Dekalb Officers Speak

Troubled DeKalb Officers

2013-05-17T23:44:00.002-04:00

Tucker Precinct "Meet The Chief" Rescheduled

2013-05-16T22:05:00.000-04:00

Chief Cedric has rescheduled the Tucker Precinct meeting to Wednesday, May 22nd. For those who attended the cancelled meeting on their off time, they will be compensated with 2 hours of overtime for their inconvenience.

Outstanding, Chief!

Chief Cedric A No Show

2013-05-09T09:36:00.001-04:00

Has Chief Alexander heard enough from us at the "Meet the Chief" meetings?

He was a no show for the scheduled meeting at Tucker Precinct yesterday. The roll call room was packed with officers who took time out of their personal life to meet him and express concerns but Chief Cedric failed to show or give notice that he wasn't coming.

Officers waited over an hour. This speaks volumes as to how he cares about this police department or you as officers.

Burrell Promises Raise For The Have Nots, No Raise For The Other Deserving Folk

2013-04-22T22:06:00.001-04:00

Burrell is promising a raise up to 3%, (key words, up to) to all making less than $37,731 and a one time lump sum (unknown how much) to those who are expecting a 5% raise after 12 months of employment.

Lunacy.

So, is Burrell saying that those making over $37,731 aren't affected by inflation? Sorry, but I think we're paying the same for fuel, bread, milk and all the other necessities of life as the guy on the back of a garbage truck. (Except the ones with take home cars, ha!) Only difference, we haven't threatened to form a union like the garbage collectors have.

We know the county is broke and can't afford to give out raises to everybody. But why only a select few? Where is his interest in "fairness"? That seems to be the buzz word these days.

We should be demanding fairness! It's either all or none! Does Ellis and the other commissioners really want to go down this road again? How much did it cost the county coffers last time? 9 million dollars?

Where is Chief Cedric on this? Where is our command staff?

Union? We don't need no stinking union! The power of the pen, or the lack there of......if you get our drift.

CEO Letter to Employees Regarding 3% Living Wage Salary Increase

Arrangements for Officer Brian Fitzpatrick

2013-04-18T19:30:00.000-04:00

Officer Brian Fitzpartick died Wednesday, April 17, 2013.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:30 PM on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at the Loganville First United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jerry Meredith will officiate.

Mr. Fitzpatrick retired as a Detective with Dekalb County after 25 years of service. He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Fitzpatrick, and his brother, Glenn Fitzpatrick. Mr. Fitzpatrick is survived by his wife of 25 years, Shan Fitzpatrick; Daughters & Son-in-law: Kelly Fitzpatrick, Athens; Shannon & Peter Kuerst, Germany; Cassidy Fitzpatrick, Loganville; Mother: Susan Fitzpatrick; Brothers: Kevin Fitzpatrick, both of East Meadow, NY; Tommy Fitzpatrick, Clarkston; Niece: Madeline Fitzpatrick.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to National Law Enforcement Officers Fund, www.nleomf.org, or to Loganville First United Methodist Church, 221 Main Street, Loganville, GA 30052.

The family will receive friends from 4 - 6 PM on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at the Tim Stewart Funeral Home, 670 Tom Brewer Road, Loganville, GA 30052. 770-466-1544. Please sign the online guest registry at www.stewartfh.com

Go in peace brother!

Will We Ever Learn?

2013-04-17T21:57:00.001-04:00

DeKalb detective accused of pointing weapon in McDonald’s drive-thru. Click here for the story.

COMMENTS CLOSED

120 Days And Counting

2013-04-10T09:31:00.001-04:00

For over 120 days, since Burrell Ellis' home and office was searched by the D.A.'s office tying Burrell to corruption, uniform officers have been stationed in front of Burrell's house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The reason given for the needed security was because of "traffic". Well first of all, we all know that's a lie. Secondly, surely the traffic has died down by now. Seriously, who cares if his house is the scene of a crime. It's not like the book depository or something.

Promotions and Transfers

2013-04-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

Click here to view the chief's new line up. More to come we feel sure.

January 2013 Pension Board Minutes Are Posted

2013-04-04T23:55:00.001-04:00

The January pension board minutes are posted on the county webpage. You can click here to read them.

An anonymous poster wrote;

The bad news is a "hybrid pension plan" is in the planning stage, the board is researching it. I expect it to roll out within two years, this is going to be bad for new employees.

It's also going to be bad for Dekalb government. I have explained the situation very clearly to HR director Ransom and commissioner Boyer that the county cannot attract quality, competent employees with low salaries, and poor benefits.

