May God Bless all of our police officers and keep them safe this Holiday Season and always. Please go before them Lord and shield them from harm. Please be with our Chief, Wes Hensley, during this difficult time and let the truth be known. Let the ugliness end and the truth come to light. Please restore joy, peace to our city of Tulare. Create in all of us a new heart. Take the ugly out of this and let your light shine on Tulare again.
Please rid the PD of the things you hate Proverbs6:18-19
hearts that devise wicked plans, feet that make hast to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers.
Amen

On the contrary, Filo. I think people appreciate your thoughtful input and appreciate the fact that you took some time to try and get as good a grasp on the situation that you had before weighing in. I certainly appreciate it. I think you brought up a lot of great points. You’re obviously someone who put the badge on for many years and I would an idiot to say you don’t know what you’re talking about.

I admit, I’ve spit some venom and my snark-o-meter has tipped the scales a time or two as Barbara pointed out. I have failed to do what I’ve accused leadership of doing which is rise above it. I see issues and I know good cops (who haven’t been passed over for promotions) who see the same problems. Not all of them are uncommon, I’ll admit. But when people get on here and start calling every person who thinks it’s time for some positive change a “lazy cop” or “disgruntled” (without even knowing how that person has served their community) or put out bad information (pay is higher than Southern California) I have a knee jerk reaction and I fight fire with fire. It’s difficult to tell whether they intended it to be interpreted the way I did so I’m not going to attach their intentions to their comments. I took it as an attack on some good officers and I fired back. I apologize for that. I’ve worked the streets long enough to know you get more bees with honey than vinegar.

I have no problem agreeing to disagree with you about a thing or two. I think you’re coming from a good place, Filo. So am I, believe it or not. I love TPD. If I didn’t, I’d stay on the sidelines like many have opted to do. It’s been black eye after black eye for over three years now. Many of those aren’t attributed to current leadership but there are likely some cultural issues that could be at play.

I just want someone to take the and right the ship. You asked the most important question… who wants to step up? Who really wants that job? Everyone thinks they want it until they get it and realize it’s tougher than it looked. You’re going to have a more experienced opinion on that than I.

I can tell you, though, that for the last three years it’s felt like mommy and daddy are fighting and we’re the scared kids locked in the bedroom who’ve all but been forgotten. We’re in dire need of a strong leader that can mend this gap. Whether that’s the current chief or someone new, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that someone steps up because that gap has been allowed to get wider and wider over the last couple years.

You’re right in that there is no perfect leader. You’re also right in the “slippery slope” theory regarding the next one not being right, and the next one, and so on… the answers and the way forward aren’t clear.

I don’t know if it’s better to actually care about this kind of stuff or just worry about the job. Is it better to keep your head in the sand and go to your calls and just tell yourself it’s above your pay grade? You probably have good insight into that. But I do love this city and this department. The real truth is somewhere in between all of our points of view. I’m not naive enough to think that I have all the answers no matter how I’ve come off. I want a day at work where the only thing I worry about is being a cop. Because that’s enough to worry about sometimes. But I care about this place so I do worry.

Barbara, Jeb, Concerned, Tulare Citizen… we can disagree and we can argue. It can get ugly and we can make the mistake of not showing our best selves to one another. I’m certainly guilty of that. I for one am glad that we have people like you who are passionate about this city and this department. I apologize for my transgressions and the jabs. I know you’re all law-abiding good people who work hard.

Let’s handle these issues, no doubt. Let’s not forget, though, that we are actually on the same team in the grand scheme of things. There is a compromise hidden amongst this heap of junk. We just have to dig around and find it.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and I pray the good Lord keeps all of our concerns in mind in the coming year.

