Tag Archives: chip simmons

The “Honorable Sheriff” Finally Has Been Shamed Over Misappropriation

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Former Sheriff Morgan paid $75k on 2 bronze statutes to put in front of the ECSO. He used money that should have been used on resources internally like upgrading equipment, investigations and training. I don’t know how many times over the years I have said this jackass routinely misuses funds he is in charge of. Look at the money piddled away on political capital via the LET funds. The back pay of the deputies that is still in limbo and hasn’t been paid out to date. The Honorable Sheriff came up with an algorithm to give the deputies their dues. It spreads them out over time. But so many of those guys have been forced out of the agencies before they got what was due. What happened to that money???

Morgan was rumored to have misused a government credit card when he was in the Air Force. I definitely see a pattern of behavior. There are so many other times he has been irresponsibly played with funds. When you have accounting officials skimming for years, without detection, you must question the oversight of all monies into and out of this agency. If there are checks and balances, embezzlement would be detected in short order. But the CFO Henrique Dias never scrutinized anything, because he was too busy manipulating other monies at the behest of Morgan. Then you have Pam Childers, the comptroller, who doesn’t verify funds are spent appropriately concerning LET funds. What else is she not looking at?

This statute is so characteristic of this egomaniac, His malignant narcissism (Malignant narcissism is a psychological syndrome comprising an extreme mix of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder and sadism. ) will not allow him to quietly fade into the ether. He has shown time and time again that his overblown sense of self importance exists in every action and every word he uses.

Now he has agreed to buy the his own statute. But shouldn’t he pay for both? Potts could not have commissioned and approved spending on a statute of himself. Morgan did. So why is Chip allowing the money on that statute be wasted as well?

Andy Marlette chimed in:

After news of the shameful sculpture broke, Morgan later took to a radio show staged by uncritical questions from his personal friend and InWeekly publisher Rick Outzen to claim that he would reimburse the cost of his statue. Outzen said that would make the story “go away.”

Yeah right!! This is just the beginning. Outzen is completely disconnected to anything dealing with Morgan and his misdeeds.

Strangely enough, Marlette wants this to be put out on display.

The sculpture of Morgan is an allegory.   
Just as the crowned lady near Ellis Island represents “liberty” or the blindfolded scale-bearer represents “justice,” the self-commissioned self-portrait of David Morgan will forever stand as a perfectly fitting portrayal of Pensacola’s political class.
It embodies the ongoing shame and shortcomings of self-obsessed white men who have consistently wormed themselves into the highest perches of power. Yes, it is a statue of David Morgan. But it is also a reflection of ourselves. A symbol of our community. A sign of the times.
And this is why it must stand — as public art that tells an important and ongoing public story about those who hold power in this place we all call home…..But let it be seen

Pensacola news journal, Aug. 20, 2021

This little rant is reminiscent of the same argument I and others have made in the past. Isn’t that justification to have the Confederate monuments stand? Morgan has harmed so many people in the community and if it is necessary to memorialize him as a symbol of the era of his reign, then it is just as necessary to memorialize the other men of the community and their actions/legacy. Morgan has been responsible for the community losing good deputies, not acting on sexual predators within his command, misappropriating money that benefitted him only and this is just part of his betrayal of public trust. Hundreds, if not thousands, have been victimized by Morgan. Let’s not forget the astonishing growth of his net worth while being a public servant.. The millionaire sheriff.

So come on Marlette, let’s keep all the statues where they belong in the public forum, to remind people of the atrocities. This is a direct parallel, except the Confederates didn’t personally commission their own statutes. The community made that decision. But hey, Confederate officers deserve to be relegated to a corner of a museum. We don’t want anyone remembering history. Better they should not take heed of past event, to more easily facilitate repetition of such things.

Honest Conversation About Veltkamp Shooting

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Recently I had a conversation with a deputy I frequently talk with. We discussed a few different things like Sheriff Chip Simmons, morale of the agency and employees that are still shining bad light on the ECSO. It was an honest conversation about the overall aura of the agency. Here is how the conversation went:

JS: So how is the morale of the agency?

Deputy: We expected, when Chip was running for office, he would run through the doors and give the agency back to the good employees that want to do good in the community. But there has been little movement in ridding the agency of the cancer. There are still “problem” employees or in some cases, criminals within the agency.

JS: Isn’t he concerned about looking like an extension of Morgan?

Deputy: It is rumored he wants to be viewed differently than Morgan and understandably so. However, keeping the holdovers that destroyed the optics of the department will only fuel the people claiming Chip is more of the same. The fact of the matter is it appears Chip has done little to hold people accountable for their actions and this continues to make the ECSO lose respect in the community.  