Combined with DeKalb's hypocritical political leadership that specializes in mistreating and intimidating the employees, this is a no-win situation for the employees or potential employees. I would also like to point out that the "hybrid pension plan" will more than likely provide for raising existing employees pension contributions drastically in an effort to drive the existing employees away from the favorable "old-pension plan" to the new.

Ploy Lets DeKalb CEO Exceed Budget By $237,000

2013-03-27T12:19:00.000-04:00

Burrell Ellis is taking money from other departments to give his cronies well paying jobs.

April Hunt of the AJC should ask where the money is coming from to fund Burrell's fleet of SUV's?

Turns out Burrell Ellis is no different then Terrel Bolton.

AJC article here.

Pension News

2013-03-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

We are glad to see the pension on the front burner again. Ken C, spoke with Robbie Robertson, retiree representative on the pension board. Following Ken's report, is a response by Ed Wall, chairman of the pension board.

Once again, we can count on Ed to respond to our questions.

Comment by Ken C:

I spoke to the retiree pension rep, “Robbie” Robertson about my concerns regarding the county's pension contributions, Robbie patiently explained the situation and answered my questions fully. Robbie lives in Chicago, Ill. and attends most of the board meetings by teleconference. I would rather have him physically at the meetings, however he is just too good at representing the retirees currently to give up. Now lets get to the core issue.

I'll be blunt.

The employees and retirees are screwed.

Specifically DeKalb government has rigged the game against the employees. The bad news first. The pension fund is at 1.1 billion, the highest since the recession. The bad news is the pension is only funded to 60 percent. When I retired three years ago, the pension was funded at about 68 percent. Most of the loss can be attributed to the loss of investment and stock value and the continued outlays to the retirees. While the market has recovered, the outlays drew down the funded pension plan down to 60 percent. The BOC is playing games with the employees over employer/employee pension contributions. The game is rigged and its called “Comparing apples to oranges”, then lying about it..

Let me lay down some background information on this so everyone understands the situation perfectly.

Yearly contributions to the pension fund is determined by actuarial accountants, (financial wizards of analysis) The amount needed to fund the pension for the year is then paid for by the employees/employer contributions. This is where we get to the “apples to oranges” game.

Employee contributions are fixed at 8.5 percent. The counties only obligation is to make up for the difference between the employees fixed contributions and the amount the actuarial accountants report needed for the year. In this year the 8.5 percent employee contributions required the county to only pay 12.8 percent of the employees salary to meet their legal obligation to the pension fund, not the 17 percent the BOC claimed is breaking the budget.

Historically the DeKalb pension plan has been funded on 33 percent of the contributions paid by the employees, 66 percent paid by the county. In June the county reduced their contribution and the ratio changed to approximately 42/58% paid respectively by both. Of course the employees received no notice of the change from the Finance department or BOC.

The employees fixed rate of 8.5 percent is the “orange”, the county's floating rate is the “apple”.

Something to recognize is the actuarial accountants are low-balling the total contributions necessary to maintain the pension fund at an adequate level.

Does anyone believe 60 percent funding of the pension systems obligations as adequate? The BOC is lying to the employees on the county's percentage of contributions to the pension fund.

Robbie reports that theoretically the county BOC could elect to pay nothing into the pension system and require the employees to fund it 100 percent. Robbie believes that is unlikely due to the politics. My belief is that if the DeKalb politicians thought they could get away with it they would. A couple of items I was asked to emphasize. Robbie and the pension board is fighting hard to restore the 33/66 percent ratio of contributions to the pension fund, if the county had maintained the agreed fixed 17 percent pension contribution, the pension system could afford a COLA increase for the retirees.

My opinion is the DeKalb BOC will only meeting their legal obligation and attempting to raise the employees ratio of contributions while reducing the county's percentage of pension contributions. I see this trend continuing and evolving as DeKalb politicians chip away at employee benefits to gain more revenue for unimportant services and projects that get them reelected

Considering that five out of seven of the commissioners are Democrats and claim they stand for the “little-guy”, (blue collar workers) I find their stance towards DeKalb employees breathtakingly hypocritical and arrogant. The CEO/BOC and staffers are highly paid and compensated, they then turn around and screw every other county employee in salary and benefits. Gale Waldorf is the only commissioner I respect. Gale is against us also but at least she is up-front and doesn't lie about it.

You gotta love this place!
Stay safe guys and gals!
KenC

Comment by Ed Wall:

The State of Georgia Constitution does NOT provide for bankruptcy for Georgia cities and counties.

