EPD chief: ‘We will seek answers’
Steve Watson looks for path forward amid text message scandal
An independent, third-party investigation was launched into the Eureka Police Department last week following a damning article from the Sacramento Bee reporting scores of “violent, sexually explicit and demeaning messages” in a group chat between a squad of six Eureka police officers. The obscene messages focused on women, people experiencing homelessness, suspects of crime, protesters and Humboldt County Public Health, among others.
Reached by email on Monday afternoon, Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson said EPD is “committed to a thorough, complete, and sure investigation into this deeply disturbing incident” and is “taking all steps necessary to restore and preserve our community’s trust.”
“We will seek answers to not only what happened, but, just as importantly, to how we best move forward from here,” Watson said. “I personally share in the commu
nity’s distress and disappointment. My leadership team and I have worked very hard the last three to four years to ensure our officers have all of the training and support we can provide to ensure they are prepared to live up to the high standards our public rightly expects and that we expect. If there is more we can be doing, we want to do it and, we will do it.”
An anonymous source provided the Sacramento Bee with a series of photographs of group messages sent between the squad via cell phone “… offering only a snapshot of ongoing conversations spanning months.”
The article stated the messages were confined to six officers in a single squad and were “… primarily from (Sgt. Rodrigo) Reyna-Sanchez, the leader of the group, and another officer, Mark Meftah.” Both Reyna-Sanchez and Meftah were put on paid administrative last week.
The names of two other officers can be seen in the screenshots published by the Sacramento Bee, “EPD Cassidy” and “EPD Tall New Jones.” It remains unclear whether or not the investigation will focus on Reyna-Sanchez and Meftah or the squad as a whole.
More than 60 demonstrators gathered at the Humboldt County Courthouse on Friday evening, calling for the two officers to be fired. However, it’s not so simple.
“The Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act provides each police officer in the state of California with specific rights to ensure a fair and complete investigation prior to the issuance of any discipline,” Watson said. “Additionally, the penal code and evidence code prohibit the city from publicly discussing any police officer’s performance or discipline. Therefore it is the city’s policy and legal requirement not to comment regarding on-going investigations or identify officers who may be subject to disciplinary investigations.”
Like all public employees, Eureka police officers are entitled to due process rights regarding their employment.
“The city needs to respect the constitutional rights of all its employees, including any individuals who might have been involved in the text messages story first reported by the Sacramento Bee earlier this week,” Watson said. “I can tell you feelings of extreme disappointment extend across our whole department. But I also believe in the moral character and integrity of the vast majority of our officers who protect and serve Eureka every day with honor, sacrifice and dedication.”
The Eureka Police Officers’ Association joined Watson in condemning Reyna-Sanchez and Meftah’s actions. According to a statement from President Sgt. Terence Liles, “The Eureka Police Officers’ Association encourages a fair and prompt investigation into this matter.”
“The alleged statements in the article reflect extremely egregious behavior. They are abhorrent and do not reflect the character, integrity, or attitudes of the vast majority of police department employees. Nor do they reflect the seriousness, maturity, or professional attitude this difficult job demands,” the statement said. “The POA does not, and will not, condone violent, racist, sexist, or indifferent attitudes towards the community members we are sworn to protect and serve, or each other. As police officers, POA members understand that their ability to do their job depends on the support and respect of the community.”
Eureka Mayor Susan Seaman blasted the allegations in a statement released Friday, but declined to answer questions from the TimesStandard on Monday, pointing this reporter to the statement.
“There is no excuse for the demeaning, disrespectful content reported to have been included in those messages,” Seaman wrote in the statement.
“Public trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. People are angry, and they should be. I’m angry,” Seaman wrote. “…As Mayor, I feel it is critically important that I state clearly and unequivocally that the city does not condone this kind of behavior.”
Seaman acknowledged EPD’s efforts in increasing training on implicit bias, de-escalation techniques and community policing but added “… there is clearly still much work to be done.”
“As public servants, we owe it to our citizens to deliver real, measurable progress,” Seaman wrote.
The city hired an unbiased third party from outside the area to begin a formal investigation into the officers in question. Seaman said the city will not release the name of the investigator until the final report is complete.
“Our community wants answers quickly. I expect that, and you deserve that. Still, we also need the investigation to be thorough, not only to determine the most appropriate action involving each of the officers named but just as importantly, we must take the time to fully understand the depth of the cultural problems that could allow something like this to occur,” Seaman wrote. “When people talk about not trusting the police, they are often referring to a culture that they believe excuses behavior like that reported by the Sacramento Bee. While everyone is entitled to due process, let me be clear: we will not excuse bad behavior in our city.”
North Coast Assemblymember Jim Wood promised his constituents he will follow the investigation closely to ensure it is “transparent and appropriate to the serious nature of this behavior.”
“We put our trust in law enforcement to follow the law and enforce the law in a way that instills trust in our community. We should not have to rely on anonymous sources to reveal unacceptable and egregious behavior,” Wood said in a prepared statement last week. “I sincerely hope this does not reveal much deeper cultural issues within the police department and I am pleased that Chief Watson has taken immediate action this afternoon by opening an independent investigation and placing to the two officers in question on leave.”
When asked how he will hold EPD accountable for a thorough and transparent investigation, Wood told the Times-Standard, “I believe that Chief Watson understands the serious nature of this and that his promise to complete a thorough and independent investigation to be sincere. My Eureka staff and I will follow the investigation closely as it proceeds.”