Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Mayor Gary Bric read a statement at last night’s council meeting.

Finally, after weeks and months of mostly silence or as some folks have described it stonewalling, the Burbank City Council spoke out last night about the controversial and very messy situation surrounding the police department. Back on May 13, I wrote a post about the alleged problems in the BPD and called on the city council to not… ” wait until it all explodes into a full blown controversy, but step forward now and explain the situation to residents.” Mayor Gary Bric and city council members Anja Reinke, David Gordon, Jess Talamantes, and Dave Golonski did not heed that advice from me and other citizens, but remained tight-lipped about the situation.

So after seven lawsuits have been filed by former or present members of the Burbank Police force, including a former Deputy Police Chief, and persistent rumors about investigations by outside agencies like the FBI, the city council is going public about the growing scandal.

At the beginning of Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Bric announced he would read something  ”very important” … ”a statement” he says the council members agreed to earlier in the evening, in closed session.  Here is the full text of that statement, which is now posted on the city Burbank website.

Statement from Mayor Gary Bric
Burbank City Council Meeting
September 29, 2009 

There has been a lot of press recently regarding issues at the Burbank Police Department and I’m sure the community is concerned and wants to make sure that these issues are being appropriately dealt with. There have been a number of lawsuits and claims filed that contain multiple allegations of improper conduct ranging from wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation to abuse of force and various forms of covering up such activities. These are all very serious allegations and I think it is clear to everyone that the police department is facing some major challenges. All of these allegations have arisen from sources within the department or from former members of the department.

 As a result of allegations prior to these lawsuits, a number of investigations have been initiated both by the department and by outside entities at the invitation of and with the cooperation of the city. These investigations began long before the filing of the lawsuits and claims mentioned above. Chief Stehr requested the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department come in and perform an independent investigation. The city also began an independent investigation using an outside attorney and an outside investigator, both of whom report directly to the City Attorney and City Manager’s office. Your Burbank City Council has met with the outside attorney in order to confirm that there are no limitations on the scope of the investigation and to indicate that any signs of lack of cooperation by anyone within the city are to be brought to the Council’s attention. The Sheriff’s department requested that the city hold off commencing its investigation until the Sheriff’s investigation was completed. In addition to these investigations, the FBI has been conducting their own investigation into these matters and we are cooperating with their inquiries to the city. It is our understanding that when the Sheriff’s investigation is complete, it will be forwarded by the Sheriff’s department to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. The city’s investigation is now ongoing and includes all of the issues raised by the lawsuits and claims that have been filed and will also include any additional issues that may arise in the future.

While we cannot legally share the details of any of these investigations, we felt it was important to share with you that the issues in the Burbank Police Department are being taken very seriously and investigated by outside independent agencies. These investigations have been taking what seems like a very long time, but the investigators know the seriousness of the allegations and are making sure they do a complete and thorough job. We are frustrated that we cannot share more detailed information with you, but the integrity of the investigations and strict legal rules governing the privacy of police officers that may be under investigation prevent us from making any further comments.

While we know the entire community is disappointed to know that there are issues within the police department, please rest assured that the City Council is taking every step possible to make sure all of the issues are identified and that steps are taken to make sure that any problems that are identified are dealt with in a manner that insures they are never repeated. This may mean some severe consequences for any persons involved in misconduct, but we believe the integrity of our police department is extremely important to this community and is our paramount concern.

With our firm commitment to discover and correct any misdeeds within the police department, I can assure you the majority of the men and women in our police department are not involved in these issues and we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the excellent job they do protecting the safety of our community during these difficult times.

End of statement

In the past, city council members have reluctantly acknowledge some “lawsuits” and “investigations,” but in this statement for the first time, there is public disclosure of the involvement of the FBI. The investigations are said to be looking into conspiracy charges and a pattern of corruption as well.

Recently, the call for leadership and action from the mayor and city council has become loud and demanding from Burbank residents. Now that those city officials have taken action, will it ease public fears, anxiety, and bolster confidence in the city leaders’ abilities to handle the police scandal and all of its ramifications?  At this point, we will have to just take the mayor’s suggestion, from last night’s council meeting, to ”stay tuned” and see what happens.

The family friendly flick, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” continued to shine at movie theaters over the weekend. The 3-D animation raked in around $24.6 million to hold on to the number one spot at the domestic Box Office for the second straight week.

