The Virginian-Pilot
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CHESAPEAKE
Two high-ranking police administrators who will lose their jobs on July 1 are the victims of a series of events meant to force them from the department, their lawyer said Wednesday.
Deputy Chief Louis Tayon and Maj. William Spruill were told late last month that their positions were being eliminated. Their lawyer and several supporters protested the ouster to the City Council on Tuesday night
Tayon and Spruill are among the highest-paid in the department, and the move will put more officers on the street, the police chief has said.
Mike Imprevento, the attorney advising the men, disputed that reasoning, alleging age discrimination, among other things.
Tayon and Spruill are "significantly older" than the one deputy chief and three majors who will remain with the department, Imprevento said. The police department operated with only one deputy chief until two years ago.
"What happened to them has absolutely nothing to do with the budget," Imprevento said Wednesday. "The positions were already budgeted. They could have been allowed to leave on their own terms."
Instead, he alleges, both officers were routinely marginalized over the past year and a half. Tayon went from commanding hundreds of officers to fewer than 20, was excluded from input on policy, and could not participate in certain meetings, Imprevento said. "The stage was essentially set."
Tayon and Spruill were asked to sign a waiver by Friday agreeing not to sue the city in exchange for a retirement bonus, Imprevento said, calling the amount insignificant.
Chesapeake City Attorney Ron Hallman is studying the men's allegations and had no comment, city spokesman Heath Covey said.
Kristin Davis, (757) 222-5555, kristin.davis@pilotonline.com
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If it were an age issue the
If it were an age issue the EEOC would be involved, but they probably found this case is without merit. The only reason age discrimination is on the table is because in the state of Virginia you can be fired for any reason, or no reason, as long as it doesn't violate civil rights and Federal law.
It never ceases to amaze me...
How so many people will defend grossly inflated CEO salaries and bonuses but let a working man make a decent living and he is overpaid. Who cares how much money these men make. And if their positions are needed and they are compentent workers and can perform the job at hand, who cares how old they are? If the only reason they are being let go is because of their age, that sounds like discrimination to me.
If these two guys had any
If these two guys had any hand in the Ryan Fredrick raid then good riddance. No sympathy here. If CPD wants to save money then they should rid the department of the commander of the RF raid and all those responsible for executing it. The city would probably save a bundle.
Puppets to Krasnoff
I believe the city manager is only doing what he's being "told" to do. I'm sure he doesn't enjoy taking the heat for this and I'm sure that "Krasnoff's" council will get rid of Harrell if he doesn't continue to comply. People who work for the city are used to tip-toeing around the poiticians and the political agendas they try to achieve. So, don't blame the city manager for the decision to fire these two individuals when he's got "someone's" hands around his neck.
Interesting!
"I believe the city manager is only doing what he's being "told" to do"
And this "sissy" is running the City of Chesapeake? That's scary!
City *Manager*.....aka City Puppet?
HE needs to go!
After thought!
Wonder how "HE" would feel if he was given 30 days notice to Leave and still preferred to WORK, and wasn't ready to retire?
If the budget is so bad, he needs to layoff some of his and the Human Resource "assistants?" From what I've read, They have 3 employees doing the job of one person in many departments!
This whole situation doesn't pass the "smell test."
These Men have *earned* their promotions and salaries!!!
BTW....Our Senators and Congressmen can serve ONE (1) term and receive retirement for "LIFE"....(at OUR expense).......go figure?
Life is hard
Im not a fan of the city's latest move to save money and put more officers on the street. For those of us who work jobs and not careers this sort of thing happens all the time. companies reserve the right to fire employees with no notice, no warning, and without a reason. This is something people of all socio-economic backrounds face. I hope they can reconcile their differences and not lose their jobs. On another note, i believe that bringing litigation against the city was not the right move. They are wasting more tax payers money pursuing a useless claim that is sure to drag on. Knowing the way the commonwealth works, thes3e officers will probably settle out of court and never have to wrk a day again.
Tragic Mistake
Police Officers like foot soldiers require strong, experienced, and decision making leadership. Here you have two of our city's best and were kicking them out the door over money. Why do we need four asst. city managers who make well over 120k? Why do we have a fully staffed Human Resource Dept. when other fortune 500 companies in our great country have outsourced this organization function since 1995 to American firms who can do it more cost efficiently? The one thing that troubles me about our city manager and supposed CEO of our city is that he has not made the cuts within in city hall that an experienced CEO would make. This is the type of leadership one should expect from someone who has been involved in a government capacity most of his life. It's far different when you are CEO within the private sector, because you do not have the supposed unlimited funding "taxpayers" to fall back on and cover your mistakes. Our city needs the leadership skills of these two men to strengthen our police department.
What?
What in the world is an ambulance-chaser like Imprevento doing on a case like this? This claim is obviously without merit.
WHATEVER...
These two officers have both been on the job for more that 38 years, as law enforcement that are able to retire in 25 years. I can appreciate their dedication HOWEVER I'm finding it super hard feel sorry for them as they will earn in RETIREMENT more than most people in this area earn in a year!! I'm also a bit confused as to how the race card has become a part of this issue... The economy has been rough on most and the fact that they will be able to earn a pretty good living while hanging out at home and waiting for the mailman to deliver their monthly pay, keeps me from feeling thier pain.