What I have found (actually already knew) is the Tulare Police Department is a pretty good place to work. Pay is good not the highest, but definitely not the lowest by any means. Benifits are solid, take home cars, there are opportunities for advancement. In fact contrary to what has been posted TPD is a very sought after department to work for. The PD draws the creme of the crop when it comes to laterals, especially from surrounding local agencies. The entry level candidates who apply come with college degrees, military pedigrees and a level of life experience. Tulare has never been a stepping stone agency nor do I believe it will ever become a stepping stone agency.

So here lies the question, how many officers have left and why? Was is it for a better paying agency, say Fresno? I can see where a 10K signing bonus would draw a crime fighter in….. big crime-big money? Can we say that some left due to a conflict within…. say with another officer or member of the command staff? Or were they pushed out, couldn’t cut it? And by that I mean, this job ain’t for everybody. Or there is what everyone seems to believe in the ol’ passed up for promotion scenario…..simply a classic. At any rate a few have left for whatever reason, but not in a mass exit as some would want it to appear (as of in the last 80 days to a year anyway).

Now with those officers who left (listed above reasons). What did Tulare hire to fill those vacancies? I checked it out…….you got the creme of the crop laterals from other local agencies. From my research and inquiry based on who left (I knew a couple) TPD got the better end of the deal. Officers with experience in various disciplines and some who would be considered experts certain fields. Some of you should turn to them and ask them, how was it at the department you came from? Why did you come to TPD?

In previous posts I expressed that I was not a part of a “tribe” a fan of “us vs them” but I do know the culture. Its really basically the same at most agencies, some different variants or configurations but relatively the same. I would say it would be hard for someone not familiar with the culture or lifestyle to really understand. Let’s just say its nothing like what you may see on TV. Obviously the reality cop shows aren’t going to show the infighting, labor disputes, issues with command, political interference and drama. Of course Valley Voice has fixed that. Some look at this as pure entertainment I am sure. A cliffhanger!

This is what I have discoverd, I guess we can chalk it up as my opinion of my discoveries. I say this because I will no doubt be bashed, berated and accused of being part of the “tribe” or the “us vs. them” although would I be us or them? But I am objectively looking at things.

I believe there are a few officers/corporals 5-8 maybe a sergeant 1-2, (but no one above those ranks) who for reasons we
will never truely know are taking advantage of a situation.

I think those 5-8/1-2 have influenced some younger officers into the belief that all is bad and if they go the right way with this opportunity, they will benefit greatly. Thus you get that 50/50 vote for no confidence. The half that didn’t vote or voted in favor of the Chief, didn’t vote because they were scared of retaliation. They didn’t vote because they don’t agree with the union and most likely thought the whole situation was ridiculous.

Now I will bring this up again from previous posts, if the accusations that have come out regarding everything the command staff has done, why is it just coming to light now? The accusations made are near criminal. It’s hard for anyone to believe that this has been going on and no one has spoke up prior to the admin leaves.

There is something going on, call it conspiracy, call it whatever you want. But someone or some entity within the rank and file or maybe outside the rank in file stands to benifit from the demise of Chief Hensley. Maybe the union president, the un-named mysterious retired officer at dinner? Does the good Mayor have a stake in the game? He does seem to be a common denominator. Is there a legacy to be had by all of this?

It’s not about the money, you got that. I am positive that with that raise other budgetary elements were effected within the department. Nothing comes for free.

The Great Question:
Who wants it? Who wants the spot, who is gonna save the Tulare Police Department? Who wants to be Chief and carry that rank, sit at the big desk, make the hard decisions, make sure all are happy…… the disgruntled, the sub-par cops, the old cops, the new cops, the union, the godforsaken millennials, the hard chargers, the ones who feel they are owed something? Who wants to carry that burden?

Who made the deal with the good Mayor. He is knee deep in the middle of this. I don’t think there is any denying it at this point. There is two missions at hand here and one came from the other.