In second place, the new Bruce Willis film, “Surrogates” with around $15 million. A bigger opening was expected for this picture, which has an impressive promotional campaign and interesting story line.  The action/thriller is about a futuristic world where human contact takes place mainly through surrogate robots. “Surrogates” may have suffered due to a recent string of sci-fi films at theaters.  

Another new movie, the re-make of the 1980′s musical “Fame” followed in third with around $10 million. Matt Damon’s “The Informant!” came in fourth with an estimated $6.9 million and rounding out the top five, Tyler Perry’s melodrama ”I Can Do Bad All By Myself” with around $4.7 million.

Photo:  FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Police Vehicle

The legal problems for the city of Burbank and its embattled police department got a whole lot worse this past week. On Tuesday, well-respected Ex-Deputy Police Chief Bill Taylor filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was demoted to captain for drawing attention to several serious incidents in the department, including discrimination against a group of minority officers. Taylor joins four Burbank police officers, a lieutenant, and a former detective, in suing the city for alleged misconduct and unfair treatment in the BPD.

The filing of the Taylor lawsuit comes as no surprise. Rumors about it have been making the rounds in the city for weeks now. Nevertheless, the filing of the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court amounts to a legal bomb blowing up in Burbank. I have a copy of the lawsuit, so here are the major incidents cited by Taylor, which he says cost him his position as Deputy Police Chief.

FIRST INCIDENT

“During March 2009, a sworn employee of the Burbank Police Department was accused of sexually harassing numerous females at the Burbank Animal Shelter. The employee was accused of inappropriate sexual comments and gestures. When Claimant (Taylor) was notified of the allegations of sexual harassment, he recommended to Chief of Police Tim Stehr that the employee be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Chief of Police Stehr became agitated and demanded that the employee not be placed on administrative leave for a long period of time and ultimately directed Claimant (Taylor) to bring the employee back to work prematurely before sufficient investigation had been undertaken. Claimant (Taylor) informed the City Manager (Mike Flad) about this incident and that it was handled inappropriately on or about April or May 2009.”

The suit alleges, “… Chief Stehr’s motivation to retaliate against Plaintiff (Taylor) arises from his own personal experiences being subjected to discipline for having sexual intercourse in a police vehicle while on duty. Consequently, Stehr minimized complaints of sexual misconduct and frowned upon Plaintiff (Taylor) for reporting it and taking the issue seriously.”

SECOND INCIDENT

“Claimant (Taylor) repeatedly complained from April 2008 through April 2009, to Stehr that minority (African-American and Hispanic) probationary police officers were being singled out by the Patrol Captain (Pat Lynch) at the time, and some of his staff, for termination on account of their race. Claimant  (Taylor) was able to stop the terminations by refusing to support the record that had been unjustly prepared to support the potential terminations.”

“On or about April or May 2009, Claimant (Taylor) informed the City Manager (Flad) that some department personnel were attempting to unfairly terminate probationary minority officers.”

THIRD INCIDENT

“In or about January 2007, an IA investigation had been initiated based upon an allegation that a lieutenant, while he held the rank of sergeant, had used excessive force against a suspect. The investigation was conducted, interviews were taken, and evidence was gathered. In or around 2007 all of the documents, flash drive and interview tapes pertaining to the case that were stored in a locked office in the Burbank Police Department were stolen. The theft could have only been committed by an employee of the Burbank Police Department. In a memo to Stehr dated November 19, 2007, Claimant (Taylor) requested that an outside agency be contacted and brought into the Burbank Police Department to investigate what appeared to be a burglary within the Department by Department employees. In the memo, Claimant (Taylor) specifically requested that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Burbank City Attorney’s office become involved. Claimant’s (Taylor’s) request to bring in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was angrily denied. On or about April or May 2009, Claimant (Taylor) informed the City Manager (Flad) about the 2007 burglary and the Chief’s failure to take appropriate action.”

These allegations are explosive because they show a direct link to one of the most powerful officials in Burbank city government, City Manager Mike Flad. If indeed Flad had knowledge of these incidents and his actions were as described in the lawsuit, well, the city manager should find himself on the hot seat answering some pretty tough questions. Also, if Flad knew about these incidents in the Burbank Police Department, were other city hall officials aware of them as well? 

