The same should be done for our other major story - The ongoing allegations against San Bernardino Police Sgt. Bradley Lawrence.

On its face, this story is about Sgt. Lawrence allegedly flouting some standard police rules in apprehending suspected drug dealers.

But the implications are far more important. In their totality, the allegations against Lawrence (some of which are coming from within the department itself) suggest the possibility that officers have violated fundamental Constitutional principals, namely the 4th Amendment, and may have done so with impunity within the departmental hierarchy.

An investigation is ongoing. But as much as some public officials may prefer a completely secretive process, that is not good enough, not when the internal investigational apparatus itself has been called into question (read below for explanation).

The free press has brought a great many details to light, and that has unquestionably benefitted the public's understanding.
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A RECAP:

The Press Enterprise first broke the news on July 17. In a lengthy article buttressed with documents and taped conversations, allegations first came to light that Sgt. Lawrence led his narcotics team in disregarding the Constitution by unlawfully detaining and transporting people while pursuing evidence:

The article, and the things Lawrence said in a taped conversation, shocked many. It demonstrated that the allegations had been pushed up the chain of command, but no action had apparently been taken. It also opened the gates for my article, which my editors had been holding (yes, we do show restraint here at The Sun) until I could substantiate more evidence:

SAN BERNARDINO - A San Bernardino police sergeant has accused a narcotics team supervisor of illegally arresting two men without citing their crime, a violation of state and constitutional law.

"Yeah, I'll tell him. I'll figure something else out then," Lawrence answers. He hangs up.
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The next day, July 18, I run with my first article on the brewing controversy:

SAN BERNARDINO - A police sergeant says a colleague has a practice of scooping people off the streets and detaining them without arresting them, charging them or booking them while probing for evidence to bring charges.

"No comment, please don't call again," Lawrence said before hanging up.

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All stayed quiet until Aug. 1. That's when a bail hearing for the suspects drew Sgt. Lawrence and his accuser, Sgt. Desrochers, onto the stand to contradict one another under oath:

This day would also mark the first time that another allegation of the same abuse by Lawrence would emerge, this time from the attorney of a Rialto resident who said his client was "iced" in September 2007. The Sun has a booking log that ostensibly substantiates his claim.

FROM PE: At an explosive Friday hearing, San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge John Martin said he expects several attorneys to address in August whether Sgt. Bradley Lawrence illegally detained two gang suspects, then connected to an ongoing investigation, at a July 2 traffic stop.

Alexander and Mackson were detained during a traffic stop without any charges, prior to the search of the apartment, the defense alleges.
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On Aug. 8, things changed. Suddenly, Lawrence was placed on paid leave. Police leaders offered no explanation. Our investigations revealed that Lawrence, who had been allowed to continue working after Desrochers' allegations, was slapped with another complaint from another person, this one alleging misconduct during a raid on a local motel:

SAN BERNARDINO - Police administrators confirmed Friday that embattled Sgt. Bradley Lawrence, who faces allegations of unlawfully detaining suspects, has been placed on paid administrative leave.

The move represents an abrupt shift for the department. Lawrence had continued to work since July 2, when Sgt. Michael Desrochers first alleged that Lawrence may have illegally detained two suspects while securing a search warrant as part of a raid at a San Bernardino apartment complex.

***
The misconduct allegations are not the first for Lawrence, who was accused of tying a youth to his patrol car and threatening to drag him in 1989.

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It was three days later, Aug. 11, when we really nailed down the reason for Lawrence's leave. By this point, Police Chief Michael Billdt and Assistant Chief Walt Goggin were almost completely mum.

SAN BERNARDINO - Already dogged by a fellow officer's accusations of misconduct last month, fresh allegations leveled by another officer against Sgt. Bradley Lawrence last week led to his being placed on paid leave on Thursday.

Asked if he shared that opinion, Penman said, "I don't know all of the information on which the police chief based his decision."
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On Aug. 12, we're back in court:

With the flow of information and news reports constantly adding to the facts of the case, lawyers and Judge John Martin indicated information swirling around Lawrence would work its way into court.

"When the Police Department concludes their internal investigation, then we'll know more," Hoffman said.

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Aug. 13, we report drug charges against one of seven suspects Lawrence helped arrest will be dropped. DA's office later tells me that the charges being dropped had nothing to do with allegations against Lawrence:

Citing insufficient evidence, Deputy District Attorney James Hoffman came to San Bernardino Superior Court on Wednesday and asked to have drug charges against 29-year-old Donald Joseph Mackson dropped.

