Police Activities League does not exist
Well, it's news to those who went to the Operation Phoenix grand opening last week. There, big posterboards with PAL headlines and pics of police and kids greeted the hundreds who came out, a clear insinuation that the league was up and running.
It's also news to those who listened to Chief Michael Billdt at the Nov. 19 Council meeting, when he touted PAL events already occurring and scheduled for the future.
Turns out, we have confirmed the league has no schedule, no budget, no leader and no board. No one has volunteered at the center - the officers who went were on paid duty. The PAL does not yet exist.
Here is a little piece of a story that should be forthcoming next week ...
SAN BERNARDINO — Nearly 10 months since the City Council allocated $75,000 and approved a site, an organized Police Activities League does not exist, an assistant police chief confirmed Friday.
For months, progress has been stalled by a lack of volunteers or any agreement on how volunteers will be protected if injured or sued while participating.
But police leaders and police union officials sounded an optimistic tone Friday that those and other divides will soon be bridged.
Assistant Police Chief Frank Mankin, speaking on behalf of Chief Michael Billdt - who was out of the office Friday - acknowledged that the league does not yet exist, but insisted its development was forthcoming.
“The building blocks have been put into place,” Mankin said, citing the existence of “several” officers who are willing to volunteer and saying an insurance plan has been created to cover officers against liability while volunteering to work with inner-city youth.
The concession that the league does not yet exist is a mild step back for the department, which in recent weeks drew uproar from some City Council members in announcing that the program had started operations in the Operation Phoenix Center on Sierra Way, not the Westside’s Delmann Heights Center, where the council on Feb. 20 directed Billdt to launch the program.
Billdt told the council Nov. 19 that PAL activities had begun at the Operation Phoenix Center weeks before.
“We had our first PAL program at the Operation Phoenix Center,” Billdt told the council Nov. 19, after Fourth Ward Councilman Neil Derry asked about the program’s progress.
“We’ll have another program next week,” Billdt added.
One week later, Lt. Scott Paterson, speaking on Billdt’s behalf, said the program had been launched at the center.
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Thats a shame.75,000 is a lot of money. Where did it go? If there isn't a budget and the money has been spent, but not allocated, isnt that a problem? Im really glad that oversight is now happening over the police Department.From the media ( You) to citizens calling the FBI.
Thank You Mr Rogers for uncovering this huge bit of truth.
So far we've seem embezellment in human resources and in the cemetary. Maybe this one should be looked at a little more carefully, too!
remember when Billdt said he had somebody in ready to launch the program back when the council gave him the money in Feburary??
This is no surprise. I spoke with several officers at one of the substations last week, and they didn't know anything about the PAL program at the Phoenix Center.
This is just another program that will fail and it's our kids that will be the losers....not the Police Chief, not the Mayor.
Until Billdt gets serious about working with the community, the officers will continue to follow his lead when dealing with our community.
Maybe Billdt's boss needs to get serious with him.
Gee, $75,000 for nothing, can I get this job?