a few rogue employees, what good can it do to make sure I's were dotted and T' were crossed?Here is the letter reprinted to remind Bob Aaronson and all of us what caused the furor and concern.
Mr. Frank Carson:
I am a longtime MPD employee and just read the Modesto Bee article regarding Sergeant Plante. Thank you for the courage that you show in defending the right position. The majority of MPD are happy that you disclosed this.
Fact is, police brutality is still going on and the solid hardworking police officers have reported this ongoing activity to Captain Balentine and Chief Harden who have done NOTHING about it. These criminal allegations about police brutality on graveyard night shift known as “5B” have gone on for several years.
Captain Balentine and Chief Harden have turned their heads the other way.Veteran employees Kelly Rae and Dave Brown, to name only a few, have directly reported police brutality and mistreatment of Modesto Citizens to upper management. These two officers have also confronted Lt. Cloward.
Cloward has directed sergeants to leave these guys alone. Lt. Cloward, Captain Balentine and Chief Harden are all K-9 buddies and will protect each other. The officers committing these acts are James Murphy, Orrin Nelson, Florencio Costales, and Joe Lamantia. All work together and pick on ganger types and helpless citizens.
Lamantia just killed a man armed with a spatula.The veteran officers who will tell the truth about this brutality are Sergeant Dan Sharder, Sergeant Carlos Castro, Officers Kelly Rea, Mike Thomas, Joe Torres and Dave Brown. Officers Rea and Brown have actually been keeping notes because they are so fed up with Captain Balentine and Chief Harden ignoring this ongoing police brutality problem. Brown and Rea have specifics as far as dates, times and case numbers.
They will not cover this up.Mr. Carson, I suggest you subpoena all of these people along with K-9 use of force reports (especially Murphy’s dog) and I bet the chief will try and hide behind these use of force reports.Chief Harden has no credibility or integrity and will protect his upper management.
You should also subpoena city manager Greg Nyhoff as he has apparently been informed of the mistreatment of citizens and has also failed to deal with Captain Balentine or Chief Harden on these very well known issues.
Copies of this letter have been sent to the Modesto Bee and City Council as well.
I would tell you my name, but I am afraid of retaliation.
