Posted: 7/4/2006 11:31:08 PM EDT
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www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1150525628214730.xml&coll=7&thispage=1 Molalla's hands tied as cop sits idle Tarnished badge - Fired and rehired, the officer has no authority to write tickets Sunday, June 18, 2006 AIMEE GREEN Molalla police Officer Ron Lister cruises around in his patrol car, but he can't issue a single citation. He carries a gun and handcuffs, but he has no more authority to make an arrest than any other person on the street. He's a 10-year veteran of the force and gets paid $57,000 a year, but word has spread through this close-knit town of 6,500 that he's a cop in name only. He's been fired, reinstated and now relieved of most of his authority in what some residents call a colossal waste of taxpayer money. "I don't know why in the world we have to pay for him if he's not going to do anything a police officer normally would do," said resident Donna Mann, 62. Lister's career started heading for trouble in 2004, when the Clackamas County district attorney's office deemed him untrustworthy for providing false information in court papers. Then last month the city's municipal court stripped Lister of his ability to write traffic citations -- arguably the only real job that Lister had left. "A cop who can't write tickets?" said Carrie Mount, 31, a lifelong Molalla resident. "It's like a joke. I'm surprised they even let him work." Mount was one of 86 residents who successfully contested traffic citations Lister wrote in recent months. Really, all anyone had to do was show up in court, and Municipal Judge Rodney Grafe took the word of drivers over the word of Lister. News traveled quickly, and so many people started fighting tickets that Grafe informed the city last month that he would no longer accept any ticket Lister wrote -- regardless of whether the recipients were willing to pay. Mount, who knows at least five other friends or relatives who received tickets, says she thinks Lister got mad and started writing more tickets after he was relieved of other duties. "It's like he didn't have anything else to do." And now there's even less. Lister, 51, spends his working hours driving through town, notifying the city's cleaning crews of roadkill or the city's code compliance officer of junk strewn around a house, Police Chief Jerry Giger said. Lister also positions his police car alongside the road in hopes of drivers slowing down at the sight of a uniformed officer in a marked car. Sometimes he pulls drivers over and issues warnings. Many wonder why he stays on the job. Lister declined to discuss his situation, citing the advice of his attorney. But in a brief interview last week he maintained that "what's being said is not the truth. It irritates me to no end to sit here and say nothing." Molalla Mayor Mike Clarke said he's disheartened that two years have passed since questions arose about Lister's credibility. The fact that Lister is still working has some residents confused. "Someone will come up and say 'Mike, why don't you just fire him?' And we say, 'We did.' " But it wasn't so simple. In 2004, authorities found inaccuracies in four affidavits Lister submitted to a judge to obtain search warrants. In one case Lister said he'd documented four purchases of drugs from a suspected drug dealer, one more than the three required to get a search warrant. Lister later admitted he documented just two purchases before submitting the affidavit. Prosecutors pursued criminal charges against Lister. A grand jury declined to indict him, but the district attorney's office announced in November 2004 that prosecutors would no longer work with Lister. Giger fired Lister a month later. The entire police force, including support staff, signed a letter backing the chief's decision. But in July 2005 an arbitrator said Lister's punishment was too severe and reinstated Lister with about $40,000 in lost wages and benefits. Then, two months ago, the state board overseeing the certification of police officers voted to revoke Lister's certification for violating standards of "moral fitness" and causing his colleagues to "lose their confidence" in him. That would have ended his career, but Lister appealed. Barbara Diamond, an attorney hired by the union to represent Lister, said her client is fighting the state board's ruling because he knows he doesn't deserve to lose his career, a position supported by the arbitrator and union leaders. What's more, Diamond said, the state board didn't invite Lister to tell his side of the story. "I think he's still fighting (for his job) because he really loves being a police officer," Diamond said. "Nobody would stick at it this long if their heart and soul weren't in their work." City administrators -- wary of firing him again only to have him reinstated -- say they're simply waiting for the outcome of Lister's appeal. If he loses, he's automatically off the force. In the meantime, Molalla's 11 officers and three support staff work with Lister in what they say has remained a strictly professional relationship. "It's definitely not hostile," said Ronda Jones, an evidence technician. "But there's not the normal banter. It's not ideal." "Awkward is a good word," Giger said, in describing the situation. Giger said he hasn't assigned Lister to a desk job because the union protested. "Technically," Giger said, "he's still a police officer." |
Oh how true that can be!!! |
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IBTCB hmm wish we could find out why all the traffic tickets were appealed...if there was no reason other than this one incident of lying then it sounds like arfcom where a guy makes one mistake....(yes he lied...yes he should be punished) and then the whole crowd gangs up on him. but i do not know for i was not there. flame suit on! 
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Sounds like more than one time he intercoursed the canine. The reason the tickets were invalidated is because the city council removed his authority to write them. Taken from article: _________________________________________________________________________________ In 2004, authorities found inaccuracies in four affidavits Lister submitted to a judge to obtain search warrants. In one case Lister said he'd documented four purchases of drugs from a suspected drug dealer, one more than the three required to get a search warrant. Lister later admitted he documented just two purchases before submitting the affidavit. _________________________________________________________________________________ |
going by the article...he hasn't written any tickets since they have removed his responsibilities. just warnings. so now i'm asking again...what and why are the people appealing about their tickets? is their something else he lied about or are they appealing for the sake of not liking this officer, and since the judge throws the ticket out w/ out looking at them then they figure it's an easy way to not be punished for their actions. just a thought but i do agree that him still being employed by the town w/out having any duties is stupid and is a waste of money, so on that part i will actually side w/ the people of the town. other than that though i remain neutral b/c of lack of facts! |
| Yeah, look fellas, I have no dog in the constant pro-cop/anti-cop fight that goes on here but something about this particular article doesn't ring true. Four inaccuracies in affidavits could mean just about anything and if the most serious of those was making only two drug buys instead of three, I personally don't think it warrents the actions taken against this guy. Further, if I read this correctly, the judge in the town was automatically dismissing all tickets written by this individual. Maybe I don't have access to the information the rest of you have but the condemnation of this guy, based on the information presentd here, seems unwarrented. |
They are appealing the tickets because the Judge said he would not find a person gulity even if they wanted to plead guilty. So after that took place the Town took away his authority to write tickets. |
The cop was caught FALSEFYING AFFIDAVIT's his creditablilty is shot. He made false statements, he did not follow the law, he deserves to be fired for that alone. |
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Sorry Bama, I respect your opinion, which in this case is probably more valid than mine but still can't agree. If no drug purchase was ever made and he claimed that there was, that, in my opinion would not only be grounds for dismissal but prosecution as well. In this case however, while the evidence gathered must be excluded, I would not want to see automatic termination. I'm aware of the slippery slope arguments but isn't that what we have judges for, to consider incidents on a case by case basis? Maybe he should be fired, maybe prosecuted, I don't know from what's presented here.
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