JS: Doesn’t he realize he is under a microscope and by allowing those “hold-overs to remain, he is still destroying the potential the community had for him?

Deputy: He has been lackluster in his efforts to regain the confidence of the employees. People should never be harassed, and Simmons should not involve the department as the arena for political retribution that we witnessed under Morgan’s tyrannical regime.  He had a front row seat of the destruction of good people at the hands of incompetent bullies under the command of Morgan and Eric Haines.

JS: Right. Joe Zarzaur pulled the curtain back on many of the shenanigans in the ECSO.

Deputy: Lie after lie has been identified in sworn testimony given by Morgan and Haines. Haines was even identified as a person with animus toward women in his command.  Judge Vinson said that in a federal lawsuit filed against the ECSO involving Morgan and Haines. Yet Chip retains Haines and seems unlikely to make Haines answer for his poor leadership decisions and actions. Granted those actions happened before Chip, but Haines is still an employee and his actions on behalf of the agency will always remain relevant whether they happened yesterday or last year.

JS: You and I spoke about the recent shooting. Others have reached out to echo your views on this. That seems to be a circumstance created by Mindy and Haines that reared its ugly head.

Deputy: You mean, Sgt. Veltkamp? Most all of us believed her actions were questionable. It was difficult to have much sympathy for her because prior to being promoted, many felt she was a weak deputy and had trouble making good decisions. Her mental condition is in question here, as well. Imagine if she were an accurate shot, she’d have killed an innocent citizen on his property. In today’s climate, every deputy is afraid of being crucified. With cell phones and cameras, most of us are over cautious. Because you never know if one of your dumbass decisions will be played constantly until your family is harassed and the jobs are gone. What scares the hell out of me is that Sgt. Veltkamp has a position of authority with a known mental deficiency or at least an inability to manage emotions.

It is unfair to the agency and Sgt. Veltkamp. Maybe the friends that were attempting to cover up her breakdown were not actually friends. Did her friend help her or just kick the can down the road for a more serious incident to happen later? I think the incident that put Veltkamp in the spotlight speaks for itself.

JS: Do we know if she is stable at this point? What follow up was done to assure her emotional and mental fitness for the job?

Deputy: Unfortunately, Veltkamp could be a victim of circumstance. Her emotional state may not have been as serious as it seems. However, when your closet friends have lost credibility and proven they are less than truthful people, the perception makes everybody question. Mindy Young is the friend believed to be most instrumental in the cover up.  Hell, look at Mindy. We all saw the texts that came out that showed she planned the demise of a complainant officer in an investigation she was conducting. She plotted to cause the employee to feel her “sting” with the subject officer in the complaint. This is proven with actual text messages that exchanged between Mindy Young and Eric Haines. This is beyond disgusting and a violation of Florida law.

I certainly wish the best for Sgt. Veltkamp. But some people are not made to be in law enforcement, or any position giving them a gun. I hope some leadership, some place at the ECSO will pick up this issue and remove the problems and the criminals of the days of inept leadership under the Morgan regime.

JS: I heard from someone else that Veltkamp was cleared of the shooting.

Deputy: I believe that is true. In honesty, there is no record of her psychiatric state in the past, thanks to Mindy. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have issues that people need to be aware of. Maybe it is even more important for her psychological status be more widely known. The man in the store is very lucky. Next time, people may not be so lucky.

JS: But as a few people have brought forth info, is there really good reason to be concerned about Veltkamp?

Deputy: Without a doubt. A seasoned officer with a clear head would not be in the situation she found herself in. I hate to say, this makes female officers look bad all around. Veltkamp’s problems play into the stereotype that female officers are weak and are liabilities because of their emotional reaction. I don’t find that to be true, but she certainly makes the case that can be used against other women in law enforcement.

Boomerang

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Bad decisions have a tendency to boomerang back around. According to sources inside the ECSO, a deputy who was Baker Acted twice and who happened to keep her standards was involved in the standoff last week. Pam Veltkamp, a friend of Mindy Von Ansbach Young, created a standoff and shot at a business owner 14 times, erroneously thinking he was a suspect. Here is the ECSO press release:

On 3/27/2021 at 3:51 a.m., the ECSO responded to a call for a suspicious vehicle parked in the back lot of Blue Angel Groceries on Olive Road and Whitmire Road. When the deputy arrived, he located a suspect sleeping in his vehicle. The deputy observed a handgun and numerous narcotics in plain sight on the floorboard between the suspect’s feet. The deputy woke the suspect and attempted to take him into custody. The suspect exited the vehicle and engaged in two physical altercations with the deputy and attempted to flee on foot. The suspect then returned to his vehicle and reached toward where the firearm was located, forcing the deputy to fire at him. The suspect escaped on foot. A perimeter was established, but the suspect was not located. A large amount of narcotics and a firearm were located inside the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect was identified as John Lee Johnson Jr. There were no injuries reported.