"This is the only way I can get the information I need," said defense attorney Sean O'Connor, who represents Frederick Edward Williams, 29.

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Aug. 15, a real bombshell article. This time, we reveal that another officer, Sgt. Steve Lowes, was placed on leave in mid-July, weeks before Lawrence. Lowes, sources say, was put on leave for confronting a member of Lawrence's team and imploring him to come forward with what he knows.

By this point, the Police Department has completely sealed off. Whereas before, Goggin and Billdt openly confirmed Lawrence was on leave, they now refuse to confirm or deny their putting Lowes on leave. This represents a clear shift:

SAN BERNARDINO - Police Chief Michael Billdt has placed two sergeants on paid administrative leave over the past month, according to police officials and sources inside the Police Department.

"We have some problems with perceptions. ... It appears there is a double standard," Lawhead said. "That's the perception throughout the organization."

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And now, on Aug. 19, we report more fully another attorney's claims that Lawrence violated his client's rights in a separate incident. The attorney says Lawrence committed felonies, and therefore an external investigation is warranted. He calls on DA and FBI:

Billdt declined comment because the case is a personnel matter.

"Unfortunately, it appears that this conduct of Sgt. Lawrence is not an isolated incident. Apparently, he and some of your other officers have made this kind of conduct practice," Smith wrote.

So there is the brief history.

Now, I must briefly focus on something else. It is apparent to any astute reader that the Police Department's leaders have shifted their strategy in discussing this. It basically went from very little, to nothing, in terms of what they'll tell the public.

At first, Goggin confirms Lawrence is on leave and provides the date, but nothing else. Days later, Paterson, Goggin and Billdt refuse to confirm Lowes is on leave at all, much less provide the date.

Now something else. We have asked Lt. Scott Paterson, the department spokesman, repeatedly to provide the month and year on which Sgt. Bradley Lawrence began working for the department.

He has not provided it, and gives no indication he will.

This is a troubling sign. It is difficult, to put it mildly, to justify witholding a piece of information as theoretically transparent as when a public servant began earning a taxpayer-funded paycheck. But that is where we are.

Obviously, not divulging when a government worker began employment is angling toward the extreme side of secrecy.

As the readers, you can decide for yourseves how to think about this issue. I thought it important at this point to draw together the highlights of what has occurred with this important case.

As for the last part, where I report that the department is unwilling for the time being to divulge when Lawrence began employment, I think that is important for you to know.

Heck, my job is to tell you what I know. Glad to do it.

Elliott is sueing the union.

On Monday, Judge Wade rejected most of the bank's moves to dismiss Elliott's case. Elliott's attorney, Greta Curtis, told me Monday night that her client's case is solidified by the judge's ruling and that she expects the bank will look to settle out of court.

This represents the second separate case in which defense attorneys are hinging their client's prospects in part on allegations of misconduct by Sgt. Lawrence.

Click below to get the full ...

"As far as the information, the D.A. has it all," Derry said.

"These are computers that were utilized by the kids, and the Sheriff's crime lab forensic unit has removed the hard drives on them," he said.

For now, I'll say that local attorney Gary Wenkle Smith wrote a letter on behalf of his client with some jaw-dropping allegations.

Smith says his client, Greg Parker, was illegally detained by Sgt. Bradley Lawrence on Sept. 18, 2007. He further alleges that Lawrence engaged in felony acts, including burglary, as he alleges that Parker's Rialto home was searched without warrant, cause or permission.

His letter was addressed to Police Chief Michael Billdt and the FBI's Riverside field office.

The District Attorney's office confirmed moments ago they received the letter.

Click on the 4-page statement here: gws_2_chief_bildt_re_crimes_of_lawrence_et_al_08_13_08.doc

Or read the letter by clicking below:

Although the council has (for now) approved several budget cuts to eliminate a $17.3 million deficit, the body did not approve the formal budget resolution that's needed to enact the spending plan.

To analyze the merits of what is happening, you need to brush up on the history.

This is it. The definitive.
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On July 3, as we all know, Mike Miller was arrested on suspicion of child molestation.

While police had been investigating since the previous day, they remained tight-lipped in the hours before Miller's arrest:

At 1 p.m., about 20 minutes before Miller's arrest, Lt. Scott Paterson, a police spokesman, said, "We're looking into some issues of concern, and that's all we have right now, period."

At 3:33 p.m., Paterson sent reporters a news release confirming Miller's arrest.

Later that same evening, Mayor Pat Morris was interviewed by telephone:

Morris said it would be "politics in the extreme" for other officials to use Miller's arrest as an incitement to wrangle over the fate of Operation Phoenix.

