After receiving a number of complaints about how the Mono County Sheriff’s Office functions, we have spoken with Sheriff Rick Scholl. He responded to concerns raised about alleged bias in treatment of officers, about a current claim for damages by a deputy, and about a fired county worker investigation.
To the claim that there are two sets of rules within his department, Sheriff Scholl said, “I have always told my staff that no matter who we’re dealing with, we take the personality out of it. We deal fairly with all. Personal likes and dislikes are out.”
Sheriff Scholl said he and others “deal equitably with every situation.” He said time and time again, it has been proven that the department “has never dealt with anyone unfairly.”
What about Mono Deputy Jon Madrid who has filed a claim that alleges illegal and wrongful conduct by the Sheriff’s Department? Sheriff Scholl said he could not comment. He did say that Madrid filed an appeal, apparently about some type of disciplining. The Sheriff said it is “confidential in nature.” He cited government code that “protects the rights of police officers and prohibits comment.” Sheriff Scholl added, “I wish I could tell people the truth.”
On another subject, when asked about the perception of favors done for or by the upper echelon of the Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Scholl said, “Those employees are no longer here. There were some things people haven’t agreed with.”
The Sheriff pointed to last year’s Grand Jury report that he described as a “scathing” report on the boating enforcement officer. He said the Jury took one person’s word and never interviewed the most significant person. Scholl maintains that sometimes members of the public get “part of the story and react emotionally. I always say,” said Scholl, “take the personality out of it.”
The Sheriff also maintains that he believes if anyone, including the Grand Jury, came in and looked, “they would find any discipline fair and equitable.” He admitted that public criticism “goes with the territory.”
Another recent public issue was the Sheriff’s Office investigation of a reported physical fight involving two Public Works Department employees. Both men were fired, and one of those men – Dick Luman – has engaged in a public appeal hearing. During that hearing, some questioned why the Mono Sheriff’s Department had wrapped up an investigation and concluded that Luman was not the aggressor. Then, Mono County provided it’s insurance investigator’s report which included some different information. Why did the Sheriff’s Office re-open their investigation?
Sheriff Scholl said, “To me it is simple. The County’s report is part of the record. We have a risk manager, Rita Sherman. Any sort of issue comes to our attention, like details of work place harassment. An insurance company may get involved, and that’s what happened.”
The Sheriff said when his officers take a report, they do not all end up as a criminal case. He said if no one wants to prosecute, “it falls under mutual combat.” Sheriff Scholl did say there were discrepancies between his department’s investigation and the County insurance investigation. Said Scholl, “We want the whole story.” He said there was no cover up. “We have no vested interest to cover anything up.”
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Has anybody heard anything except “No comment” or answers that imply things? This sounds exactly like persons who are in “damage control” or have no idea of what they are doing or willing to accept any responsibility.
If there was evidence in the Luman/McCurry fight, why didn’t somebody go to jail or was charged with a criminal offense?
As for Madrid, why is he sitting in a chair for hours on end? Is this Hanoi Hilton? Sheriff Scholl…Is this how you manage/treat your personnel?
And you wonder?
Lots of anti-Scholl bile here. Yet somehow he managed to persuade Mono County citizens to elect him. Again. I guess most of the benighted voters in Mono don’t avail themselves of the wisdom of SierraWave posters.
1. No, I am not Rick Scholl.
2. No, I would not know Rick Scholl if I saw him at McDonald’s.
3. Yes, I believe in elections, democracy, and H.L. Mencken: “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”
Hmmm.
Maybe me take away Kemosabe’s fire-water.
Mr. Scholl was elected sheriff by the voters of Mono County and his first loyalty should lie with those voters. His experience in Law Enforcement appears limited from his resume but I certainly hope that he can assure the voters that the Department has acted in good faith in investigating the Luman/McCurry or Madrid matters. I have some questions that shouldn’t require a “no comment” response.
1. Did Sheriff Scholl have any contact with Ms. Sherman regarding the Luman/McCurry investigation?
2. Do you plan on seeking a third term?
2. Have you reviewed the investigations and concur with how the findings and how they were handled?
3. When an employee is subject to a potential criminal investigation which could result in termination, isn’t it customary to have a third party to complete or review the investigation?
4. Has the CHP, Fish & Game or Inyo County SO acted in this capacity?
5. Have there been any hostile workplace complaints against the Sheriff’s Department?
6. How many officers have resigned or left the department since his election?
Don’t ya love it when neocons play attorney?