During the investigation, one of the witnesses provided a false identity to investigators. It was determined that the witness, later identified as Hassan Moorer, had active warrants for Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, Larceny, Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm and Robbery with a firearm. 

Deputies returned to the Blue Angel Grocery looking for Hassan Moorer and they were directed to the back of the open store by an employee. When deputies entered the building and announced their presence, they were met with an individual, who was not Hassan Moorer, pointing a firearm in their direction. Deputies fired at the individual and were able to secure the area. The ECSO SWAT Team was activated and arrived on scene. The individual surrendered and there were no injuries. The investigation is still ongoing in reference to the firearm being pointed at the deputies. Per protocol, the deputies have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. 

The ECSO is looking for John Lee Johnson Jr. (DOB: 3/19/84) who is wanted for Battery of a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting with Violence, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Firearm while in Commission of a Felony, Sale/Manufacture/Deliver Cocaine, Sale/Manufacture/Deliver Ecstasy, and Sale/Manufacture/Deliver Controlled Substances. 

The ECSO is also looking for Hassan Moorer (DOB: 12/6/82) who is wanted for Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, Larceny, Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm and Robbery with a Firearm. 

The problem is there are a great deal of details left out. Hassan Alissa, the owner, was sleeping in the back of the store when deputies entered. He heard yelling and after the drama earlier he grabbed his gun. He did not hear the deputy identify herself as law enforcement. She was yelling “Hassan” thinking he was Hassan Moorer, believed she had cornered the suspect but whatever dialogue happened at this point, they were both armed, not understanding who the others were. Alissa called 911, not realizing the people in his store were deputies. But when deputy Veltkamp saw the gun, she should was in control of that situation. Alissa pled to the dispatcher, who he credits for saving his life, to call this deputy off. There is nothing he could have said at this time that could have diffused this situation. She believed he was the suspect and would not have believed anything he said.

Pam Veltkamp should have been Baker Acted at least twice in the last 3 years, but thanks to her good friend Mindy, she voluntarily committed herself both times. The first time was just prior to her promotion in December 2018. And one other time since then. Each time, Mindy secured her law enforcement standards were preserved. She was assigned as a School Resource Officer, which is one of two places, troublesome deputies are relegated to rather than being fired. The other place is the courthouse. The point is that Mindy should not have gotten special treatment for this chick either time. Psychological fitness is necessary to be a law enforcement officer everywhere. She may be a great person but if she has mental issues, having a badge and a gun makes her a danger to everyone she encounters. Naturally Eric Haines was a part of keeping this lady on the streets because of his closeness to Mindy, his mini-me.

So while Eric was micromanaging some deputies, he was giving this chick a pass. Then Morgan even promoted her after her first breakdown. In what world, is that a good idea? Now we shall see what Chip does now.

ECSO Litmus Test

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EDITORIAL: I want to acknowledge the handling of a serious matter, a little less than 2 weeks ago. My son, who lives in Pensacola, was missing and possibly endangered. I was apprehensive about involving ECSO due to my history with the leadership. However, Chip Simmons, Investigator Lee and Sgt Calogero were fantastic. My son is fine, but I was a wreck. I will never forget what they did.

Having said that, I am still compelled to post on issues I believe are public worthy regarding the agency. Chip’s personnel decisions and actions or inactions, still will ripple through history. I will not pull punches on this matter, because someone should.

Now that the ball is in Chip Simmons’s court, we will all be able to see if he is more of the same (ie Morgan) or whether he will turn the agency around as is hoped. It appears he is riding the fence on the most recent morally bankrupt employee, David Craig. Craig has recently been on administrative leave. It is alleged he exposed himself to a little girl. Can’t confirm for sure but knowing Craig’s history, this certainly fits the pattern of inappropriate actions he has had in the past.

Right after Craig was hired in January of 2009, he immediately began abusing the trust that should be associated with working for a law enforcement agency.

To a layperson, this seems like a string of misdeeds that should not be punished by anything less than termination. Destroying evidence? Fake badge? Interfering with Investigation? Dissemination of official personnel records by someone without the authority to access those records legitimately?