"This is not some kind of a contagion. This is not some kind of cancer," Morris said.

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And so it stood. for four days. Then, on July 7, investigative work by myself and colleague Andrew Edwards resulted in an scoop that revealed that Miller and other Parks and Recreation and Operation Phoenix staffers had engaged in other misconduct, including BB gun play and unauthorized rides for children in personal cars, over preceding months. The report also showed for the first time how a bifurcated management structure may have blurred accountability and oversight:

Phoenix staffers, led by the manager now accused of child molestation, waged BB gun battles with employees from another community center, according to multiple sources

Morris' chief of staff, Jim Morris, disagreed, acknowledging the query into the BB gun play at the centers but maintaining that officials have moved swiftly to address the problem.

"We have a relatively new parks director who is having to deal with some personnel issues in his department," Jim Morris said. "We believe he is doing his job appropriately, and he is swiftly taking appropriate steps to address the problem."
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The next day, July 8, we further explored the concept of blurry command structures and how that may have contributed to a problem not confined to one employee:

SAN BERNARDINO - A cloudy chain of command at the city's three Operation Phoenix community centers made it difficult to tell who was in charge, officials outside the Mayor's Office said.

"Mike was operating in the shadows," Hawkins said.
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On July 9, after days of silence, Baude spoke out publicly:

On Wednesday, Baude broke his silence. He said Miller was not his employee, and was tapped for the job by former Recreation Director Lemuel Randolph.

"If you want to point the finger at somebody, the person to point at is Mike Miller, the guy who (allegedly) did the crime." Baude said. "But you can also point it at the council."
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On July 10, we broke the story that Miller, an ameteur photographer who often worked as a city photog during council meetings, took images of his alleged victims. At the time, there was no mention by anyone of possible photos of other misconduct last year, although we now know that photos of a nude woman at the Rudy G. Hernandez Center were discovered on Miller's camera by police:

The report says Miller snapped photographs of a 7-year-old alleged victim and shot video of another alleged victim.

Deputy District Attorney Lynn Poncin said she could not comment on whether video or photographic evidence would be introduced in the case.
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On July 12, we publish a lengthy article documenting the deterioration of the Parks and Recreation Department which was tasked with staffing Morris' anti-crime program:

The San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department - now charged with administering the city's three Operation Phoenix centers - has had its funding stagnate since 1991.

The mayor himself published an op-ed piece in The Sun that acknowledged "serious performance, accountability and management issues within our Parks & Recreation Department that must be addressed swiftly and effectively."
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On July 17, our investigative work sheds new light on the Phoenix debacle. In a story that would trigger a DA investigation, we reported an e-mail exhange between top Phoenix officials discussing possible sexual misconduct by Miller four days before he was reported to police - by a county official:

The e-mails obtained through a public records request show that on Friday, June 27, Hawkins alerted Baude that a group of city staffers planned to report Miller's alleged sexual misconduct to authorities.

"I will not use the word that comes to mind," Baude wrote. "We probably need to talk because if he is now mine I believe there should be some level of discipline for the BB incident, possible sexual involvement I have heard nothing about but it should be investigated. Let's meet."
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On July 18, the Mayor moves to remove Baude from Phoenix, replacing him with Kent Paxton. The mayor also indicates that the e-mail exchanges were unknown by him prior to The Sun's reports.

SAN BERNARDINO - Mayor Pat Morris announced Friday that Kent Paxton, one of his top aides, has taken over Operation Phoenix.

The mayor said he was deeply upset when he saw the e-mails on Thursday.

"You think I slept last night? Not at all," Morris said.
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On July 20, we break another big story. This one may be the biggest. In documents we obtain from secret sources and publicize, it is demonstrated that Mike Miller enjoyed a lengthy period of unpunished misconduct before he was arrested for alleged molestation:

SAN BERNARDINO - Community center manager Mike Miller was involved in multiple cases of serious on-the-job misconduct in the months before he was arrested on suspicion of child molestation, a document shows.

The note concludes that Miller displayed "total disregard for department and city policy" and deserved to be fired.

March 14: Miller admits "to concealing evidence of a staff member submitting falsified injury and incident reports as well as his personal involvement with shooting BB guns at staff at both the Phoenix Center Central and the Hernandez Center" for about three months.

On May 21, Baude wrote to Hawkins in an e-mail that he was willing to take Miller under his charge immediately.
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One day later, on July 21, the mayor's office re-addresses the situation:

SAN BERNARDINO - Before he was jailed on more than 20 charges of child molestation, Operation Phoenix center manager Mike Miller had a four-month string of misconduct that went unnoticed by the mayor's office.