Your Pension Plan is secured by $1.1 billion in the bank and future contributions from the County and the employees.

The County and the employees have always contributed to the plan the amount that the actuaries recommend. At least I can guarantee that for the last 20 years or so I have been on the Board.

If at any time, the County doesn't contribute the recommended amount, the penalty is the State of Georgia will stop paying any grant funds to which the county may be entitled. You and your Pension Board would additionally file a lawsuit to ask a Superior Court Judge to force the levy of a property tax to make the annual contribution.

Your plan has declined in the percentage funded. The latest actuarial report has your fund at 59% funded.

Your Pension Board would like to see it funded at 75% or better.

The reason it isn't at that level is the following:

investment returns over the last 5 years have been on average about 5% annually. The plan is currently designed to earn at least 7.75% annually. The two big reasons are the interment bubble bust in 2002 and the Great Recession bust in 2008.

The second reason is that the plan has more retirees and more employees.

Your Board has currently engaged the Actuary to look at the assumptions to determine if some of them are incorrect. For example, the actuaries assume the payroll increases 3% annually. Based on info we have, employees haven't been receiving 3% annual increase in pay in a long time. The funding status would increase if we determine that the actual liabilities over the next 30 years are less than have been assumed.

The Board of Commissioners are talking about a new 3rd tier plan for new hires that will reduce the multiplier from 2.25% to 1.50%. The savings would be paid into the plan as an extra contribution to increase the funding.

I know there are a lot of rumors out there and for most of you there are few things more important to you than the assurance that your retirement will be there when you need it.

A lot of you have been attending the Pension Board meetings and that is great. Please reach out to me or any of your Board members and those who have been attending the meetings and ask any questions you may have.

Ed Wall
DeKalb Pension Board

Open Comments

2013-03-23T09:53:00.001-04:00

Burrell Raids Parks Fund Again, Hires Propaganda Director

2013-03-17T23:18:00.000-04:00

Before he goes off to prison for corruption, Burrell Ellis just keeps right on with his cronyism.

Just like his mentor, the corrupt convict Bill Campbell, Burrell has hired one of Campbell's former posse members, Jill Strickland as a county spokesperson. Her $125,000 yearly salary is coming out of the county's parks department.

Where have we seen this before? Remember when the commissioners stole 40 million dollars from the parks green space fund with the promise of paying it back? Has that money been paid back?

It seems like Ellis, before he is shipped off to possibly the same prison Bill Campbell did time, is just saying "screw it" and giving his buddies a clear shot at the county coffers.

More then ever, we have to make sure Bonita Ransom of Human Resources, another member of Campbell's posse and Ellis' underling, is not allowed a vote on the pension board. We shudder to think.

DeKalb Making National Headlines

2013-03-10T19:41:00.000-04:00

WND EXCLUSIVE

Suburbs secede from Atlanta

'Detroit of the South' bludgeoned by troubles

Over 40 Days, A New Chief and Burrell Still Gets Personal Protecton

2013-03-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

Since the story broke of Burrell Ellis' corruption, he has been provided personal protection at his residence by our police department.

Our lustrous leaders claimed the protection was needed because of traffic flow problems. After 40 days, you would think traffic engineering would have figured a fix to this traffic dilemma.

In the meantime, a new chief has been hired. Shouldn't he have already put a stop to wasting the taxpayers money? Oh wait, Cedric was hired by Ellis.

And the beat goes on.

So You Want To Be A Chief?

2013-03-05T22:54:00.001-05:00

The city of Brookhaven is now accepting applications for chief of police.

Click here for the qualifications.

Open Comments

2013-03-03T22:39:00.004-05:00

Ellis' Request To Set Up A Legal Fund Shot Down

2013-02-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

Wow! You know you look guilty if the county ethics board denies your request. When it comes to judging the commissioners on ethics, the ethics board is pretty much a joke.

Click here to read the AJC article.

Meet The New Boss

2013-02-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Corruption Scandal Shocks, Saddens Metro Law Enforcement

2013-02-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

By Bill Torpy and Steve Visser

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

All eight Forest Park police sergeants were called to the department Tuesday for routine training. Victor Middlebrook and Andrew Monroe, two solid officers recently promoted to sergeant, were teamed up and told to head to their training station.

They then walked into a room filled with federal agents and their boss, Chief Dwayne Hobbs, who was having one of the worst days of his 40-year career. The two sergeants were being arrested, accused of being part of a group of Atlanta area officers who allegedly served as bodyguards for agents posing as drug dealers.

