The position has become totally irrelevant. If there is to be civilian oversight of this pathetic agency called the BPD then it needs to function outside of the mauor’s offie. A panel of some sort or review board consisting of 5 or 7 members to ensure that no ONE person has the power to misdirect or ignore significant legitimate complaints filed by citizens is the only way the citizens of this city can feel somewhat satisfied that the mayor the “chief” and the ombudsman can’t get a story down and stick to it. And without subpoena power there is no real need for this position. Other than these beautifully written reports that describe how BPD policy was violated for uttering %$#& or &^%$, it is safe to say that the ombudsman was unable to see the forest for the trees. And there is a deep DARK forest here in this city that has yet to be explored. Don’t waste the taxpayer’s money any further.

well… so long as our family pets are in danger of trigger happy cops, and the “punishments” for abusive behavior is nothing more than a paid vacation. We will need an Ombudsman to help protect us from those who claim to be serving us. regardless of what the law reads, or how it is written.

It is sad that this state is in this position. I remember once upon a time, Cops were respected and appreciated, and they were honorable. There was an understanding that they had our best interests in mind. That is something that is obviously not true today.
What happened to those days?

I can remember the bad old days before Mr. Murphy came on the scene. He did a very good job of oversight and acting in the interests of citizens against the “blue wall of silence” that exists in just about every police department.

The three monkeys of see no evil, hear no evil and report no evil were the underpinning of BPD prior to Mr. Murphy. He made the position bulletproof to political and cronyism. We need this kind of position in every area where the public has a right to know what is going on.

Internal Affairs in police departments is a joke in Idaho as a general statement of allness. Nampa had a very public issue with their IA Dept. with the chief running roughshod over officers in that area of NPD. Murphy was above it all and did a very good job.

Lastly, what is the deal with all the dog shootings? Pepper spray will make any dog do a U-turn. One Boise cop has now shot 3 dogs!

EDITOR NOTE–For the record, the most recent shooting was a first for the officer. The one a few months ago was that officer’s second dog shooting. We agree on pepper spray idea, but TASER tests show it is not reliable. Another tactic some coppers advocate is use of a fire extinguisher when it is known in advance there is a dog issue.

I have 2 questions… 1 does anyone really think there will ever be any kind of meaningful oversight of BPD? 2 How do you guys find out who these coppers are…. I would really like to know who the infamous “officer 3” was.

EDITOR NOTE–oversight is a tricky deal. To get the ombudsman post, he is forced by constitution to wait until there was no chance of criminal prosecution to investigate because giving truthful info to the ombudsman is a “condition of employment.” The coppers 5th amendment rights are protected at the expense of speedy ombudsman investigation and release of details to the citizens. I tend to agree the coppers release stories about 3rd offense DUI or an extreme .38 B.A., along with a mug shot, but protect identity of copper who cost the citizens $150,000 in a secret civil rights settlement.

I personally have pushed more than 20 years for a “police commission” to operate just like parks, library, airport, P&Z, etc. Coppers have $45 million budget, can use deadly force, deprive people of their freedom and we have no voice in the policy or spending of the agency.

today’s article in the paper about the ADA deputy who lied to a judge to get a search warrant is evidence of why there needs to be independent review and oversight of police. (The deputy was fired from Ada County, but then hired by Canyon County. How Canyon County Sheriff would hire a cop who got fired for lying to a judge to obtain a warrant is beyond logic.)

So what is the ultimate goal of the city Ombudsman? To duplicate investigations in to police actions as in shootings or other similar incidents? Or is it to handle complaints against officers that the BPD refuses to investigate? I have never figured out what his job is. If it is some sort of citizen oversight then he has wasted his time. It is beyond comprehension that a federal investigation took place for EIGHTEEN MONTHS, nothing comes of it and the ombudsman skates out of town without a word when it took place on his watch???????? So PIERCE what exactly were you doing for 18 months while this was going on? I can tell you. Look at his investigative reports for the last several months. Nothing. Nada. Zip. if this is the sum total of his work product then I want a refund.
Reading through the vast majority of his investigative reports ( and I have) the VAST majority of his “work” involves demeanor, profanity with a smattering of bogus excessive force complaints. It also appears that they are USUALLY (not always) initiated by disgruntled citizens who had handcuffs put on them (i.e. arrested). So it appears that the Ombudsman’s office became the “get even” office. Not exactly what the city leaders had in mind I am sure.
There are all kinds of word games being played as well. If an officer is charged criminally, is that considered a “personnel” issue if fired or other types of punishment are administered? Do we as citizens have a right to know if a cop is a thief or a doper or has been arrested for drunken behavior? And if they are “allowed to retire” as this Ada county deputy apparently was for criminal behavior and are not charged, do we have a right to know? This is one confusing MESS. If there is to be an investigative body providing police oversight then make it worth something. Power to issue subpoenas, power to recommend criminal charges, accountability by the leaders of the police department not just the cronies on the street.

I for one want to know what the focus of this federal investigation was that took 18 months to conclude with…….NOTHING. If NOTHING then lets hear what the bogus charges were and against whom. Somebody. ANYBODY? Like an ombudsman.

So eliminate the ombudsman position. Apparently the FBI is just as paranoid.

The office of the Ombudsman does not have any authority of the police department. It is an independent fact finding office. The Ombudsman will report his findings the mayor and police chief with findings and suggestions but these findings can be ignored. The Ombudsam report becomes public information and I think that is the primary function here. A means for the public to be able to see what the results of investigations are. Otherwise internal affairs would never disclose anything to the public. It is important the Ombudsman knows something about police operations, but is able to openly and honestly tell the public what happened in a case of misconduct. I ask those reading this to let me know what they think the Ombudsman should do. Real suggestions with the constraint that the office will continue to have no authority to make actual change.

