Two Fairbanks police officers file suit against city, police chief
Originally published Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 5:21 p.m.
Updated Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 9:19 p.m.
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS -- Two demoted Fairbanks police officers are suing the city of Fairbanks and the police department’s top brass, claiming their rights were violated under the Alaska Whistleblower Act.
The officers, Doug Whorton and Al Hutton, allege they lost rank in retaliation for complaining about the police department to the city mayor.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Fairbanks Superior Court, asks for more than $800,000 and describes police department leadership that is hostile to criticism. The lawsuit states that Police Chief Dan Hoffman threatened to demote Hutton, through a subordinate, after the officer expressed plans to file a grievance about his pay.
The lawsuit accuses Deputy Chief Brad Johnson of bullying police department employees.
The lawsuit asserts that after Whorton told city Mayor Terry Strle of his concerns about the police department, she approved his demotion, which was made on the basis of “disloyalty” because Whorton failed to follow his chain of command.
Concerns brought to the mayor by the officers include problems with equipment, lack of officer training and nepotism, the lawsuit says.
Whorton has worked as a sworn officer for 23 years, 11 of those years at the Fairbanks Police Department. He rose to the rank of lieutenant in 2005 and lost the title in March.
Whorton filed a union grievance about his demotion and the matter is about to go to arbitration, according to John Cyr, executive director of Alaska’s Public Safety Employees Association.
Hutton, a 10-year veteran officer, came here from a police department in Colorado in 2005 and quickly became vice president of the local chapter of the union.
Hutton lost his job as an investigator and was re-assigned to the police department’s patrol unit. Cyr said the investigator position is not protected under the police officers’ contract.
Hutton was also ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. He passed the evaluation and is back in uniform.
The city hired an attorney to investigate Hutton’s and Whorton’s claims of a hostile work environment. The attorney produced a report calling the claims unfounded, according to court documents.
City officials aren’t talking about the lawsuit. The city mayor declined to comment, referring questions about the lawsuit to the city attorney, who did not return multiple messages. The police chief said he is barred from talking about the lawsuit because it involves personnel matters.
“The employees involved in this suit have a complaint and that complaint is being addressed through their union,” Hoffman said.
The union takes no position on the lawsuit.
“As far as the civil suit, that’s entirely up to each individual officer,” Cyr, the union leader, said.
Whorton said he has the best interests of the city and the police department at heart.
“I haven’t done anything to damage this place,” he said. “I have been working to make it better. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve been through.”
Hutton said it’s unfortunate that a lawsuit must take place to make improvements at the police department.
“We didn’t want it to get to this point,” he said.
Community Discussion
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Oh, this could get very interesting
I thought police stuck together---like when they falsify reports,forgery,coruptionect.ect.dirty rotten filthy stinking LIARS>
Interesting reading, especially the part where they though police using their own guns was a good idea because they took better care of them. I wonder what the out of court settlement will be, in order to keep all the secrets from the public. Mayors and Police Chiefs, Fairbanks has some characters. Who was the police chief that lied on his resume among other things before he left town? Wasn't he promoted and given a raise and retired, rather than fire him. Hopefully Fairbanks will gain some insight into these two public figures.
I wonder how many of the dispatchers and support staff are married to Police Officers
Additionally, are they on the same shifts?
If a Spouse Officer was shot, would they be able to continue to conduct the essetnial functions of the dispatch operations without putting the other Officers and responders at risk because they were emotionally distracted?
As far as shifts go I don't know, but this is the truth:
1. 1 pair of officers are married
2. 2 pairs of brothers work there
3. 1 dispatcher is married to the evidence custodian
4. 1 dispatcher is now a cop there
5. 1 cop's daddy is the North Pole Chief
last but not least....
6. 6 officers are married to dispatchers. Thats 12 in all, 6 couples.
22 out of 60 are related in some way.
N2AK
You fail to account for officers/dispatchers that are dating which will add a few more to your count
Dang, are you telling me they all related?
Can I be their marriage counselor and get paid
some of that big bucks too?
thanks N2AK for those numbers....
wow...
Is there more than one evidence custodian? Because they don't currently have a male dispatcher and the evidence custodian is female.
Granted they used to have a male dispatcher, or they could have a new evidence custodian. Anyway, the point is, it doesn't seem like the information provided by N2AK is current.