Hmmm. Me see the masked man is on another rampage.
“The core ideology of conservatism stresses resistance to change and justification
of inequality and is motivated by needs that vary situationally and dispositionally to manage uncertainty and threat. Several psychological variables predict political conservatism: death anxiety; system instability; dogmatism–intolerance of ambiguity; openness to experience; uncertainty tolerance; needs for order, structure, and closure; integrative complexity; fear of threat and loss; and self-esteem”
. – From the American Psychological Association, report on conservative behavior, 2003.
Voters…its all in your hands next time to put someone at the helm that does’t see MCSD as a part time retirement job between fishing trips. Doug N, hope you run again!
All of these County & State minions Need to be Run out of town on a rail and Sooon! 🙂
I think some of them need to be run out, along with some others Kenny.
Sheriff Scholl said, “Those employees are no longer here. There were some things people haven’t agreed with.”
HMMMMM where did they go???? Did you get rid of them one by one or did they excile to save themsleves from your Hostile workplace?
Or I guess you can just keep your mouth shut when you see the criminal activites going on in your department and keep your job, but not your dignity!
After reading the article again, I think it’s important to say that I have yet to witness “equal treatment” of public servants. Not sure where this ‘public’ representative gets his information but i know inequality and injustice when I see it and now it’s in print too!
A bill that would have made it easier for women to sue for pay inequality was shot down by Senate Republicans Wednesday.
C’mon, everyone knows women don’t like nice paychecks. They’re only interested in salaries that are hard to get.
Men have the extra strength and lighter family responsibilities that make them more effective at tasks, such as typing up press releases.
It is doubtful that our most unhappy and hardcore anti-authority tea partiers today will ever be appeased with anything that is presented to them in a civil manner.
OH Yeah .. and An Observation .. hehe
I guess you can say we need a. Thorough cleaning of the Mono County Can! LOL
OMG .. Laugh My Freakin Ass Off .. all of these names, little scholl .. Scholl Bowl … Dr. Facts …. This is actually getting kinda hilariass to read. (Chuckling robustly)
Regardless of the departments internal issues calling the Sheriff names isn’t funny and it doesn’t sit well with me.
No Rob .. I don’t mean that aspect of it .. whether or not he is responsible for these things as people say is a different story .. It is all of the “monikers that people are using, and it t seems to be a few people using them .. or even just one person .. I was being sarcastic about it all.
Lol little Scholl ! To have a personality you must first have a brain! I guess he needs to see the wizard on the other side of the rainbow! But don’t look behind the curtain for he will find Obenberger twisting knobs and pulling the puppet strings!!
You don’t have to wait very long for yet another unhappy person to try and impress his fellow Tea Party pals with his very best Limbaugh or Coulter impression.
I’m sure they view this blog as their own private Bitter NeoCon Meeting Place.
I want to reassure every citizen from Mono County that I will take my personality out when answering any questions! It is important to have no personality, I don’t and therefore you all won’t either.
I thought public servants / law enforcement were hired based on their education and keen understanding of human rights. This is clearly a person operating with biased statements that clearly lack knowledge of state and Federal laws. Seems like something fell through the cracks in the HR department to have this person in a public service position speaking in riddles and answering every question with a “fair and equitable” disclaimer in place of intelligence. How often is this person at the station to know so little about their own department?
The Mono Sheriff and Bishops DA should get together. They would make a cute couple.
LOL .. isn’t that the honey mooners?
Wow. That’s a lot of words for not having actually said anything…it will be interesting to see if a federal judge thinks the discipline is “fair and equitable.”
Yep,,it’s a Good-Ol-Boy network up there in Bridgeport,,, eh Wayne?
I have never read such a crock in my life…. I love this comment!
Sheriff Scholl said he and others “deal equitably with every situation.” He said time and time again, it has been proven that the department “has never dealt with anyone unfairly”
What a joke…. he never deals with anything in fact he only goes into the office once every two weeks or so and he lets his administration run amock how ever they see fit. I bet you would be hard pressed to find any personnel issue that they have dealt with properly and fairly. They have no administrative skills and never follow any of their own policies, much less abide by the deputies POBAR rights. I think it is an abomination that he even mentions “protects the rights of police officers and prohibits comment.”
Sheriff Scholl you should be ashamed…. and you know it!
Be nice to the poor lad.. He is just trying to make a living and retire with a NICE BIG FAT
PUBLIC PENSION…payed for by the sheeple of this state
Gov. Gone Wild
Poor sheeple will never learn