Hobbs was flummoxed when federal agents briefed him on the charges earlier in the month. The gregarious Middlebrook, 44, was admired by the community and two years ago was voted by his comrades as the department’s Officer of the Year. Monroe, 57, was a ramrod-straight former military man with 11 years on the force. But the two allegedly received $24,000 last fall to stand guard for what they thought were multi-kilo cocaine deals.

“What’s most egregious was they were doing it behind the badge, which makes it worse in my book,” said Hobbs. “It was sickening to think that two weeks ago I trusted those guys. And to some extent it makes you look around and say, ‘Who else?’

” Police officers in six different metro departments and in the Federal Protective Services are likely processing many of the same confusing thoughts. Seven metro area officers, two former DeKalb County jailers and a federal contract officer all allegedly sold their badges.

A close examination by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of affidavits, court files and interviews with police officials shows that several of the officers arrested last week were eager to be corrupted.

The charges are the most widespread case of police corruption seen in metro Atlanta in years. In 1996, a group of Atlanta officers, mostly from Zone 3 in Grant Park, were convicted of shaking down drug dealers. And six years ago, several Atlanta narcotics officers were convicted on corruption charges after a 92-year-old woman was killed in an illegal raid.

But those two scandals were limited to corrupt cops in the same unit. In the current case, the corruption has metastasized among a much wider, more disperse group of officers.

The accused come from the DeKalb County Police Department, as well as forces from Stone Mountain, Atlanta, Forest Park and MARTA. Some had problems with alcohol or domestic issues. Many had financial problems. At least three — including Middlebrook — have filed for bankruptcy.

Last week’s charges were shocking. Officers often guarded the illicit transactions while in uniform, sometimes even using their patrol cars as a bonus. Payments ranged from several hundred to a few thousand dollars. Some eagerly helped plot the operations, gave suggestions to make them go more smoothly and even talked about the stark possibility they might have to shoot someone. After hearing two such violent suggestions last month, federal authorities shut down the 18-month operation.

Five civilians were also arrested in the sting, allegedly helping hook up the street gang with the cops.

The operation started in August 2011, when a street gang associate told agents for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that some Atlanta area cops served as bodyguards for drug deals. Investigators say a dirty cop standing guard during a drug exchange is a valuable asset for dealers, ensuring they will not be robbed by other criminals or busted by the law.

The informant put the word out among gangdom for cops to provide protection. Three civilians — Jerry Mannery Jr., 38, of Tucker, and Shannon Bass, 38, and Elizabeth Coss, 35, of Atlanta — allegedly stepped up, saying they had the names of such cops.

DeKalb Police Officer Dennis Duren was allegedly the first, meeting with Bass and the informant Oct. 3, 2011, at a Stone Mountain IHOP to plan their operation. The next day, the trio met two undercover agents at a nearby Publix parking lot and exchanged 3 kilos of fake cocaine for cash. Duren allegedly strolled the lot in uniform, guarding the deal.

Seemingly, Duren got shorted his first time out. The informant allegedly gave Bass $2,200 for his work in the deal. Bass told the informant he was keeping $1,500 for himself and would give the officer just $700.

But Duren couldn’t object. Chief Hobbs said once an officer accepts a bribe, there’s no going back. “If that officer says yes (to joining corrupt activities), then that other person owns you for the rest of your life,” he said.

A day later, Bass, Duren and the informant met again at IHOP to evaluate the transaction. Duren and the informant agreed the exchange didn’t go down “quickly enough to avoid detection,” an affidavit states. Later, Duren allegedly agreed to bring his squad car while guarding drug deals. But he needed a bonus: $3,000, not the agreed upon $2,200.

Duren allegedly took part in four deals with 3 kilos of fake cocaine each time.

By the following April, the enterprise was apparently pulling in eager and even ambitious cops. Mannery allegedly said he had three cops for the operation, including Stone Mountain Police Officer Denoris Carter.

Carter, 42, had worked at the 16-officer force for two years since being laid off from East Point during cutbacks. A uniformed Carter allegedly sat in his patrol car guarding a deal on the edge of town. Later, Carter allegedly used his squad car to provide escort service to a dealer driving 10 kilos to a deal.

Carter, a training officer well-versed in working with procedures, was apparently eager to please. At one meeting at an Applebee’s, the officer asked the informant if he was satisfied with his services, especially the escort. It seemed that Carter got comfortable, even brazen in his dealing. Authorities say that one drug deal took place in front of Bev’s Place, an eatery on Main Street in the small town. During the deal, Carter allegedly stood in uniform near his patrol car in the parking lot.

