January 29, 2003
Will he stay or will he go?

Now that we know that while Chief C.O. "BAMF" Bradford may have a potty mouth, he at least doesn't lie about it (and I for one am sleeping better at night with the security that this knowledge brings), we can safely turn our attention to the disposition of Captain Mark Aguirre, who will find out this week if HPD plans on terminating him.


Aguirre, indicted on five counts of official oppression in connection with the raid on a Kmart parking lot, attended his Loudermill hearing in acting Police Chief Tim Oettmeier's office.

Lawyer Terry Yates, who represents Aguirre in the department investigation into the raid, said Oettmeier told Aguirre he will announce his decision soon.

[...]

Loudermill hearings take the name of a Cleveland, Ohio, school bus mechanic who was fired after he failed an eye examination. The mechanic appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1985 that tenured employees must be granted a hearing before being terminated.

After Oettmeier read the allegations against Aguirre, "we spoke our piece," Yates said. "Our position is, we did nothing wrong, either criminally or administratively."

Oettmeier listened attentively to his points, Yates said. "I'm going to take him at his word," he said. "He said his mind was open."


All well and good, though apparently no one has ever come out of a Loudermill hearing at HPD with his job intact. Fellow indictee Sgt. Ken Wenzel chose to resign rather than go through with it. But we'll see.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on January 29, 2003 to K-Mart Kiddie Roundup | TrackBack
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