over budget. He sued for the right to go over budget. Contrast this
overspending with all the other law enforcement agencies, like the St Paul
police force, that managed to stay in budget. However the budget is just a
symptom of Sheriff Fletcher's mis-management. My 15 years of experience as
corporate project manager told me that if the money is mismanaged, then I
should look further.
On videos, I have retired and reserve deputies talking about how the focus of
the Sheriff's department has become more towards getting Bob Fletcher
re-elected and less towards providing public safety. Instead of offering
promotions and positions based on seniority and merit, promotions and positions
are based on being "Friends of Bob". A "Friend of Bob" volunteered or donated
to Bob Fletchers campaign, did favors for Bob or just did what Bob asked.
Sometimes some of those requests for were for actions that should not have been
done. I am using the term, "Friends of Bob", because that is what the system
is called inside the department.
Just like the Metro Gang Strike Force where Bob Fletcher had a key leadership
role, there is severely missing or sloppy paperwork. Written evaluations are
never done. Manual and processes are not reviewed and revised. The rules of
process and procedures are not followed, even threatening the safety of lives.
For example, proper procedures like checking people in the jail regularly would
prevent deaths. Sheriff Fletcher's jail has had deaths from medical reasons and
from suicide.
On video, Retired Ramsey County Deputy Cynthia Bell describes how training was
be limited because extra funds would run out in September. Funds were spent on
creating special programs or units like the "Cold Case" unit that was created
to investigate one of Chief Finney's old cases. Sheriff Fletcher was running
against Chief Finney at the time. Assignments to the new units were based on
being "Friends of Bob".
Evie Pedersen, a retired Ramsey County deputy, also describes the political
patronage system of Sheriff Fletcher. Evie volunteered on a Ramsey County
Sheriff Fletcher campaign and therefore received better job assignments.
Specifically she received an choice "Asian Gang" special unit assignment.
Later, Evie testifies that when she did not do and would not agree with
everything that Bob Fletcher wanted, that she was constantly moved about. When
Bob Fletcher took over the Sheriff's department, the seniority system was
discarded, and assignments were based on Bob Fletcher's favor.
These are the examples of what Retired Ramsey County Deputy Evie Pedersen
observed:
* In quickly planned trip, Evie observed Sheriff Bob Fletcher and 4 deputies
jump in a van to check out how gang force units operate in California.
* Despite shortages of equipment, an 18 person van was purchased to transport
Asian youth around, for social purposes, not law enforcement purposes. This van
was only used for Asian youth and no other minorities. There is a rumor that a
second van was purchased, after she left the department.
* In one of Evie's positions, she prepared sex offender notifications that she
never observed being distributed.
* People were paid from different budgets that are not necessarily the
assignments that they were working on.
* Evie describes how she used a computer for years of work that had been seized
in a search warrant and not returned.
* Evie describes how outsiders had been picked from outside the Sheriff's
department and given top positions, sometimes with newly created titles.
* Evie recommends that an audit be done in Sheriff' Fletcher's department.
An anonymous source described to me how Bob Fletcher once even created a new
job position just for a demotion. This means that people's time and skills are
not being effectively or efficiently used. I once observed over 10 Ramsey
county deputies who waited around for a whole morning just to provide a visual
presence for Bob Fletcher when he testified before a state committee meeting.
Speakers are scheduled ahead of time so all the deputies could do was stand or
sit around.
Reserve Deputy James Hereaux also describes Sheriff Fletcher's punitive
management style on video. Not only are deputies expected to work on campaigns,
they are expected to put up campaign signs illegally.
Collaborating evidence is found Bob Fletcher's financial statements. According
to my rough counts, in the last Bob Fletcher finance report, there are 58
donors (31%) that list the Ramsey County Sheriff's office address. Another 58
donors (31%) list "Best Effort" which I think means they made failed to get
paperwork which is also supports the claims of a management style that does not
go through proper procedure and paperwork. Those "Best Effort" donors could all
also be from Ramsey County. So only 73 donors (38%) are know to be from diverse
sources.
