Over the weekend, Mayor Pat Morris suggested that the San Bernardino Police Officers' Association was to blame for Operation Phoenix' woes.

The following is the press release issued today by the SBPOA in response to Mayor Morris' claims.

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San Bernardino Police Officers' Association Denounces Mayor Morris' "Blame Game"

Chastises gross mismanagement by "out of touch" mayor;

Cites systemic accountability failures for demise of Operation Phoenix

(San Bernardino, CA, July 21, 2008) -  Mayor Pat Morris' recent attempt to blame the San Bernardino Police Officers' Association (SBPOA) for the demise of Operation Phoenix is shameful and indicative of the systemic accountability failures undermining the program.  The SBPOA denounces the finger pointing "blame game" by the woefully "out of touch" Mayor Morris' and demand he accept full responsibility for the gross mismanagement of his pet program, Operation Phoenix.

Mayor Morris suggested that the SBPOA gobbled up Measure Z resources and left him "no water in the well" for his programs in a recent interview with Robert Rogers of the San Bernardino Sun.

Since the molestation scandal broke, a litany of excuses has been offered by Mayor Morris and other supporters.  "Operation Phoenix was established over a year before any Measure Z funds were collected by the city," stated SBPOA President, Sgt. Rich Lawhead.  "These attacks are a deliberate distortion to hide the gross mismanagement of the program." 

During the Measure Z campaign, Mayor Morris sought the support of the San Bernardino Police Officers' Association.  Mayor Morris promised to hire 40 additional officers to fight crime with money from Measure Z.  Believing the residents of San Bernardino were already taxed too much, we were reluctant to endorse and support Measure Z.  We were told by Mayor Morris that this was the only way the city could afford to put more cops on the street.  Aside from ensuring that the bulk of Measure Z funds were used to hire additional police officers, as promised to us and the voters, the SBPOA never interjected itself into discussions about Operation Phoenix funding. 

The San Bernardino Police Officers' Association has worked diligently to become a collaborative stakeholder and to answer the call of our elected officials.  When asked, we endorsed and supported Measure Z.  When challenged, we stepped up our community outreach and communications efforts.  In response to pleas during the budget discussions, we have been understanding and cooperative despite several million dollar cuts in funding and a reduction in the number of officers.

"We have worked in good faith with the city to identify waste and other sources of revenue to address budget concerns.  These unjustifiable attacks are frustrating and demoralizing," stated Sgt. Lawhead.

For months, Operation Phoenix Director Mike Miller demonstrated a "total disregard for department and city policy" according to an internal memorandum.  Mayor Morris claims to have been totally unaware of this misconduct.  Simply put, no amount of additional funding can overcome the gross mismanagement and systemic lack of accountability within the program and its leadership

DISCLAIMER:  I am a paid consultant for the San Bernardino Police Officers' Association.