‘Sign and go away quietly’: Texts reveal details of chief resignation

It’s been more than a month since former Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista unexpectedly resigned, and there’s been no public explanation for his abrupt departure.

City officials announced Batista gave his notice of his intent to immediately leave the department to “pursue personal interests and other professional opportunities” on Nov. 4.

But a text message conversation between Batista and City Manager Chris Brady about the chief’s resignation implies there may be more to the story.

The Arizona Republic received the Nov. 4 text message exchange in response to a public records request. City officials initially denied the request, saying it was not subjected to public records laws because the conversation took place using Brady’s personal cell phone.

However, The Republic pointed to a 2017 legal opinion on public records law from Attorney General Mark Brnovich that stated communication on private devices that pertains to official government activity should be made public.

The city provided the texts to The Republic on Dec. 17.

‘Sign and go away quietly’

The exchange begins on the morning of Nov. 4. It’s clear from the conversation that Batista had previously discussed his departure with Brady, who is chiefly responsible for the hiring and firing of the police chief, or someone else.

Brady begins the conversation by sending Batista a draft of what will be Batista’s resignation letter. It’s common for cities to help craft resignation letters for those in executive positions.

Batista made a few changes to the letter, including striking the phrase “amazing department.” He also added an additional thank you for the opportunity to lead in the profession that he loves.

Brady then tells Batista that “the media” has already published a “misleading story” about his departure. He adds that the city is not responding to the story, but they should plan to release a statement as soon as possible.

Batista promises he’s reviewing the agreement and will “sign and go away quietly.”

“But I can’t do it unless this is fixed; Jackie omitted the most important part in the signed contract between us, the separation agreement clearly says my compensation would be 6 months salary,” Batista wrote.

“I appreciate the gun, badge and phone. But, without a job, that’s my safety net until I can get back on my feet,” Batista wrote.

Brady promises to include the severance pay in the draft.

Batista ultimately walked away from the deal with nearly $90,000 — and agreed not to discuss it.

Brady and Batista go back and forth in the text messages about the finalizing of the agreement. The text exchange ends after Batista questions when Brady needs him to sign and — “most importantly” — when he will receive the direct deposit.

A controversial history

Batista was the third chief to lead the department in the past nine years. He served as Tucson’s assistant chief before he was appointed Mesa police chief in July 2017.

He started the job shortly before the high-profile murder trial of Philip “Mitch” Brailsford, a former Mesa police officer acquitted of killing an unarmed man in 2016.

A Maricopa County jury found Brailsford not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting of 26-yearold Daniel Shaver, who was unarmed and on his knees begging for his life when the officer shot him five times in the hallway of a Mesa hotel.

Batista quickly went about making changes aimed at shifting the culture within the department and rebuilding trust with the community. During his tenure, city officials said the department made significant changes in training, especially in use-of-force instruction and de-escalation techniques.

The city also saw its lowest violent crime rates ever reported since tracking began in the 1970s.

However, multiple officers previously told The Republic their support of Batista wavered after he publicly condemned multiple Mesa officers involved in two use-of-force incidents.

One video showed officers kneeing and punching an unarmed man repeatedly. In the other, two officers were seen roughing up a 15-year-old armed-robbery suspect after the boy was handcuffed.

Batista called the actions unacceptable and pledged change during a news conference last June. The comments were made before Scottsdale police investigated the cases and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office ultimately decided not to file any charges against the officers involved.

The two unions cast a no confidence vote against Batista in June, citing low morale and a toxic work environment.

Brady stood by Batista at the time, telling The Republic his confidence in Batista was unmoved by the union vote. But he also said it was clear the city “has work to do” in engaging employees “about how we can work on things at the police department.”

Brady told The Republic the chief ’s decision to leave the department was initiated by Batista and motivated entirely by Batista’s desire to focus on his family and other pursuits.

Brady said the union’s vote of no confidence did not play into the resignation.

Batista has yet to publicly comment on his resignation — nor can he, given the fact that the settlement agreement requires to him to keep all negotiations leading up to the agreement and the agreement itself confidential.