Morris' statement showed a clear shift in outlook. On July 3, the day of Miller's arrest, the mayor said there was "no cancer" afflicting Operation Phoenix.
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On July 25, we report that the DA's office will not press charges against Phoenix leaders:

SAN BERNARDINO - Prosecutors will not file charges against four city officials who knew of rumors that Operation Phoenix community center manager Mike Miller had sexual contact with a minor before police were alerted to Miller's alleged crimes. Authorities determined the four officials knew only rumors, not concrete information, that could lead them to reasonably suspect Miller was abusing children.
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On July 28, we report that Baude is put on leave, the first Phoenix official to face such sanction. City leaders don't say why. Baude's attorney later says it was in retaliation for his speaking to the media:

SAN BERNARDINO - Former Operation Phoenix director Glenn Baude was placed on paid administrative leave from his job as code-enforcement director Friday. City Manager Fred Wilson made the decision, saying Baude was removed from daily duties because of recent conduct."It's for a number of issues over the past couple weeks," Wilson said.
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On July 29, we report that Fred Wilson "misspoke" to DA's investigators and knew of some of the misconduct Miller was allegedly involved in months before his arrest:

SAN BERNARDINO - Confronted with inconsistencies in his account, City Manager Fred Wilson on Monday said he inadvertently gave untrue statements to district attorney's investigators and the press. Wilson also acknowledged that he knew of BB-gun battles involving Operation Phoenix Center staff members months before The Sun's reports making the incidents public.
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On July 30, we report that Wilson will leave his job for a similar post in Huntington Beach:

SAN BERNARDINO - City Manager Fred Wilson has announced he is accepting the position of city administrator in Huntington Beach
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On Aug. 15, our investigative work drops another bombshell. This time, we report that Miller took pictures in mid-2007 of other parks and rec employees and a nude, posing woman at a recreation center during off-hours. We also show that the investigation into whether the woman, said to be in her early 20s, was in fact an adult, did not result in a definitive answer for more than five weeks. Police officials decline to explain the delay.

Others, including a councilman, make the incredible statements that rumors are swirling that the investigation into Miller's other actions was stalled, possibly in an effort to mute political backlash:

SAN BERNARDINO - Accused molester Michael Miller shot nude photos of at least one woman at a city youth center while others watched, a former Operation Phoenix staffer said.

At that interrogation, Allen said, he provided proof the women in the photographs were over 18.

Derry went further, saying he has been concerned that the investigation was deliberately stalled.

"I was told internally by people in the Police Department that they were ordered not to investigate (the photos)," Derry said. "But I understand that there is still an ongoing and open investigation at this point."

Derry and sources in the Police Department have speculated that the investigation was slowed to avoid further embarrassment surrounding Miller, whose arrest rocked City Hall.

"That is absolutely balderdash," Paterson said. "Our investigation is not bound by political bantering."

And so, forgive my protracted recitation. But this is crucial. This is the firm, unadulterated history of this thing.

Now, of course, the latest news is that a subpoena was rebuffed by the council and the mayor reiterates that the investigation is under control and should proceed internally.

When judging whether that is a good idea, or whether an internal - and by its very nature rather secretive - inquiry into this situation is prudent, you need to know this history.

The history is provided right here. What should the next step be?

You decide.

The council rejected Estrada's idea by a 5-2 vote.

The statement follows below:

My sources are saying it's going to be close. Estrada can almost surely count on Wendy McCammack, but the other five votes are up in the air.

Estrada would need to five to override a presumed veto from Mayor Pat Morris.

My colleague Andrew Edwards will be there, and will provide the news here as soon as it breaks.

Why reproduce this little pearl from Chekhov, not only a great writer but a profound humanist as well?

Because one question I (and other journalists) face rather often is "why do you write about negative stuff so much, what about all the positive things going on?"

First I point out that much of what we do here at The Sun is feature positive happenings in our communities. That is important.

But even more important is for a free and vigorous press to tirelessly expose and articulate the not-so-good, the transgressions that are a part of our reality and demand attention. It is only through keen attention to darker impulses and grim events that we vouchsafe ourselves the opportunity to make a better tomorrow.

That's a little sappy. But hey, Chekhov was really sentimental too.

SAN BERNARDINO -- First Ward Councilwoman Esther Estrada says she's not getting the full story on Operation Phoenix and wants to exercise the City Council's rarely-used subpoena powers to extract that information.

Click below for full, late-breaking story ...

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