OCR Text |
Show Utah 4 7 ocUtion Press South Third East Salt Lake City, Utah 841 11 Letters to the Editor Vol. 3 No. 35 Thursday. August 27, 19S1 20 ' please turn to page A-- 3 cents single copy Mayor Makes Formal Statement CMzeims Rally to Deffeei Peterson Berl;; Peterson was formally suspended as chief of the Lehi City Police Department Tuesday evening J as -- council members voted unanimously to uphold the decision ' made 'earlier by Mayor Blaine Singleton. ; The action came shortly after the opening of the regularly scheduled city council meeting when Mayor Singleton presented a motion to relieve Mr. Peterson of his em ', ployment as chief of police with reemployment within the police department to be considered upon his (Mr. Peterson's) request." Mr. Peterson had served with the police department for the past 21 years -- 18 of those he had been chief. He was relieved of his position last week in a surprise move by Mayor Singleton. Several hundred Lehi residents attended the council meeting with Citizens Comment: The People Should Know Reasons' v. .f ' .NOTE: Police Chief Berl Peterson was suspended by Mayor Blaine Singleton last Monday. Since then many Lehi citizens have discussed the suspension, with pros and cons on both sides of the issue. In an effort to 'present a fair and objective report of the matter, the Free Press conducted a survey interview of several Lehi people asking their opinion on the matter. These are a few of the comments from people on Main Street. hopes of changing the minds of the or at least "find council members out why" Mr. Peterson was suspended. Their demands were not met, however, despite several angry outbursts from the crowd a crowd that at times almost turned the meeting into a shouting match. Shortly after the meeting began in the regular council chambers, council members did agree to move it to larger quarters the nearby former Fifth Ward Church so all present could be accommodated and hear. Mayor Singleton told those gathered that the meeting was not a "public hearing" but still the crowd demanded to be heard. Mayor Singleton then read a statement (later read again by Councilman Joe Shelton) saying, "The Mayor and City Council of Lehi have felt for some time that a change in the leadership of the police department was required. This is mainly due to the morale and disciplinary problems within the - - - - By RANDALL WRIGHT Berl Peterson was asked to vacate his job as chief of police because of "incompetence ft Armond Webb, 400 North 200 East: I've always liked Berl but it seems unusual he'd go ahead and conduct an investigation without letting the mayor know. I don't know a lot about it, but I've always liked Berl. J ZJ I and ineptness," according to Lehi Mayor Blaine Singleton, not just because of Mr. Peterson's handling of the John Daly - . . investigation. . . Both Mr. Singleton and Mr. Peterson said in separate interviews last week that the Daly investigation was "the straw that broke the camel's back," but it was not the only issue involved in the decision to relieve Peterson of his duties as chief of the Lehi Police Department. But so far the mayor has refused to explain in detail his other reasons for asking Mr! Peterson to resign; Mr. Peterson, on the other hand, said he would like the chance to respond to specific allegations about his handling of the police department. anybody involved should disagree with that statement," Mr. Singleton said. "I certainly don't. But that was only a small part of the total picture." ' Cedar Valley: Well, I think the public should know why he was relieved of his duties. They must have had a reason for doing it. I'd just like to know why. The people should know why. Goodwin, 392 East 500 North: I don't know. I have strong feelings but I can't express them.. When you don't know all the facts it's hard to form an opinion. Steve Strong, 234 South 300 West: Nobody knows the facts, really. We're uninformed. There's probably been misunderstanding on both sides. It seems they're more concerned about the man than the job he's been doing. Scott Player, 375 South 100 West: I think they should have had the public hearing, then a decision should have been made. Mary Ellen Cash: We know Mr. Daly was fired and why. Berl was fired but we don't know why. I've been friends with Berl a long time. I wouldn't say anything to hurt him. specific reasons for Mr. Peterson's release. Ken Rushton, city attorney, and Mayor Singleton said that under the law it is advisable not to give specific reasons because of the legal aspect of the situation. Tempers flared during the meeting, and at one point - at the beginning, one man was asked to leave because of his actions. Mr. Peterson, when urged by the crowd to speak, said he is not afraid of an open hearing. He said he was not at the meeting to ask any favors, but feels that over the past 18 months he has not had the full support of the mayor or the council. When interviewed at the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Peterson said he still has to make his decision as to what to do. "This is a big decision for me to make. I still have a family to support," he said. He expressed appreciation to the townspeople for supporting him. