Complaint leads to immediate exile of sergeant from patrol to jail night shift
There are two sides to this story and the truth will lie somewhere in between. But the patrol sergeant’s immediate transfer to the jail night shift without any due process is quite bothersome to me.
DALLAS POLICE SERGEANT TRNSFERRED OVER CHICK-FIL-A INCIDENT
By Tanya Eiserer
The Dallas Morning News
August 8, 2012
A Dallas police sergeant has been temporarily transferred to the jail after two lesbian female officers complained that he brought a Chick-Fil-A bag sandwich to work and made inappropriate comments last Wednesday on national Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.
Sgt. Mark Johnson, a 12-year-veteran of the force, will be assigned to the jail, pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.
“I’ve heard two sides of the story, so I will let the investigation play out,” said Assistant Chief Michael Genovesi, who supervises the city’s seven patrol station. “Clearly there was some conversation between he and a couple of subordinates regarding Chick-Fil-A.”
Dallas Police Association President Ron Pinkston said his association was upset at Johnson’s sudden transfer.
“We feel the department is taking sides and punishing the sergeant and transferring him to deep nights at the jail without any due process,” Pinkston. He said Johnson denies having said or done anything inappropriate.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of Aug. 1, the day when droves of people went to eat at the restaurant after radio host and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called for a national Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Huckabee called for the president of the restaurant chain faced criticism for taking a vocal stand against gay marriage.
Johnson and the two female officers had arrived at the southeast patrol station to work an evening shift, and were in “the detail room,” which is where officers gather to hear announcements from supervisors before going out on patrol.
All sides agree that Johnson brought a Chick-Fil-A bag sandwich to work, and that there was some discussion about the restaurant chain. The content of that discussion is disputed.
The two female officers told supervisors that Johnson set a Chick-fil-A bag in front of them and said something about having eaten at the restaurant that day. The officers told supervisors that they felt Johnson was trying to send them a message.
Pinkston said Johnson told him the women approached him and he denies putting the bag anything in front of them.
On that particular day, Genovesi had sent out an announcement that was to be read at all of the detail meetings regarding the ”Kiss Mor Chiks,” protest that was to occur two days later. That protest involved people showing up to Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country and kissing each other.
The announcement, which Johnson read, reminded officers to stay out of the fray and only act if there was a need to protect public safety or to enforce criminal trespass laws.
The two female officers, already offended by the conversation prior to the detail, left the the detail meeting early. They told supervisors that he was looking at them as he read the announcement.
Within hours, Johnson was transferred to the jail while officials investigate the incident.
1 comment:
Aren't you supposed to make eye contact with your audience when delivering information? That particular part of this beef sounds very much like, "Mommy, Johny's looking at me!!!!!!!!"
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