In early 2015, I received an email from a source about Craig:

Hey Jimmie, just thought of something when I saw your comment about chatting with David Craig on Facebook.  Are you aware that David was a Reserve Deputy but lost his certificate for policy violations?  And, that he contributed a ton of his BLAB tv show time to Morgan during his first campaign and some during the second campaign?  Morgan created a job for Craig  with a starting salary roughly $10,000 over what a starting deputy makes.  I started getting complaints on Craig from Investigations in regards to his interfering with several investigations.  The Captain of Investigations at the time, sent me a letter asking me to stop Craig’s getting involved before he blew a case.  After several other complaints, one from his immediate supervisor, another Investigator and a complaint about Craig impersonating a law enforcement officer, I went to Morgan.  Morgan refused to involve himself in Craig’s situation, other than to tell me to just warn him to be careful.  I eventually wrote Craig up and warned him that if he continued to talk to witnesses, take pictures of suspects homes, and other such activities he could be arrested.  Craig also has a Domestic Violence past and I’m correct he is not allowed to carry a firearm but does and Morgan knows this.  Craig acted as a Bodyguard for Morgan during his election campaigns and carried a gun on him then.  

Since then, I have been approached by witnesses who claimed that Craig was banned from the Creighton Road Walmart for urinating in public, and thus exposing himself to shoppers. Somehow or another, even after PPD was on the scene, Morgan was notified and got the PPD to not issue a report. The witnesses heard the call on the scanner and showed up to witness firsthand the covering up of this offense. There is no report or any paper trail on this other than the witnesses, which doesn’t surprise anyone.

I am also hoping to see Chip step up to deal with Steve Cappas. The man confessed to tampering with evidence in the Joe Zarzaur case for the Rodgers twins. Lest we forget.

And Mike Gilmore. He failed to act on information regarding a missing child. Let a lead sit in a file for 2 years, knowing the witness saw the girl in a sex trafficking setting. Not even a footnote in his file.

There are so many issues with personnel. If Chip doesn’t step up and eradicate the vermin, he is just as bad as that vermin. One bad apple ruins the whole bunch, right? What about 3-4 bad apples?

Time to Separate the Wheat from the Tares

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The phrase, “God helps those that help themselves”, is thrown around liberally without much thought put into the sentiment. In the last few days, I have been wrangling with this saying anything about this video. While I believe Chip is the only one who can potentially mitigate the damage done internally to the ECSO, he also disappoints me greatly. I know that he knows the story and still chose to make the following video:

What the actual fuck is all I could say. You know, sometimes people can’t get out of their own way. That is exactly what this video represents. Having said that, the only thing that can be done is to lay all the cards on the table. So let’s get to work separating the good from the bad, shall we?

Everyone, at some point, in life has to make a choice that defines them. This is the time for Chip. The biggest unkept secret in the ECSO is the citizenship status of Alejandra Duda. Some time ago, Sheriff Morgan was told about Ms. Duda being a citizen currently, but she came to the country illegally. Her parents used a relatives name and social security number to get her into school. Ms. Duda, married, divorced, bought property under the fraudulent social security number. She did so in a couple of states prior to becoming a citizen.

Deputy Ray Briggs did an investigation on this when it came up, years back. He took these finding including a video of Duda telling the tale of her illegal immigration to Sheriff Morgan. Briggs was told to bury it and after maintaining a copy of the investigation, Briggs did just that. This was the end of the issue, until other employees saw the Latina getting preferential treatment. The bigger office chair…..a new car.

Others have come to Chip to tell him of this situation. However, Chip claims that after talking to people, he was assured the feds simply merged the fraudulent social into the new legal social and all is good.

Now when I heard that, I busted out laughing. But I did ask people “in the know” who assured me this doesn’t work that way and it could be no further from the truth. ICE doesn’t merge illegal socials into legal ones. And the fact Chip is not looking any further should concern everyone.

He is now an accomplice and by releasing this video, puts himself in the position to be blown away. Enemies of his could easily detonate this bomb and there is no plausible deniability here. This woman has defrauded the United States. And Chip’s ignorance of the details, by his own choice, is not a legitimate defense. He knows this is wrong but he chooses to stick his head in the sand. This just confirms the Morgan legacy of lying and covering things up is going to continue.

Put this all on top of the rest of the things Chip has let slide.

No one was punished for the incomprehensible neglect of the Jadekiss case.

No one was punished for the destruction/tampering of evidence in the Manning Case.