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. with other items on the agenda postponed. Even so; Mr. Singleton said he does not intend to make full disclosure of all the reasons behind the move. "I can see nothing to be gained by it," he said. "It has become a very emotional issue, blown way out of proportion for its importance." "The only comment I'm going to make in that respect is that he is being replaced for incompetence and ineptness - which covers a whole bunch of things," he said. Mr. Singleton claims firm legal ground in refusing to give reasons for the dismal, S'&tbelaw allows a. mayor to remove any appointed bf'" ficial without cause. But Mr. Peterson said he would like the opportunity to respond to specific allegations. Earlier he said that if he stepped down without comment he "would be admitting that my duties as chief of police have not been handled professionally and honestly." have been removed without cause and put back on the police force. It certainly isn't something that has never been done in Lehi." Mr. Peterson said he had been "called in" earlier about his handling "The of the police department. ficers going to the mayor behind my back and this was creating a problem. I approached them after I was called in and said if you'll give me a hundred percent of your support in this type of thing that's taking place, then I think I can lick the - Continued on Page r, A-- 2 Free Press Corrects "I want the people of Lehi to know that I have not done anything to deserve this," he said. Mistaken Reports Last week the city council convened a special meeting at which, according to Mr. Singleton, Mr. Peterson was allowed time to give reasons he should not be suspended. But Mr. Peterson said when he asked the council at that meeting about specific shortcomings, he got no satisfactory answers. "I asked in that meeting for times, dates and incidents that they could show where I haven't been doing my duty," said Mr. Peterson. "I also asked if they could tell me times when groups of citizens have come in and complained in regards to the way that I was operating my department." "They said, 'We don't have to.' They are standing behind this law. that says the mayor can dismiss any appointed official without cause," Mr. Peterson continued. Mr. Singleton defended that position, saying, "I can look back within about the last 15 years and see probably two chiefs of police who In last week's news story about the suspension of Lehi Police Chief Berl Peterson, the Lehi Free Press incorrectly said that former city recorder John Daly resigned "after the county attorney issued a formal complaint against him for alleged personal use of city funds.' In fact, Mr. Daly resigned the day before charges were filed. His letter of resignation is dated July 19; charges were filed the following day, July 20, by the county attorney and acknowledged July 22 by Circuit Judge Joseph I Dimick. Also, the Daly investigation began during the last week in May, not in mid-Jun-e as reported. June 15 is the date Police Chief Bert Peterson says he first learned of the investigation. One other explanation ought to be made: The word "Indictment'? in our July 22 headline and article about the criminal charge against Mr, Daly could have been misleading. In a broad sense, "indictment" is accurate. For example, one might say of any serious accusation that "it was a heavy indictment against the individuaI.M But in legal jargon the term refers specifically to charges handed down by a grand jury. The correct term for the formal complaint issued in the Daly case is an "information." While both an indictment and an information ultimately function in the same that is, each charges an way individual with the commission of a crime - the latter is presented to the court by the prosecuting officer (in this case the county torney), the former by a group of jurors. We did not intend to imply that a grand jury was involved in the Daly investigation that is not the case. - - Peterson Says Council Requested No Investigation of City Employees Dona Robinson: I don't know enough about it. I think it's sad. Winona' The action against Mr. Peterson was "the culmination of 18 months" of problems in the police department, not the according to the mayor result of only one incident. However, he said, the Daly case "is very definitely related." "As everyone has indicated, it is the straw that broke the camel's back finally, and there's no reason Alvin Ault V r- - Kay Stone, 266 North 100 East: I haven't heard that much about it. Bert's a fine