My small town PD drama once again; Chief gets fired..

[Hockey9019]

It was only a matter of time till this happened...stupid small town politics again...

Chief got hired at 45k a year, officers were paid $7.50.

Its not that low anymore after it hit the media and public...

Only a P/T department and if you have to call for help, you better pray, they are still on duty. If not its at least a 10-20 minute wait after the call gets dispatched.

Mostly new officers start here since its only p/t and no where else seems to hire



Basically, the main complaint originally was the chief was claiming benefits after he told the village he wouldn't need them when he retired from OPD...now its something different

Unfortunately, this is most likely going to disband the department once again...last time something almost identical happened..."You pulled my kid over blah blah blah" kinda deal

I really don't see the big deal...but of course..its small town again..

Chesaning officials fired their police chief, but now the chief is firing back -- with a lawsuit.
Chesaning officials on Aug. 6 gave police Chief Larry A. Arbogast 30 days -- until Sept. 6 -- to turn in his badge.

Village Council members cited "economics" for his dismissal, but Arbogast, 60, said the reason for his departure is his contract expired June 23 and village officials failed to renew it.

Arbogast is seeking $75,000 in damages for wrongful discharge in a suit filed in Saginaw County Circuit Court by Thomas R. Pabst of Flint. Arbogast's suit claims he had an altercation with council member and Treasurer Kenneth Valentine and got fired as a result.

Valentine said he has no issue if the law went after his son, Andy, with a warrant from Shiawassee County for back child support payments. His son lives in Brady Township, and the complainant, Andy Valentine's ex-wife, lives in St. Charles.

Village officials say Arbogast sent a Chesaning officer to arrest Andy Valentine at his home about 1 a.m. about a month ago and deliver him to the Shiawassee County line where a sheriff's deputy from that county met them after an estimated 90-minute wait. The deputy then transported Valentine to the Shiawassee County Jail in Corunna.

"An issue between a woman in St. Charles and a man in Brady Township is not the jurisdiction of the Chesaning police department," Valentine said.

Valentine said he went to talk to Arbogast about the matter, they exchanged words in the parking lot in the building that houses the village office and police department, and Arbogast ordered Valentine to leave the property.

Valentine left, saying he was upset.

"(Arbogast) kept arguing that it was a valid warrant, and I kept telling him I had no problem with that. My problem was that a Chesaning police officer in a Chesaning police car was going outside the village when they were under strict orders not to do that."

Councilman Donald Swartzmiller also expressed concern that a Chesaning officer was involved in the incident.

"We have said time and time again, the Chesaning police do not handle anything outside the village limits other than life-threatening emergencies or a call to assist another officer in need of help," Swartzmiller said.

Neither Arbogast nor Pabst returned phone calls from The Saginaw News.

Village officials recently named Chesaning Police Officer Stacey A. Varney of Saginaw as interim chief.

Arbogast took the top job with a salary of $41,000 at the newly formed Chesaning Police Department two years ago.

Chesaning hired the Saginaw County Sheriff's Department for police protection from 1994 until 2006, when members voted 4-3 to dissolve their contract and form a village force.

When Chesaning officials hired Arbogast in June 2006, he was a sergeant with the Owosso Police Department. He retired after 31 years there.

http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/new...f_files_s.html

Former Chesaning chief of police files lawsuit against village

By MICHAEL PETERSON Argus-Press Staff Writer
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Sunday, August 24, 2008 12:08 AM EDT

CHESANING - Former police Chief Larry Arbogast has filed a lawsuit against the village of Chesaning for $75,000.

The attorney representing Arbogast is Tom Pabst of Flint. The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 14.

At the Aug. 5 Chesaning Village Council meeting, officials voted unanimously to not renew Chesaning Police Department Chief Larry Arbogast's contract. He was given 30 days to give up his badge. He will serve as chief until Sept. 6. After that date, Chesaning Police Officer Stacey Varney will serve as interim chief.

Village officials claim that economics was the major reason he was let go, but Arbogast's suit claims he was wrongfully discharged.

About a month ago Arbogast sent an officer to Village Treasurer Kenneth Valentine's son to execute a warrant for back child support payments.

Valentine then came to the council and expressed his concern about the police department operating out of its jurisdiction, because his son lives in Brady Township.

“I came before the council as Ken Valentine, not the treasurer. At the podium I asked the council why this had happenned...My only question was why our car was out of the village,” Valentine said. “Our department was not supposed to go out of the area unless it was an emergency.”

Valentine stressed that the decision to not renew Arbogast's contract was not because of a personal vendetta. He added that as treasurer he did not have a vote on the decision.

“I'm not complaining that (it was my son). It was a legitimate arrest,” Valentine said. “I'm sure my portion had something to do with the decision, but there were other issues that led to not renewing his contract.”

The suit claims that Valentine “became irate when the non-support warrant was executed upon his son, and in fact accosted and assaulted Chief Arbogast over it.”

It also said that Arbogast is protected under the “Whistleblower's Protection Act.”

“(Letting Arbogast go) was done for economic reasons,” Village Manager Marlene Schultz said. “The council was under the impression that he would have his own medical insurance - being a retiree. He did not. So, consequently we had to put him on our Blue Cross Insurance, which we had not anticipated.”

Because Arbogast worked 40 hours a week, Schultz said the city still had to pay into his health insurance. Arbogast, 60, worked for the Owosso Police Department for 31 years, but was retired prior to taking the village chief position. The village council believed he had health insurance and retirement benefits through Owosso.

Arbogast was hired in June 2006 and given a two-year contract with a salary of $41,000 a year.

However, Schultz said Arbogast was unwilling to reduce his hours, consulted a lawyer and returned a proposal requesting a raise, more paid holidays and vacations, among other items.

Schultz said there were job performance issues also, but would not elaborate further.

Councilman Donald Swartzmiller said he was shocked that the incident had resulted in a lawsuit.

“We made the decision on many items, economics being the strongest one because it was costing us more than we anticipated,” Swartzmiller said. “We feel very badly that it had to come to this.”

Prior to 2006, the village had contracted with the Saginaw County Sheriff's Department for police coverage since 1994.

Arbogast denied to comment to the Argus-Press and his lawyer Pabst did not immediately return calls.

http://www.argus-press.com/articles/...news/news5.txt

Just another day in small town USA...

[normal1]

No offense to anyone in or affiliated with Michigan, but you guys are crazy.

carry on. :p

[ChesCopPodz]

Reason number 1 I'm glad I didn't stay in PA and work in a small town- small town politicians.