I know the rebuttals that will come. More of the same to that of anyone who whispers support for the us or the them? I will be put down as a friend of the Chief and I base my opinion on that friendship and the lives of the officers mean more than my friendship, truth is I don’t know the man on a personal level, met him a few times professionally but never social, so no I wasn’t there when he called an officer or the union dumb a$@es (after all this maybe that horrible, derogatory, insensitive and hurtful statement was warranted) if he in fact said it, the context obviously hurt somebodies feelings. Ironically when I was in the service, for the first 4 weeks of basic, I thought my name was dumb a$@

I guess to the chosen few and I truly believe NOW, you are few. I have somewhat figured some things out. You will all say I know nothing. I know the good Mayor is involved, I know it’s not about a raise, or these grand accusations. I know there is more support for the Chief within the walls of the PD than you might realize. I know that the Chief, Captain and LT are not pointing fingers at each other or eating each other alive.

I don’t doubt that there are some issues within the department. I don’t doubt that some feelings have been hurt over some things. But let us remember what we are and what we do. A para military organization with rank structure. Not everything is going to be rainbows and unicorns. You are not going to get everything you ask or put in for. Everybody isn’t going to be warm and fuzzy. There will be disagreements in policy, procedure, mission planning, operational standards and work ethic…….You may get your behind chewed on, you may get written up or disciplined. Some of your leaders may appear gruff, stern, insensitive or dare I say it demanding. You may not get that promotion/advancement based on one reason or another.

So back to the question, if not Chief Hensley, who? And what If the next Chief comes in and he/she doesn’t see it your way? What then? Back to drawing board? Is it possible that out there in the this world there is the perfect leader? The one that through some mysterious way will make everyone happy in all the decisions he/she makes. This will include the good Mayor, City Manager, City Counsel, citizens, officers, Sergeants, LT’s, Captains, support staff (which by some accounts and posts don’t really matter). Or are we simply looking for the leader to appease a few? Good luck with that.

I think you, the chosen few have called down a storm, a storm that may be more than you can handle in the grand scheme of things. It may come sooner or later depending the outcome of this grand investigation….. which at this point what are we investigating, the ill will of the command staff towards the rank and file or the good Mayor’s Shirley Temple? Or both? At any rate if it has been as bad as has been posted at the PD, it didn’t start on September 22nd, nor did it all come to a head that day. Somebody should have spoke up a long time ago, if all the accusations are factual then they should have been dealt with and they were not. I assume there is an excuse or reason, but it can’t be fear of retaliation.

So now I expect to be ostracized by the chosen few. That’s ok, I get it. I will no doubt be called out in some way, given some reference of “us vs. them” or leadership qualities, tribe affiliation, the “you don’t know what your talking about Filo”. Maybe I will be called a dumb a@$. At least one will point out some sort of grammatical or spelling error. All good, it’s a debate a discussion. I have probably been called worse. No matter what the degrading or personal shots given, I will still be there to back you professionally while on the job should it be needed or requested.

Remember everyone is watching and trying to figure out who is who in the zoo. Some have showed their hand.

Merry Christmas and please let it be a Happy New Year.

I totally agree with your post. The powers that be have been allowing this to be dragged out for way too long.

If Chief Hensley has done what he is accused of by anonymous posters here and elsewhere on the VV website, there needs to be a swift, thorough investigation (no, those are not dichotomous).

If the culture within the police department is as bad as anonymous posters claim it is, there needs to be a swift, thorough investigation of the Chief Hensley.

If the accusations against Chief Hensley are false and politically motivated, there needs to be a swift, thorough investigation.

Wherever the truth lies, there needs to be a swift, thorough investigation.

But this is not what Tulare is getting. Instead it has been 80 days since Hensley was placed on Notice of Administrative Leave and the investigation has not even begun. This is at best incompetence. At worst this is malfeasance. Probably both.

Nothing from this incident inspires confidence in how the city of Tulare is currently being competently managed or lead. Instead it reinforces the perception of many Tulare citizens that this city is being run by fools, charlatans and hucksters. If city manager, attorney, mayor and council wants to dispel that perception, seeing to a swift end to this fiasco would be a good start.