person, but the mayor knows more about the situation than I do. After all, I've never had that with the law. But, Berl many run-in- s is a good person. y-- level". At the end of this in Mr. time, no improvement Peterson's performance was noted. At this time, the council decided not to take any immediate action. "Over the past year, Mr. Peterson has been counseled several times, but no progress had been made in solving the problems of the department and the council determined that this action had to be taken. "We do not feel that it is in the best interest of Mr. Peterson to air in public specific reasons for this change. We do feel, however, that it should be noted that we do not question the honesty of Mr. Peterson in any way. "Lehi City has some excellent people in the police department, and we feel that the citizens are entitled to the best police protection possible for their tax dollars. We, as a council, do not feel that this can be achieved under Mr. Peterson's leadership." Those in attendance at the meeting did not agree with the mayor's statement, and continued to demand City, Peterson Clash on Suspension . 1 day-to-da- an acceptable Daly Case Last Straw et M X; department. The action taken was not the result of any one incident, as has been intimated by Mr. Peterson, but rather the result of a lack of action by Mr. Peterson over an extended period of time. "Mr. Peterson does not have the confidence of the mayor, the city council, or a majority of the members of the police department. "A brief summary of events leading to this action is as follows: Mr. Peterson was appointed as chief of police when I came into office in 1978. Reappointment in this position is required every two years, after each election. In 1980, 1 had reached a point where I no longer had any confidence in Mr. Peterson's ability to lead the police department, and he was not reappointed. He has continued in y office since that time on a basis. "In January of 1980, Mr. Peterson was counseled by myself and Mrs. Brown (councilwoman Joann Brown) and was advised to bring his performance up to what was considered Jay Rkhim: I don't like the Berl. All the I've had with Berl have been good. He's always done what's right. , suspension of By RANDALL WRIGHT Suspended Lehi Police Chief Berl Peterson said he was instructed by the city council approximately a year and a half ago not to investigate city employees. According to Mr. Peterson, that directive came at a city council meeting at which he expressed frustration over the "lack of cooperation" during his investigation of a theft from the city shops. "No evidence was turning up," he said. "It was like talking to a stone wall." He said he was not allowed to administer polygraph tests to employees. Lehi Mayor Blaine Singleton countered that Mr. Peterson was told not to investigate city employees "at his own request." r) "There was a theft of some money at the city shops. At that time we asked the police to investigate," said Mr. Singleton. "After the inwas complete, Mr. vestigation Peterson came to the city council and said his investigation had created very many problems between the various departments. At his request, he was instructed that any investigation of city employees from now on would be done by the county." The night of July 16 after being informed of the John Daly inMr. Singleton said he vestigation reminded Mr. Peterson of those instructions. According to Mr. Peterson, "That night, the mayor came into my office, very upset, and said that I had told him earlier that I wouldn't in - - vestigate any other city employee." He said he then explained the status of the Daly inquiry and left it in the mayor's hands "which way to go." But the police had already contacted the county attorney's office. Assistant Utah County Attorney Jay Fitt told the Free Press the earliest document he had from the Lehi police was dated July 13. Crimes that constitute a class A misdemeanor or higher are normally handled by the county attorney. Mr. e Daly is charged with a felony theft; the amount involved in that case is $492.22, according to Mr. third-degre- Fitt. "You have the ball now," Mr. Peterson said he told the mayor. "If you want us to give this to another agency to further investigate and carry it through, we'll do this." Garry Sampson, city councilman over the police department, said the council is not stopping investigation of wrongdoing within the city. We're glad that it was done," said Mr. Sampson. "The only thing we're saying is 'inform us.' " "I'd rather see our own people do it," he said, adding that if he had been on the city council a year and a half ago, he "probably would not have supported the idea" of turning investigations over to an outside agency. "I told Berl that it's his responsibility, and if he has to take flak that's just too bad. But we'll investigate our own crimes," said Mr. Sampson. |