Deputy sheriff not trying to be an a**hole

Should a certain deputy sheriff have his mouth washed out with soap? So thought an irate motorist who took his case to the county’s Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board this month.

“The complainant alleged that Deputy 1 stated to him, ‘I’m not trying to be an asshole,’ or used words to that effect, while citing him during a traffic stop,” according to the agenda of the board’s February 9 meeting. “Deputy 1 acknowledged making this comment, stating that he made the remark with a calm demeanor and even toned voice, attempting to diffuse [sic] the situation and to get the complainant to see that he was only doing his job in citing him for traffic violations.”

But the board’s staff wasn’t buying it, asserting that deputies must maintain a high degree of decorum. “Sheriff’s Policy 2.22, Courtesy, forbids the use of coarse, profane or violent language unless necessary to establish control during a violent or dangerous situation. Deputy 1 used prohibited language during a traffic stop that was under control and was neither violent nor dangerous. This conduct was in violation of sheriff’s policy and was not justified.”

It’s annual salary-setting time again at San Diego’s city hall.

This time, a member of the commission that suggests how much the council should up its own pay has wondered whether the advice could go in the other direction. In response to a question from Bob Ottilie regarding “any legal impediments to the Commission recommending a salary that is lower than the salary in the prior year’s [salary] ordinance,” chief deputy city attorney Priscilla Dugard concluded that there weren’t any.

However, she noted in a January 12 memo, “Any reduction proposed by the Commission would have to be legally supportable to be adopted by the Council. Principles that should be considered in the event of a recommended decrease include, among other things, whether current Council members have a contractually vested right to the compensation in effect when they took office.”