Employees that are clearly sabotaging the agency and the community sit in comfortable chairs, drawing a salary. I know I’ve heard this will all take care of itself in January, but that is extremely naive to think that anyone will look at the what will be long past cases to review. But what Chip doesn’t understand is that the good people hanging on til January, see these other people who are NEVER held accountable. Hell, I’ll say it; if following the laws or rules is optional, why the hell is there a sheriff’s department?

As someone who sees both candidates for who they are, Escambia is screwed with either choice for sheriff. I am extremely underwhelmed by Chip.

Chip, as I have said MANY times, what is your stand? Let the criminal acts depicted in this video continue, in the hopes that one of your political enemies doesn’t take this particular case, you have flaunted in everyone’s faces, and run to ICE, DOJ or the FBI or are you going to do the right thing?

What’s it going to be?

ECSO: Haines Self-Demotes

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Chief Deputy Haines chose to self demote effective May 1st; he will be a lieutenant working in cyber crime.  Speculation is that he is seeking protection from PBA.  That seems terribly unlikely with all the acrimony Haines has caused. I am also hearing he has the ability to “back out” of such a deal, anytime prior to May 1st.

This was a result of Eric trying to somehow be a part of Chip Simmons’s campaign. Chip declined the offer. There was a push to get some assurance of Haines’s job security when Chip becomes Sheriff. Seems as if Chip planned to put him in a innocuous, non predatory position, if he was kept at all. This lack of future job security ostensibly rattled the poor bastard because he agreed to self-demote to lieutenant. .

Morgan is none too pleased about this failure of Chip’s to keep his “little buddy” on as the bully in charge within administration. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I totally believe Morgan is going to file to run again by the June deadline. I think his narcissism will not allow him to become irrelevant, which is what he will be without the Sheriff’s badge. Mark my words, Morgan cannot let go of the wheel. He will be claiming the citizens are begging him to run.

I did inquire about whether Haines will be getting a pay cut. I am told he will lose approximately $50K a year in the demotion, which will knock him down to a cool $100K a year.  Poor bastard will need to stop taking cruises now. But he is get his cruise on as he has been on 2 in the last month. The one he’s on now is with his pervert brother Scott. I guess they need a break from being evil.

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Catching Up on the Insanity

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I have been completely out of the loop the last couple of weeks. But I want to catch up on the absurdity of last two weeks. Beware, I cannot make this shit up.

  1. October 22 & 23, 2019- The Fair

I got a call around 8 am from Philip Nix, head of the security for Don Frenkel at the Pensacola Interstate Fair as well as a former ECSO involved in a lawsuit with them currently in state court. Phil was livid. He went on to explain that after he got home from the fair and was climbing into bed, a phone call came in from the lone security guard at the fair. The security guard said an ECSO was standing at the door to the money office and he was there to tell him that a 9-1-1 call came in from someone needing assistance at the fairgrounds. The deputy, acting under orders from his commanding officer, Sgt. Vestal, #118, was there to tell the security guard that the ECSO was not to respond to 9-1-1 calls from the fair.

Now let’s think this through. A deputy was there to say he would not respond to a location he was currently at right then. And that because of the animus between Sheriff Morgan and Don Frenkel would not help anyone who called 9-1-1 from that location. WOULD NOT HELP ANYONE WHO CALLED 9-1-1.

Phil was livid. He immediately called Chip Simmons, #2 in command at the ECSO. Chip denied knowing anything about this or any sort directive given to anyone to not respond to the fair. Chip said he’d look into the matter when he got to work.

During the next few hours, it came out that there were multiple calls that came in from someone at the fair prior to the deputy arriving just after 1 am. So now we have multiple calls coming in with the deputy responding to say he wouldn’t respond at least an hour later.  So I think the proof is in that timeline. Chip claimed that the problem was that there the perception that FDLE was working the fair. While this was true during while the fair was open but at night, no one but a security guard was there after hours as like many businesses in the county. To say that because there is private security, no law enforcement would respond to an emergency call, is not only terrifying to anyone but that isn’t the case for any other private business in the county. So that explanation doesn’t hold water. After receiving the call reports from the ECSO, the coding shows the calls were closed as deferring to another agency (even though no other agency was called). But the cherry on top of it all is this:

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It is clear Vestal did as he was directed; he was promoted 10 days later.

Moral of the Story: There is a lack of professionalism by the ECSO, especially when the county is sleeping, you’d better be prepared to handle your own emergencies if you are on the wrong side of David Morgan.

2. October 28, 2019

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The alarming part of this is that it took 18 minutes for the ECSO to respond. 18 MINUTES!! A minute must have seemed like a friggin’ year, but 18 minutes could have easily seen this entire family murdered. After looking into it, I am told that 13 minutes was the respond time per the ECSO records, but that is still ridiculous.