MarieBarr
I think you are correct. The evidence custodian is married to a Officer
So much drama. All I care about is how the tax payers will foot the bill for yet ANOTHER blunder. Every dollar wasted in the lawsuit, every dollar used to settle, is just one more dollar that wont be spent on things we actually need.
Way to go.
If I'm not mistaken, the FPD officer whose father is/was Chief in North Pole was KILLED in the line of duty several years ago. What difference does it make is officers marry? LOTS of people meet their spouses on the job.
what season they suing the city of Fairbanks ?
Once again the problem is UNIONS.. all these problems should be handled by the union, not the lawyers and courts. The City gets involved because they have the deep pocket. AND you have a lawyer, Chief of Staff, running things, and at least one councel member, now there is a good reason to be conserned, keep an eye on your wallet..
Bugger,
The Unions and their members have specific legal rights and protections in this country...even if you don't like them.
Ideally the City will eventually figure out how to avoid so much litigation and that will benefit all of us.
I don't think the number of FPD employees that are married to each other or related is any sort of proof of corruption. It takes a special breed of individual to do those jobs, and often that desire runs in families. (It's in mine too.)
But, no matter what the evidence says, some people refuse to admit that the vast majority of law enforcement officers are great people, with a few bad apples. Just like any other industry.
Anyone think is just might have been poor supervision on the part of the Mayor and Police Chief. The suit was based on whistle blowing on supervisory staff and supervisory staff's taking punitive action for doing so. These are the kind of suits the attorney loves to do.
Nepotism is and has been rampant in this town.
Agnes, it matters especially in situations like police.
These people exercise alot of power over peoples' lives, and the truth is, they DO cover for each other when one messes up, and if they're married or dating, that likelihood is probably even greater.
Undue influence.
Average_Joe is right.
I think there should be a policy barring a certain level of consanguinity, dating, and marriage.
These guys are the first line of seriously affecting peoples' lives; for good or ill.
Okay people don't you know that being a cop is a family tradition almost genetic? My son's father works with 4 brothers and now 1 son, all cops in the same department. Sadly one of the cops lost their son last year in a shot out. They are repected officers and serve their badge well and have been in the department for 20 plus years. Oh yeah, their father, his brothers, and their grandfather also served. Big deal if they are all related. Go to any community in the lower 48 and you will find that being a cop is a family tradition.
Agnes
You are thinking of Kevin Lamm. He was killed in the line of duty 1/1/1998. His father Lynn was a Police Chief somehwere in South East Alaska if I recall correctly.
The North Pole Police Chief is Paul Lindhag who's son Jeromey is a Patrol Sergeant at Fairbanks Police Department.
Not that it matters either way.
What is the point of this conversation. Being related doesn't have anything to do with these men suing over pay and then getting demoted for complaining about a policy chief. Did you guys read a different story than me?
Oops "Police" not policy!
loagirl
Read the court papers
One of their complaints is about nepotism and specifically returbition from the Deputy Chief for compalints against and going against his wife who is the dispatch supervisor
Holy Crow! No wonder these guys are so good at making stuff up and covering for each other, they are all related!!!
Some really good info on this post...
*shakes head and slowly backs away in disbelief*
The following is a fictionalized account of a current events lecture at LHS concerning cycleds in small town politics:
"Who was it before? Anyone? , anyone?
Beuhler?
De Spain... and the chief was,
anyone?, anyone?
Pulice, and the mayor was...anyone? anyone?"
As I see it.. the only people who don't have a problem with nepotism are those who have benefited from it their whole lives. The statement about genetics and law enforcement strikes me alittle odd. I hope these guys ( if their telling the truth, and I believe they are)are successful and changes are made for the good of the public. The disgraced Ex-Chief Pulice really shook my faith in this local department, and I never understood why Hayes failed to fire that man! I thought maybe they would have learned some things since then. BTW- How the heck are you going to have any real objectivity when everybody is married to or sleeping with everybody else!! Come ON!
She states the obvious ^
Everyone else looks for excuses....
These officers are professionals and would act as such no matter the circumstances. Maybe the reason they "stick together" is because they are treated so badly by the very people they protect.
Cops are a lot like mechanics in that it takes a certain type of person to do that job and it only takes a few bad ones to give them all a bad name. I am not a big fan of cops but I doubt that I could do that job. As long as they are good cops I say let them do what they want, if they are bad then poop can them.
