Saturday, April 27, 2013

More On The Straubification Of Spokane

I previously told you about the mark former Indianapolis Public Safety Director Frank Straub was already making in his new job as Spokane's police chief. Barely on the job a few months, he caused quite a controversy when he had the long-time police officer, who had acted as the city's police chief on an interim basis while the city chose a new chief, escorted from the building and ordered to undergo psychological evaluation due to concerns Straub supposedly had that he might engage in workplace violence due to dissatisfaction with the new role Straub had assigned him to perform after demoting him.

Not surprisingly, Scott Stephens felt the move by Straub had been carried out by him to destroy his reputation within the department, sort of like the way Straub demoted three high-ranking IMPD officers after blaming them for the David Bisard fiasco knowing full well that none of the three had done anything wrong in the investigation. They simply followed his orders to return to the downtown headquarters to discuss with their chief problems Straub was having with negative press reports about him and how his image might be repaired instead of tending to the more-pressing fatal alcohol crash involving IMPD Officer David Bisard. Stephens sued Straub and the city for defamation and now the city is settling with him for a six-figure sum. Local news reports in Spokane indicate that the city has reached a $190,000 settlement with Stephens. His original lawsuit sought $750,000 in damages.

1 comment:

CircleCityScribe said...

He appears to be doing to Spokane what he did to Indianapolis. He's only been there a few months and already their city is paying out $190,000 law suit for his behavior. Does anyone else think Spokane's city attorneys saw all of those similar law suits against Straub here and told Spokane's mayor to settle this fast??? (-Negligent hiring, punitive damages for the foreseeable actions of Straub, etc)

I have a feeling that Indianapolis will be paying much more for those same things that he did over here before he committed the actions in Spokane.

As for the other financial damages he caused, we're still paying....like that "Regional Operations Center" with all of the Chicago "Contratual" problems signed by Frank Straub....wasn't it $18 Million Indianapolis tax dollars????? The former deputy director and special counsel for the Department of Public Safety left the city and declined comment on the deal for the ROC, saying, "I was in the office at that time, up to a certain point. I worked on that project and was removed by Director Straub. Straub completed the negotiation and closed that deal."

Last year at this time Frank Straub had run The Indianapolis public safety budget $30 million in the red according to WTHR!