Moral of this story: If you call 9-1-1 and tell them a crazy person is threatening to kill you, you better be prepared to take matters into your own hands. ECSO won’t be there in time.

3. October 30, 2019

 

 

“Johnson states the suspects are from Escambia County.

He says crime from that county is spilling into Santa Rosa County.

According to Johnson, 670 people were arrested last year with Escambia County addresses.

So far this year, he says 705 have been arrested.”

After this Chorus Nylander spoke to Sheriff Morgan for a comment. The best part is the following:

Sheriff Johnson said Santa Rosa saw 670 arrests in 2018 of suspects that lived in Escambia County, this year before the year’s end the number is more than 700.

“I certainly didn’t take offense at Sheriff Johnson’s press conference I think he was outlining to folks a situation they are dealing with,” Sheriff Morgan said.

Sheriff Morgan said that crime spreading to neighboring counties is just a natural byproduct of how crime works and something his office can do little to prevent.

“It’s called the displacement theory and that theory is you never eliminate crime you kind of move it around but it pretty much stays there prostitution is a good example we focus on prostitution in Brownsville that moves on highway 29 we go on North 29 and it goes back to someplace else so we can’t throw a net obviously over crime and criminal activity as much as we’d like to contain it,” Morgan said.

This is perhaps one of the most preposterous comments Morgan has made in a LONG time. The displacement theory in criminology is a theory that says when law enforcement has been SO SUCCESSFUL, they have run crime out of one area; it must move because it cannot occur in the place it originated.  This theory has been disproved. The crime we are referring to here is street crime vs white collar crime. Street crime takes place in lower socio-economic areas.  When a successful law enforcement presence lowers crime in those areas, it doesn’t move to another area. People don’t have the means to move. Crime just dissipates.

I think we all know that crime isn’t getting better in Escambia County despite Haines’s skewed stats. It’s expanding and that is what is happening in Santa Rosa.

Moral of the Story: Don’t listen to a thing Morgan says. It doesn’t make sense.

 

Why Chip Simmons’s Fall from Grace Will Keep Him Out of Public Office

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As it has been predicted, the prophesy that Chief Deputy Simmons (aka Chipper) would be more of the same if elected to the office of Sheriff, has come to fruition. Several months ago, an employee outed an affair Chipper was involved in. She was disciplined for having an extramarital affair. Naturally, wanting the policies and rules to be evenly upheld, the employee believed it was wrong that she would be disciplined for an affair and Chief Simmons would not suffer any discipline for having an extramarital affair himself. There were ample details given to investigate this Chipper’s affair via a complaint made to the ECSO. This entire situation should have been investigated, especially since one of the possible victims of the extramarital affair is an employee at the ECSO and Chief Simmons is his boss.

Ultimately, two employees lost their jobs for having an affair. Neither employee was a part of the reported Chipper’s affair. The affair he had (or is having) was never investigated. The rules apparently don’t apply to Pensacola’s fair-haired boy. While the public once saw him as their favored and “honest” political personality, and he played the part by acting like such, he can no longer deny he is just as corrupt and as much of a hypocrite as Morgan or Haines.

The sad part is his conscience isn’t impeding his race for the top. Just imagine, knowing two employees were terminated, effectively ending their careers, for having an affair and you are doing the same thing without fall-out, should weigh heavy if you have any moral compass at all. Yet, with Chipper, not so much. He smiles and shakes hands with campaign donors while the people under him see him as minion of Morgan. As long as he abandons those he is supposed to lead (as he did when Haines held well earned raises over their heads) and stands by watching careers go down the drain for things he is guilty of while he basks in the sunlight, he doesn’t deserve the public trust just like the current administration doesn’t deserve the public respect and trust that was placed in them.

Let’s not forget there is a husband who calls Chipper his boss. This man must smile and grin, knowing that his boss is sleeping with his wife. That is twisted. That within itself is just not the stuff true leaders are made of.  Playing Devil’s advocate, if this is purely rumor wouldn’t any competent leader want to get to the truth in this matter?  However, it seems like, if an investigation were started, it would be documented that Chipper is an adulterer and has abused his power over the husband of his mistress and that is no good for political campaign.

Chipper wants to be the top law enforcement officer in our county. The citizens have the right to know if he is the person, he claims he is. He has worked diligently in his career to build a reputation in the public eye. Yet in almost 4 short years since he was hired, he has become as vile as the man that hired him. I, personally, would like to see some questions answered. I, personally, would like to see an appropriate investigation into this matter. I’d like to see him explain why an extramarital affair makes him worthy of being a Sheriff.

