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- PD problems brewing 20 years?
- Councilmen blast press for keeping
- facts under wraps in Anderson probe
- SUNNYSIDE (Monday, 12-6-99)---The printed press has kept its reading public ignorant of facts revealed in a recent probe of former Sunnyside Police Chief Wallace Anderson, according to at least two councilmen speaking at tonight's meeting.
- Councilman Don Vlieger noted the ex-chief had problems before his final resignation after 30 years in the PD. He also noted the local press--though given written reports from a city-hired prosecutor--chose not to report on them.
1980 - Yakima Herald Republic articles dated in 1980 outline how then City Manager John Bingham demoted Anderson from Captain to patrolman.
Bingham reportedly demoted Anderson for "pointing weapons inside the police department, using abusive language in conversations with officers, disciplining officers in front of other patrolmen, using a police vehicle in an unsafe manner and using abusive and unprofessional language on the police radio frequency."
- The article said Anderson was accused--though he denied it--of asking an officer to "check into the private life of another officer for other than job- related reasons".
- The Patrolman's Assn. accused the 1980 "administration" of demanding arrest quotas and citations, fixing tickets, and doctoring police reports.
- "Morale is at its lowest level in the last five years due to administration's style and method of management. Association members are in a constant state of duress because of the mental pressure of threats, coercion and fear of administrative reprisal," said an Association letter.
Publicity lid enforced - The 1980 city council bopped the Patrolmen's Association for sending a letter to the press to air their grievances. Police department regulations forbid officers to discuss department problems with outsiders. Thus a lid was thrown on 1980 problems and any that might follow.
- A later Civil Service Commission hearing brought Anderson back up from patrolman to sergeant. Before that, the city had deleted the captain's position due to budget cutbacks.
- The Commission said in its 1980 report that Anderson shouldn't have been demoted to patrolman, but he shouldn't supervise a staff, either.
- It recommended Anderson "be assigned to the position of sergeant in the detective division in order to utilize his police training and skills in other capacities than as a supervisor of personnel."
1999 - Vlieger noted that the chief's storage of explosives in the old PD endangered the life of both police and fire department officials. He said Anderson was warned in 1992, 1995, and 1998 to get rid of the explosives he somehow obtained from the Army. Included over the years were both high and low explosives, blasting caps, and yards of fuses.
- "How did he get these things? What was he going to use them for?" Vlieger said.
- Other strikes against Anderson were shooting four birds--two of which were federally protected--and discharging firearms in city limits, which is against city law.
- "Nobody is above the law in Sunnyside--nobody," Vlieger said. He added that Anderson "fell by his own weight" not by anything the (1999) Council has done."
- Councilman Chad Werkhoven indicated a small-town whispering campaign has been in motion against the present city council for accepting Anderson's resignation, the kind of stuff that takes place in morning coffee klatches and lines at the mall.
- He indicated rumors partially were fueled by refusal of the local press to do write ups from reports written by Special Prosecutor Gary Cuillier and released by the city Nov. 22.
"There's no reason why we can't have openness in the city. It's not far away like federal, or state, or even county government. People know how to reach us by phone or email or by just knocking on our front door," Werkhoven said.
- Werkhoven called for an end to the Anderson saga. He noted that Acting Chief Ed Radder is "doing a wonderful job; he's full of enthusiasm, and I hope to see it continue," he said.
- No one would like to see an end of the commotion more than Radder.
- When it all began, he called every member of the police force in to make depositions, "to say whatever they darn well pleased."
- "My goal is to get past all this. (The probe) has opened up deep emotions in the city among patrolmen. Emotional turmoil causes stress," he said.
- Radder noted Vlieger's presentation has "just about covered it--Now, I want to move on. I want the support of the council and the people of Sunnyside," he said.
- In other business, the council:
- Heard a presentation by Sunnyside School District superintendents requesting local support for the district's upcoming levy campaign. Dave Plesha, Ruben Carrera, and Rick Cole noted state levy equalization will allow district patrons to pay off old school debts and actually decrease local taxes from $1.71-per $1,000 to $1.51. If voters approve the levy.
- Noted a Parks and Recreation request to raise user fees, which haven't been changed in five years. In view of the spirit of I-695, however, the council called for more public input to help with its decision making.
- Authorized the Fire Dept. to seek bids on an air compressor estimated to cost $31,000. Funds would come from the Mable Maple estate. She left her home to the city to sell to raise dollars for the department.
- Accepted a $279,904 bid by Marshbank Construction to complete a utilities project in the area serving Canam Steel facilities--pending a written matrix to clearly identify the source of all project funds.
- Continued a public hearing on the Lincoln Avenue latecomer's agreement. The agreement requires that anyone tapping into utility lines during the next 15 years will have to pay a fee. Steve Erickson, representing Van de Graff enterprises, questioned the agreement, saying Van de Graff's had accomplished certain tasks in exchange for a waiver of the fee. He didn't specify what.
- Approved a tradeout with Yakima County regarding prisoner housing. Sunnyside won't charge the county for hosting county prisoners, and vice versa.
- For it's next meeting, the council will discuss (among other things): the city's contract with the Yakima County Humane Society, bids for fuel purchases, Parks & Rec. fee schedule, Sunnyside's "emergency plan", clean air requirements, a rezone request, downtown parking, and a city boundary adjustment.