Collaborating evidence is also from this portion of a letter published in
Highland Villager, October 13 - 26, 2010, by Ron Petrusson from Summit Hill:
"I'm a recently retired commander in the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. I
served under Bob Fletcher for his 16-year-tenure. I was a Fletcher supporter in
his first and even his second term. However, as time went on, it became
apparent that FLetcher cared much less for public safety and the citizens of
Ramsey County than he did for his own agenda and continued re-election.
Fletcher has appointed more than 30 friends, relatives, and political workers
outside of the normal civil service hiring channels. He lost a $750,000 lawsuit
for transferring and in essence demoting a lieutenant and sergeant who had
opposed him in the previous election. There have been no measurements of
performance in place. Fletcher's political appointees, however, are brought in
a high rank and pay levels.
Wasteful spending has been the hallmark of Fletcher's tenure. Although Fletcher
denies overspending his budget, the fact is that he has overspent a minimum of
$5 million in his combined annual budgets. Additionally, taxpayer funds have
been used to directly enhance Bob Fletcher's campaign efforts. For example,
when Bill Finney ran for sheriff, Fletcher opened and outreach center in the
African-American community:Costs fro building rental, staffing and equipment
for this center ran into hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the same time,
Fletcher created a previously nonexistent Cold Case Unit to reopen the Barbara
Winn homicide case in which Finney's friend Aaron Foster was a suspect. The
Cold Case Unit has not existed since that investigation. Under Fletcher, the
Sheriff's Office has never had a strategic plan. The Sheriff's policy and
procedure manual has not been updated in 16 years."
Ramsey county pays an incredible number of civil rights lawsuits because Bob
Fletcher's mismanagement like a $750,000 lawsuit from an employee who
campaigned against him. There is even a current pending civil lawsuit that
Chris Tayson has against Sheriff Bob Fletcher and his department. Internal
affairs is widely used as leverage as well as punishment assignments, sometimes
to have people take the blame for something that they are not the blame for.
Then the Sheriff can claim the one-bad-apple defense when in truth Sheriff
Fletcher's mismanagement is the cause. If there is civil lawsuit, it is usually
settled out of court with a gag order. Notice how Sheriff Fletcher wins in all
possible outcomes and Ramsey county does not get to even find out about our
poor law enforcement service. Even with the gag orders that prevent people
from talking about what happened, you would think that the shear numbers and
amounts of civil lawsuits would tell the story.
The people who believe in the second amendment civil rights of gun carrying
have had extraordinary courage in telling about the Fletchers mis-management.
Fletcher has the highest denials in the state, over 10%. Not only are the
denials high but a person, Michelle Rae Wilson, was approved, who should not
have been approved. She later committed murder. Through this event, it was
discovered that Sheriff Fletcher's department was very sloppy in matching names
to do the paperwork checking, so the reports of two different people were
credited to only one person.
Collaborating evidence of Bob Fletcher's effect on other law enforcement groups
from former Chief John Harrington, available on video:
"I have had cases where civilian staff with no law enforcement staff at all
were in my briefings and we had to toss them out."
And then there is the ultimate proof of mismanagement when two top level
employees of Sheriff Fletcher's department are now convicted felons:
"Two former employees of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department were sentenced
Friday to nearly three years in prison after a federal jury found them guilty
of conspiracy and theft of government funds."
(Fox News)
The strongest testimonial is 130 major endorsements that Fletcher's opponent,
Matt Bostrom, is receiving from all over Ramsey county, from both parties and
from diverse issue related groups because they have all had interactions with
the current Sheriff's department.
You might now be wondering, why there is so much evidence in one letter and why
I saved it to write all at once. I am doing this to protect the people who
speak out. I talked to many people who who have experience inside the Sheriff's
office. Most would only speak off the record, however people who go into law
enforcement usually want to be heroes. And there are a few heroes who are going
on the record. Many anonymous sources support what is being said on the record
and no one gave me contradictory evidence. Let's make something clear, people
who speak out against Fletcher are taking on the strong risk of Sheriff
Fletcher's vindictiveness, so speaking out is a strong act of courage. These
people speaking out are heroes!
Grace Kelly nicknamed Kelly
Still Speaking Out in Merriam Park
Complete article with links and videos here:
http://tinyurl.com/3xbdubl