A true investigation would find Chipper involved in an extramarital affair and then there would be questions. He would have to answer why he watched two employees lose their careers because of something he was also doing without consequence. He would need to explain what makes him believe he should be Sheriff after lying about having an affair. I would want to know if he ever feels guilty for allowing himself to avoid responsibility for an act that cost others their career. Two people he knew well and worked with daily. People that he knew was aware of his inappropriate relationship if determined to be true.

One other question of great interest to the ECSO deputies is why he was exploiting his brother’s nepotism. Ken Simmons, Chipper’s brother, was promoted to a Captains position. There is not a career path for becoming a Captain. Historically it has been a political appointment. Morgan promoted Chipper’s brother when the statute is clearly being violated. None of the leadership at the ECSO stepped in and voiced concern for blatant law violations. (FSS 112. 3135) It would be difficult to argue Chipper had no input in the matter or for that matter, that it appears that Morgan was doing him a favor by promoting his brother over more competent candidates.

Neither issue is as concerning to the public as the deafening silence by Chipper, while he is able to make changes. If he is not actually allowed to rule against Haines, then he must be courageous enough to step away and fight to be elected. Taking a path of going along to get along is discouraging. That isn’t a new idea at the ECSO. That is an example of what is not needed. There have been several attempts to reach out to Simmons and beg for his leadership. He has ignored all the calls from employees to help the ECSO survive the failure of leadership. Tell me again why this is the person for the job of Sheriff?

Thoughts on the Recent Promotions from Inside the ECSO

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Recently promotions were made at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Congratulations to one that deserved the promotion. Sgt. Tom Kelly was promoted and now Is Lt. Kelly. This IS an actual promotion that should have happen and Lt. Kelly can perform at a level expected by the officers under his command. He will be an example of leadership and professionalism. Many officers will have a chance to observe real supervision, that has become folk lore at the ECSO, for the first time in their career.                    ‘

Now, let’s talk about another– Lt. Frank Forte was promoted to 1st Lt Forte. While Frank will brag as if he had the winning numbers to the Mega PowerBall about this promotion but it is truly lackluster when compared to the other promotions. In fact, anybody should be insulted if they are compared to Forte. He has performed every cut throat task with diligence second to none, except maybe Morgan.  He was passed over for promotion when those promoted had half the years of experience as he does and they were promoted to much higher positions. Because Frank lacks morals and integrity, he was promoted to a position that will allow him to be used. He will carry water for Haines and allow plausible deniability when Haines deploys one of his search and destroy missions. Add the fact that Frank is a documented liar and Haines has the perfect minion for his devious duty assignments. Frank is incompetent, dishonest, and vindictive. All the boxes are checked for what Haines expects from a person running Internal Affairs Investigations.

It could be also that Frank needed to be removed from any position that allowed further destruction of an already weak morale level of current employees. Frank has also been called out for offering rewards for law enforcement activity when assigned to a shift. His failed leadership style reduced him to paying, presumably from his own pocket, and what officers are already hired to do. A law enforcement leader should know that is improper and that process should alert those with decision making authority to look for a problem. A  quick glance would reveal Frank had to bribe officers with gifts to request an assignment to his command and he paid officers extra to simply do their job. This conduct does not have any characteristic of what one would consider a valuable leadership tool.

Now, to another individual that was promoted—Lt. Ken Simmons. He was elevated to the rank of captain. It appears he has begun to reap the rewards of a relative (Chip Simmons -Sheriff candidate and current Chief Deputy) being in high places. His career has been less than notable to this point. He has few qualities that separate him from the pack and a reputation that is less than honorable. No special training, education or accomplishment that would qualify him for advancement ahead of others except for having a brother as Chief Deputy. The obvious question would be if this is a nepotism violation. I believe the law concerning nepotism is clear and this will be a promotion that is reversed in time. Haines would know this but agreed to not fight it so he could avoid being blamed at a future time.

Moving along there are 3 sergeant position that were elevated to captain or above and a  deputy position elevated to captain. One would pause to wonder how you promote sergeants all of whom were inadequate for a lieutenant’s position to a staff position. That is a kick to the teeth of the good officers that earned their position on the list for lieutenants. I assume the message to the ones that took the time to study for a test and dedicate the time to do well is, don’t waste your time and become a member of staff. Apparently, staff is seeking known failures and skipping the process to discover the individuals promoted are failures. This idea of leadership is the reason the ECSO has evolved into an agency that is ineffective and embarrassing to the citizens it serves.

