Dallas TX County Sheriff Sued By 4 Deputies For Political Reprisals

[Rage for Order]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/012909dnmetvaldez.161a8e4a.html

Four Dallas County sheriff’s deputies sued Sheriff Lupe Valdez and her second-in-command today in federal court, alleging they were transferred to less-desirable jobs because they supported the sheriff’s opponent in the last election.

Lt. Steven Jones, Sgt. Greg Porter, and deputies Mike Ramirez and Scott Evans claim in the lawsuit that their transfers amounted to illegal political retaliation. They're seeking reinstatement to their previous positions and unspecified damages.

Sheriff’s officials deny the moves were politically motivated.

Bob Gorsky, the deputies’ lead attorney, said the transfers don’t maximize the training and experience of the officers. And he said it was “demeaning” to move three of them to night jail shifts.

After the election, Ramirez, a 28-year employee and the county’s only motorcycle deputy, was transferred from patrol duties to an information desk at the jail on the midnight shift.

Porter, a 25-year employee and the department’s firearms instructor, was transferred to a jail evening shift. Jones, a 29-year employee, was transferred from a day patrol job to a jail midnight shift. And Evans, a 16-year employee and one of two police dog handlers, was transferred to a midnight shift.

All except Jones were officers in sheriff’s labor associations that were vocal in their support for the sheriff’s Republican opponent, Lowell Cannaday. And Jones actively campaigned for Cannaday.

The moves were among more than 20 ordered in December by Valdez and Executive Chief Deputy Jesse Flores.

Valdez has not publicly addressed the transfers but has said through a spokeswoman that it’s common for leaders to “periodically re-evaluate personnel and positions in an effort to maximize the training and experience for all of its employees.”


Lupe Valdez has been a train wreck. I don't know how she managed to get re-elected

[Horse with no Name]

1. Or, more likely

They tried to undermine her authority while on the job.
I doubt many politically active republirushican males could stand the thought of having a Hispanic Lesbian as their boss and they probably weren't silent about it.
Tell me about YOUR dislike for Valdez?
I'm very interested.

[Rage for Order]

2. I'd have to dig into the archives of the Dallas Morning News and Observer

Let's see, there were the numerous failed jail inspections, her campaigning at the jail, i.e. using her office to promote her candidacy, the TV show she tried to tape at the jail...Those are 3 that I can think of right off the top of my head.

[Horse with no Name]

3. I'll wait for your links before I answer this. n/t

[Rage for Order]

4. Look them up yourself

I almost forgot that it also took her 2 or 3 tries to pass the law enforcement exam that was required for her to hold the position of Sheriff

eta: I'll give you a headstart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupe_Valdez#Career

Although the Dallas County Jail had begun failing state and federal inspections prior to Sheriff Valdez being elected to office, the jail has continued to fail inspections every year thereafter, and for the entire length of time that Valdez has been in office.

At July 15, 2008 news conference, the National Latino Peace Officers Association, Dallas County Peace Officers Association, Dallas County Sheriff's Association and Fraternal Order of Police, frustrated because Sheriff Valdez "repeatedly refused to meet" with them over labor issues, "blasted for lack of leadership and inaction during budget crisis," further alleging that Valdez's leadership has "led to a historic low in morale and an 'overwhelming view of no confidence within our ranks.'"

As of August 28, 2008, Valdez received no endorsement of officers' groups. Fourteen groups, including the left-leaning Latino Peace Officers Association, have endorsed GOP rival Lowell Cannaday. Dallas County Democratic Party Chairwoman Darlene Ewing was "surprised" at the Latino group's GOP endorsement, but the group's vice president, Democrat Mike Ramirez, criticized Valdez's accessibility and said the endorsement stems from Cannaday's accessibility, qualifications, and vision

Sheriff Valdez's tenure has been marked by a number of controversies.