Legal records are full of instances of abuses of power, authority, and position by police, prosecutors, courts, judges, and others related to law enforcement.

Further, incompetence, ineptitude, criminal violations of constitutional rights, and so forth is tolerated and condoned. There is no accountability.

I should know. I was arrested without probable cause, but there is no recourse.

Give it a break Rick, we know you hate LE, especially here. Don’t give me that BS that it is worse here then in any other place you have lived. Have you heard of BPD officers shaking down drug dealers, pimps, running extortion rings etc etc. No, but in most of those other states things like that have happened. Get off your high horse and stay out of troubled and you would be fine.

Well…….not yet anyway.

Mal….who was that question too?

who was that question too mal? And Steve… how would someone become infested in LE?

It may or may not be a factor, but I can’t help wondering that if this city actually had a strong, truth seeking media outlet (print or radio or tv) willing to ask the tough questions and willing to dig a bit, that just MAYBE this position would not be necessary. Interestingly enough, two media pundits of note, went to work for the agencies that seem to have the most issues and problems with the public. Although it was more than likely a good move from their perspective, for those of us on the outside looking in it sure seems……………strange. At any rate, this is a fun site to vent on. Beyond that, nothing will ever change in this city. The power brokers, the “organizations”, the players will not be changing any time soon. There are some good cops out there. Unfortunately they are lumped in with the bad ones in public opinion and have to deal with not only the public perception but with the absolutely pathetic group of officers leading the agencies. Maybe one day the public will be privy to the inside story.

Hmmmmm.

How many times in my life have I heard “………….just an occasional bad apple, and so forth,……..and we got rid of them……….so problem solved…….”.

No. Not so fast. Law enforcement has systemic and cultural problems, which are exacerbated by weak leadership from Bieter and Masterson.

Interested, I agree with you that the incidents that have come to the surface but they are certainly a small percentage of those who do bad in some form or another.

I also agree that these issues are both systematic and cultural. When we read that the individuals in the Kelly Thomas incident in the OC were just doing what they were trained to do EVERYONE should be very very afraid. If this is how LE is trained to act there is a serious problem.

I do not know Masterson I am glad to see that he will post on here from time to time. I am assuming it actually is him posting. If it is it shows that he is listening and may just make some changes. Unfortunately anyone who has ever trained a dog or had kids knows that once bad habits are established and ingrained they are very hard to change and there are some very bad things going on in LE everywhere.

EDITOR NOTE FROM TAMPA: Local news here is a carbon copy of Boise issues. Ex-Copper who shot guy in theater claimed the tossed popcorn was an “unknown substance thrown at him. He was in fear of his life and defended himself.” In other news the Univ. of South Florida has done a bunch of studies on body cams, dash cams, etc. for same reasons we discussed it in Boise.

Dave thanks for the news that the issues in Boise are not that different than in Tampa and I would imagine any other city. I for one can not understand how people can argue that these are anything but systematic decencies in the system we have in place. Lets face it folks people are people we react in the ways we have been trained too. To use a defense that having an “unknown substance” in this case a bag of popcorn can some how rise to the level of a threat on his life is absurd. Until you remember he is an ex-cop. Cops are trained that in any confrontation that they are in charge… whether they are right, wrong, or even acting under the color of law is irrelevant. If a cop or in this case an ex-cop tells you to do something you have no choice but to comply. If you do not and stand up for your self you threatened “him” with harm that rises to using deadly force.

As sal and others have said NOT ALL… yes I said not all cops are bad, but as with the people that cops deal with one bad in a group makes the whole group bad. The worst thing about it and actually the most disturbing thing is this. When a cop is accused of wrong doing the ranks close around him. When people are not given full facts and feel that things are being covered up they assume that there is wrong doing…. huh… cops do the exact same thing. Refuse to answer questions from a cop, your boss, or anyone and you will soon find out they think you are hiding something, well guys it works the same for you.

The fact that LE thinks they have some sort of immunity from scrutiny, that they are some how more trust worthy than the average citizen is absurd. I do feel that LE “SHOULD” be held to a “MUCH” higher standard than the average citizen. Just take a look at the Stanford Experiment conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 and you will see exactly what is happening in LE right now.

This as I have said before is an issue that needs a lot of open and civil discussion. To call me and people like me cop haters because I bring up valid points does nothing to further this it just maintains the status quo, hum…. is that a tactic? If we do not discuss it, it will not change.

So does “no federal indictment” mean “noone did anything wrong” and no further action is warranted? Or will the housecleaning be quick silent and out of the public eye? Will the ombudsman issue any kind of statement or is this all she wrote?

And further, do you really believe that the resignation of the last “ombudsman” was merely a “coincidence” or an opportunity for him to “move up”??????

I would strongly suggest, NO!!!

I am very, very skeptical of “coincidences”, and you should be as well.

Too citizen I would say the first step in fixing a problem is admitting there is a problem. I think Masterson has at least come to realize his department has a major problem, something that Beiter seems to not know and the head of the other “BIG” LE dept. could care less about.

Steve Crea: ON THE MONEY. Congrats on your incredibly perceptive comments. The first I have actually read on this subject. I happen to agree with every single word of it.

And further, if Bieter and Masterson cannot, or WILL NOT, provide the necessary LEADERSHIP, then we must elect and hire someone who will, PERIOD!!!!!!!