There will be more to report soon. The monster that is known as David Morgan will continue to allow the destruction of the ECSO by the hands of Haines. He will continue to claim victory when placing last and fail to build leaders tasked with protecting our county. If Chip continues to ignore these failures and associate himself with this failed administration, as he has consistently done since taking his oath, he will prove he is not the person we should support for our next law enforcement leader. Some may even believe he is just a continuation of Morgan. The rumors of infidelity could be true and Haines has the relevant information to control Chip. There are few facts to support Chip being worthy of election at this point. There are many facts to cause one to believe he is only an extension of the failed Morgan administration. A brother is promoted, failed first line supervisors brought into the administration, failure to be a leader when deputies’ rightful raises were being extorted, rumors of infidelity being leveraged against Chip, and Chip is silent all the way through it all. That adds up to incompetence or corruption. Chip should either speak up or step away from Morgan. Staying the course he is on, only indicates he is the wrong person for the job.

Anybody Got a Gaslight?

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The following ECSO Personnel Orders have been issued:

2018-369              PROMOTION – Effective 10/20/2018, Sergeant Thomas Michael Kelly, #082, to Lieutenant, new radio number #046, remain assigned Administration/Professional Standards/Training

2018-370              RANK DESIGNATION – Effective 10/20/2018, Lieutenant Frank Michael Forte, #024, to 1st Lieutenant, remain assigned Uniformed Services/NO/P4/F Shift

2018-371              PROMOTION – Effective 10/20/2018, 1st Lieutenant Darrell Scott Allday, #036, to Captain, new radio number #017, remain assigned Administration/Professional Standards

2018-372              PROMOTION – Effective 10/20/2018, 1st Lieutenant Kenneth Alan Simmons, #029, to Captain, new radio number #016, remain assigned Community Services/SRO

2018-373              RANK DESIGNATION – Effective 10/20/2018, Captain Mindy Marie Von Ansbach Young, #018, to Colonel, new radio number #009, remain assigned Community Services/Court Security

2018-374            RANK DESIGNATION – Effective 10/20/2018, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Eric Ross, #011, to Colonel, new radio number #008, remain assigned Investigations/Special Investigations

Danielle L Landrum, PHR, SHRM-CP, Human Resources Associate II

*Dawn Janes was also promoted from Sgt to Major, although not on this list. 

Now, this is just inflammatory to most deputies, but it is possibly the way Sir David may be using to manipulate his #2. Above there is one name in red, Kenneth Simmons, Chip Simmons’s younger brother. The problem with his promotion is a very strongly upheld and broadly defined anti-nepotism law in Florida which may obfuscate the horizon for Chip.

The law states:

A public official is prohibited from seeking for a relative any appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement in the agency in which he or she is serving or over which the official exercises jurisdiction or control. No person may be appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced in or to a position in an agency if such action has been advocated by a related public official who is serving in or exercising jurisdiction or control over the agency; this includes relatives of members of collegial government bodies. NOTE: This prohibition does not apply to school districts (except as provided in Sec. 1012.23, Fla. Stat.), community colleges and state universities, or to appointments of boards,other than those with land‐planning or zoning responsibilities, in municipalities of fewer than 35,000 residents. Also, the approval of budgets does not constitute “jurisdiction or control” for the purposes of this prohibition.

In the ECSO administration, it is POSSIBLE that Chip wasn’t behind this promotion for his brother, but the anti-nepotism law as it has been interpreted by the Ethics Commission and the Attorney General, really doesn’t take that into consideration. He merely must have been in a position to give input. Just the fact that someone has the potential to influence a promotion for a relative (deserved or not) is a violation of Florida law, in public agencies.

Now it is my suspicion is that Sir David will be running for Sheriff for 2020.  This is based on him not being able to go back to being John Q. Citizen. Without the power of the position, Morgan is just a common crook with no influence.  It simply isn’t possible for him to give up that addiction. For that reason, after backing Chip, it would appear that Chip’s extra-marital affairs and perhaps this nepotism issue with his brother are going to be used to leverage Chip out of the Sheriff position.

Because of the corruption in this area, if Morgan files his papers to run, he will win. His benefactors have him on the payroll and to break in a new Sheriff would be inconvenient. Morgan is already bought and paid for, why risk someone else stepping in that might clean up the corruption?  Personally, I don’t think Chip has the stones to do anything like that but he may be less controllable than Morgan.

Chip hasn’t even smelled the smoke, yet the house of cards under him is slowly burning away.

chip on fire