Areas of criticism in the press have included:

* Allegedly poor communications inside the department, with county officials, and with the press.
* Dallas County jails still failing state inspections, though with improving levels of compliance at least partly due to Dallas County spending "millions" to improve sanitation and jail health.<33>
* Declining arrest rates for driving while intoxicated and alleged disproportionate DWI arrests of Hispanics.
*High levels of overtime.
* Using trainee jail guards in the jails.
* Taking 2 years to successfully pass her Texas Peace Officer Certification examination after being elected.
* Engaging in campaign activities while in uniform. However, according to state law in Texas, it is not illegal for elected law enforcement officers, including sheriffs and constables, to campaign in their uniform.
* Grant applications management controversies.
* Failing to update promotion lists via testing, and promoting some staff without currently valid lists.
* Allowing some deputies to use take-home cars outside county Commissioners' Court-approved guidelines.
* Violating "long-standing policy" in Dallas County, which was upheld by a state district judge, by authorizing the Discovery Channel to film a documentary without gaining required Commissioner Court permission. This prompted the Commissioners Court to unanimously seek (and ultimately get) a restraining order against the Sheriff. The Dallas Morning News editorial board criticized the Sheriff's handling of the matter: "the positive publicity from finally meeting state standards would have been superior to that of a cable documentary and an unnecessary fight with those who hold her purse strings." The legal costs to the county could be as high as $11,000.
* Average freeway wreck clearing time has increased from 16 minutes in 2004 to 45 minutes in 2007.
* Eliminating patrol officers and moving all of them to freeway patrols for a goal of "boosting ticket revenue".

[Horse with no Name]

5. Why don't you tell us the REAL reason you don't like her?

And quit hiding behind excuses that are most likely fictitious since you are unwilling to back them up.

[Rage for Order]

6. What "real reason" would that be?

See my edited post that you responded to, and put up or shut up. I didn't support Cannaday (her Republican opponent), but certainly Dallas County Democrats could have found someone at least remotely competent for the job

[Horse with no Name]

7. From the ONLY source that was not a blog under one google

http://www.dallasobserver.com/2008-10-23/news/keys-to-the-jail/1
>>>snip
Cannaday mentions critical staffing shortages in the sheriff's department, only to have Valdez counter that the jail has been properly staffed for more than a year. He also details two lawsuits that were settled against the department, one for $900,000 in August of this year and another for $950,000 in February 2007. Both settlements, however, were made with inmates who spent time in the jail before Valdez had taken over the department.
>>>snip
Hays, who also served on Valdez's transition team, says the problems in the sheriff's department were worse than anticipated. She describes the culture in the department at the time as "horrible" and the morale as "terrible." Some officers seemed willing to assist Valdez only if there was something in it for them, says Hays. When no special treatment was offered, they turned against her. Others simply wouldn't take orders from a woman. Hays recalls being told by one administrative staffer: "They don't even get to the part that she's gay; they can't get over the fact that she's a woman."

Hays says some of Valdez's close aides suggested doing a major staff overhaul because of the resistance to working for her, a tactic Hays disagreed with at the time. "But, in retrospect, I think that was a big mistake because they were out to get her."

>>>snip
Since Valdez first took over the jail in January 2005, she maintains that she's been cleaning up the mess Bowles left behind after 20 years of neglect. Price, her most ardent supporter on the commissioners court, couldn't agree more. "Shit, it was always that way."

[Rage for Order]

10. I won't argue that the County Jail has been a debacle for a long while

However, Valdez campaigned on being able to get the jail to pass state inspections. To date she has not been able to do that, and she's had 4 years so far. Also, you're quoting "Hays, who also served on Valdez's transition team". Not exactly an unbiased source. What of the complaints by "...the National Latino Peace Officers Association, Dallas County Peace Officers Association, Dallas County Sheriff's Association and Fraternal Order of Police..."? Are you telling me that all of these organizations are conspiring against Valdez because she's a gay Hispanic woman? That's quite a stretch.

[bertman]

9. Since I have no horse in this race, here's a question for you Horse with no Name:

why would being an Hispanic, lesbian female mean that this woman would make a good sheriff? This seems to be your sole reason for thinking that Rage for Order thinks that she may be treating those four officers as pariahs within the department. Did you read any of the followup posts Rage for Order showed to back up his argument?