Also in my opinion, if Taylor’s allegations are true, his reactions to these incidents should have earned him a promotion and not demotion.    

Frequently, Taylor has been described as the moral compass of the Burbank P.D.  Stripping Taylor of his Deputy Police Chief position and knocking him down to captain sends a disturbing message. It says the Burbank Police Department is adrift in troubled waters without sufficient direction and guidance. A situation that could prove to be very costly for the city and its citizens.

Meanwhile late yesterday, a statement slamming the lawsuit and Captain Taylor was posted on the Burbank city website:  ”…The City intends to vigorously defend this case and seek all available and appropriate sanctions, including court costs and attorney’s fees, against Mr. Taylor for filing this false and frivolous lawsuit and defaming the reputations of the City and Police Department.” 

Photo: Megan Lewis/Reuters/Files — November 17, 1996 Sydney, Australia

Some dedicated Michael Jackson fans are already lined up at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles for tickets to the screening of a documentary about the late entertainer. What is truly  amazing is that some of those fans got in line yesterday, but the tickets for the advance showings of “This is It” don’t go on sale until sometime after 12:01 a.m. this Sunday morning!

The first 500 ticket hopefuls will reportedly get commemorative tickets designed by Jackson for his London concerts. The popstar was rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for those performances when he died suddenly on June 25, 2009. An overdose of prescription drugs reportedly played a large part in Jackson’s death, however, a criminal investigation continues into the circumstances and events surrounding the tragedy.

The “This Is It” documentary contains behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson preparing for what he had hoped would be the kick-off for a comeback tour. Around three thousand tickets will be available for the the advance L.A. screening on October 27. “This Is It” will be in theaters nationwide for a two week run starting October 28.  

Also, we’re not going to have to wait that long to hear a new Jackson single called,”This Is It.”  A version of the song will reportedly hit radio airwaves on October 12. The single will be one of two versions of the song on the “This Is It” disc album set for release worldwide on October 26, to coincide with the appearance of the Jackson doc in theaters. 

Superstar Barbra Streisand is holding a major auction at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard, in Beverly Hills next month. The ”Collection of Barbra Streisand“ is over 500 items include fine paintings, antiques, and memorabilia from the entertainer’s career as a singer, actress, producer, and director. Among the highlights, costumes from Streisand films like, “Funny Lady,” “Yentl,” “Prince of Tides,” and “Meet The Fockers.”

The auction is Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18. All funds raised will go to the Barbra Streisand Foundation, which supports human rights and humanitarian causes around the globe. For more on the auction and the assortment of items up for bid go to the website of Julien’s Auctions.  

The animated family flick, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” led the pack of new films and other contenders at the Box Office over the weekend. Based on the classic children’s book of the same title, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is the whimsical tale of a town where food falls from the sky like rain. Character voices include Bill Hader, Anna Faris, and James Caan. The 3-D animation pulled in the biggest share of the movie audience, raking in around $30 million to become the number one film in the country.

In second place, “The Informant!,” the new Matt Damon comedy about a corporate whistleblower managed only a modest debut of an estimated $10.5 million. Last week’s number one domestic film, Tyler Perry’s comedy-drama, ”I Can Do Bad All By Myself,” came in third with about $10 million.

A new romantic drama, “Love Happens” attracted enough ticket buyers to land in fourth with somewhere around $8.4 million. A pretty low key opening considering the film stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart. Megan Fox’s new R-rated dark comedy/horror film didn’t fare much better, it came in fifth with an estimated $6.8 million. Clearly, moviegoers were not impressed with star power this weekend.

Some grim economic news out today from the federal government about the number of Americans out of work. The federal data shows the unemployment rate continues to rise despite reports from some experts that the recovery from this dreaded recession is underway.

The California jobless rate rose from 11.9% to a record high of 12.2% in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. The golden state is not so bright for more than 12,000 of its workers who lost their jobs last month and thousands of job seekers who were looking and didn’t find work.

In Michigan unemployment jumped to 15.2%, the highest in the country. Nationally, the unemployment rate creeped up from 9.4% to 9.7%. Here locally, in the Los Angeles/Long Beach/Glendale area, the rate hit 12.3%. A radio announcer reacted to the new stats today by saying, “If you’re unemployed, the rate is 100%.” Grim, but true.