By early this year, the participants in the operation were going beyond eager to almost aggressive.

On Jan. 3, Monyette McLaurin, 37, a former DeKalb jail officer who had been recruited, allegedly told Bass that he would shoot the buyer at the drug deal if necessary. All he needed was a signal.

McLaurin had quit working at the jail in April 2011, picked up a DUI later that year in Gwinnett County and is upside down in debt with more than $500,000 in mortgages on properties worth substantially less than when he bought them in the mid-2000s. A 2011 bankruptcy filing said he had $399,653 in general unsecured debts.

Attorney and former police officer Bill McKenney said financially squeezed cops can be vulnerable, especially those who grow close to informants or people they meet while working extra jobs at clubs.

“The bad guys know the financial situation of officers,” he said. “They’re going to go pick somebody out of the herd who is weak and financially susceptible.”

“At least one of them was known to be a little too friendly with the bad guys,” McKenney said of those arrested. “If he was working a club and they would come in, he would go over and shake hands with them or exchange a couple of hugs.”

In mid-January the sting operation got potentially dangerous, authorities said, when DeKalb Police Officer Dorian Williams, 25, allegedly entered the operation. Williams allegedly asked for a premium — $6,000 — for wearing his uniform and driving his squad car during the drug deals.

On Jan. 24, he allegedly drove his squad car to an Ingles on Rockbridge Road and guarded a drug deal. Days later, he allegedly instructed Bass to quickly leave with the cocaine if anybody got shot.

Then, feds say, their sting got scary. On Jan. 30, Williams sat at an Applebee’s and talked about what should happen if other cops rolled up on the deal. Authorities say he suggested transactions should take place at a high school parking lot because backpacks would not draw suspicion.

Bass told him the next deal would have a new buyer. “Williams then explained that he may have to shoot this new buyer if things do not go well, saying, ‘I gotta (expletive) kill him. I just can’t shoot him.’ ”

Two days later, Williams allegedly sat watch in a Sam’s Club parking lot while another deal went down. The feds then pulled the plug on the operation.

Last week, local department chiefs had to help perform a dreaded job — arrest one of their own.

At the Stone Mountain department, Chief Chancey Troutman called Carter into his office, where agents grabbed him and put him under arrest. “He looked stunned and dropped his head,” Troutman said. “He couldn’t do anything but cooperate. They interviewed him for two and a half hours.

” Told that many of those arrested had money problems, Troutman responded, “I think all of us have cash problems — I know I do — but I go out and work an extra job. And I’m the chief of police.

” Then Troutman rounded up his troops. The next shift was ready, so he gave them a pep talk.

“You are going to hear people say bad things about you and call you a dirty cop, a crooked cop,” he told them. “Hold your head up and do your job.”

No Leadership

2013-02-13T23:02:00.000-05:00

Our commission chairman is corrupt. His appointed public safety director has resigned. We have an interim chief of police. So they turned to Tom Brown?

God help us.

Read more here.

Does It Never Stop?! Odds The Check She Wrote Is No Good?

2013-02-13T22:51:00.000-05:00

Health problems? It's called obesity.

Another Sad Day In DeKalb County History

2013-02-13T00:45:00.002-05:00

Does it get any worse then this? The chief operating officer of Dekalb County is under investigation for corruption.

The entire school board is on the verge of being dismantled by the governor.

Now DeKalb leads the way in police corruption.

This place is a cesspool. This county will probably never recover from all this. Who in their right mind would want to move their family to DeKalb County? What business would want to move to DeKalb County?

Read more here.

In The Mist Of Burrell Ellis' Corruption Investigation, Wiz Miller Resigns

2013-02-11T21:02:00.000-05:00

Today, Wiz Miller announced his resignation. It's interesting the suddenness while the corruption of Burrell Ellis being investigated.

Is Wiz being a typical rat fleeing a sinking ship, to surface later to testify against Ellis?

Only time will tell.

Should Some One From The Outside Be Chief?

2013-02-09T10:01:00.001-05:00

The search has been on for the next chief of police. Many applying are from outside the department, the metro area and the state.

Should we be looking outside the department? Are there not enough qualified people inside our own department to be chief?

Look what happened the last two times some one came from the outside. The bigot Louis Graham was forced to resign because he refused to promote whites. The corrupt and incompetent Terrell Bolton was forced to resign for just that, being corrupt and incompetent. Hell, he didn’t even live in the state!

If some one from the outside is hired, what does that say about the confidence the commission has in our own people?