[Horse with no Name]

12. Sorry. Wikipedia is NOT a source

it can be edited by anyone with an agenda. I read the source and didn't waste my time reading the propaganda spew that followed.

The problem has been that she has lacked support from the existing staff at the sheriff department BECAUSE she was a Hispanic Lesbian (so that IS relevant) and she walked into a huge mess that took over 20 years to create that certainly could NOT be cleaned up overnight--especially when she was "stuck" with a reluctant staff. When she did try to reassign the staff, she got sued.
The first failed review came on the last sheriff's watch and it led to four more in short succession.
Without the budget and an uncooperative staff, there was no way in hell she could clean this up.
IF the OP had referred some legit sources, I would have given his thought due diligence that his dislike wasn't the fictitious crap that is spewed by the women-haters, which is why I waited to respond. Yet, he refused to (then went back and re-edited AFTER I had replied and added wiki as his "source" :rofl: ).

The bottom line is...the RW trogs AROUND Dallas County (in the reddest areas of Texas and the nation) hate Valdez. It doesn't matter if she shit silver-lined jail reviews (they would credit it to the last sheriff).

The DMN is a right-wing rag.

If you don't "get it" by now--it is the same thinking that blames Clinton for 911 even though it happened 9 months into Bush's presidency yet blames Obama for the recession 2 weeks into his presidency and that is the crap that the OP is bringing here.

They hate women. They especially hate women in authority roles. I just requested a legit source for the source of the OP's venom.

However, the citizens of Dallas County elected her to a second term. I'll defer to their knowledge.

[Rage for Order]

13. Are you serious?

"the citizens of Dallas County elected her to a second term. I'll defer to their knowledge."

These would be the same knowledgeable citizens who elected the Dallas County School Board. Here's what they have wrought:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/092308dnmethinijosa.a55a38c1.html

The two Dallas Independent School District leaders (Dallas school Superintendent Michael Hinojosa & school board President Jack Lowe) took turns laying out the "brutal facts" about how the district inadvertently overspent its budget by $64 million last year – and what has to happen to avoid an $84 million overrun during the current fiscal year.

"It's embarrassing, it's disappointing, we accept responsibility for it," Mr. Lowe said during unscripted remarks at the lunch meeting of the Dallas Regional Chamber. "We're going to fix it, and it's not going to happen again."

The superintendent said Tuesday that he will not budge. "I'm not going anywhere; I'm not resigning," he said in response to questions from the media after the speech.

About two weeks ago, school officials said they'd found a $64 million shortfall in the 2007-08 budget. Since then, the district has said there will be a shortfall in the current 2008-09 budget that could grow to $84 million if no cuts are made.

Mr. Lowe identified two root causes of the financial problems: "inadequate competence" in the district's finance and accounting offices, and an organizational structure that kept the payroll and accounting functions separate.


This led to mass layoffs of DISD teachers shortly after the school year started. Apparently they didn't realize that hiring a buttload of new teachers would mean the school district would incur additional costs. "Defer to their knowledge" indeed

[Rage for Order]

14. So the Dallas Morning News is a right wing rag

And wiki is not reliable. I think I understand. When you have no argument, attack the messenger. Google is your friend. Search as many sources as you would like. I merely used Wiki as a starting point so you would have a frame of reference. I'm sure some of the complaints against Valdez are overstated. However, it is a FACT that she didn't pass the Texas Peace Officers exam until 2 years after she had been elected. I think that's pretty important for the county's chief law enforcement officer, don't you?

[Horse with no Name]

8. You honestly are offering Wikipedia as a source?

:rofl:
:wow:
:spray:

[Rage for Order]

11. Nope, just a jumping off point

I encourage you to follow the links at Wiki. Many of them are to the Dallas Morning News and other Dallas media outlets. Or you can google for other sources using the subjects I provided. I said I'd give you a headstart; I didn't say I'd do all of your homework for you.