Big Mike...Apparently you have personal issues with the police...like, an arrest? That sticking together comment...SO juvenile.
I just cannot believe SOME of you people....OKAY, next time your husband/boy-girlfriend or neighbor,or whomever is beating on you, or your house is being broken into, or your property is stolen, or your kid is missing, or someone is selling drugs to them, or on your corner, or a drunk is puking on your street, or driving and a danger to your life,...Handle it yourself!!!! And GOOD LUCK!
SHAME on some of you.. These men and women put their lives on the line every day and night for YOU!! Put yourself "out there" if you know so much! Easy to be a big mouth, know-it-all, not so easy to be someone to step up and take the risk to protect your sorry a$$e$.
There may be a particular problem with individuals in a part of FPD...so WHAT? Never a problem in any other organization? Or within your home or family? Some of you think these officers, dispatchers, whatever, if they are in uniform, don't deserve to love and to marry. Hey, it happens!!!! They were civil servants before and still are after and during. People like some of you, didn't know them before or now...just looking to mouth off if it suits their personal problems with authority.
Why did this story get buried so quickly?
Seems like there was a lot of blog activity and then the story wasnt linked on the DNM website anymore, I had to search for it
Pulling this up two different times, you have to be pretty specific in the search to find it now. Someone has some pull!
If you want the info, go beyond the printed story and read the complaint. It's unfortunate that these guys tried to work within the system to correct problems and everyone failed them, their supervisors, the mayor and the union. Why didn't the administration just fix the problems instead of letting it get this far, ummm, I guess because they were the problem? I'm just glad these guys had the strength of character to keep going in trying to get these problems fixed. I don't know of anyone who would believe complaining about vehicles or radios that don't work properly should be demoted, have their pay cut, and be publicly humiliated. Call me crazy, but I'd just as soon the cops have cars that are safe, in proper working order and that they can actually use their radios when they need to.
The City needs to clean up this mess fast. There are a lot of good cops out there (including the guys that filed this suit) that don't deserve to have this drag out and create any more hard feelings than it has already. As usual, time is money.
I think a lot of people here are missing the big picture. The lawsuit is not just about nepotism, it also brings forth allegations of equipment problems and lack of officer training. Both of which are far more concerning to me then a few officers being related and/or dating/married. But on the subject that everyone seems so fascinated with...nepotism doesn't just mean that two people are related in some way. It means that those people are receiving preferential treatment based on a relationship, not their job qualifications and merit.
I come from a cop family and I know plenty of cops who are tougher on family members who join the force than on any of their other co-workers. That being said, I'm not from Alaska, but in the 8 years I've spent in Fairbanks, I will say that nepotism runs rampent in this place. It's one thing to get a job because you're qualified, and it's another to get it because of who your daddy or spouse is.
All that aside, I think that these officers are in the right, especially if there are problems with equipment and officer training. How do we expect these officers to serve and protect if they have shotty equipment and their officer's lack the skills to deal with problems outside of the Fairbanks norm? Shouldn't that be the main issue here? Truth be told, with all the problems Chicago has, I felt the police forces there are more adequately prepared for most situations than those in Fairbanks. Granted, there is definitely more crime, and different types, but it's only a matter of time until those problems start becoming more prevalent here and our officers should be prepared to deal with it.
Oh yeah, and shame on Terry Strle for signing off on Officer Whorton's demotion. Disloyalty? Do you know how hard it is for a cop to take formal action against their own? These are the people you have to trust to have your back in the nastiest of situations. That man's career is never going to be the same, at least not with this department. Twenty-three years as a cop, of protecting people that are probably the first ones to slander the names of good cops because they can't obey the laws, and the mayor assists in having you demoted. If it were me, I'd leave this community and go somewhere where your badge and honor still mean something.
i have known Doug Whorton since he first arrived in Fairbanks. He is a man of impeckable integrity and great honor. He would never create the department or the city any problem without due couse. The Dept. and the Mayor both have much to answer for in this matter.
It seems that the governence of political affairs in Fairbanks has long been the purvue of persons of questionable character. Our former Mayor and former Police Cheif are just symptons of a greater cancer imbedded in our town.
If the query on your lips is whether Doug Whorton has been wronged, you can be assured he would never have taken the steps noted here without an airtight case. I would rather trust my life to officers like Doug than those who rule the PD at the present time.
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