POLICE LIEUTENANTS NICHELINI, ROBINSON FIRED
Lawyer confirms termination
Two Vallejo police lieutenants have been fired and another was recommended for a suspension, attorney Mike Rains confirmed with the Times-Herald on Friday.
Michael Nichelini, president of the Vallejo Police Officers Association, received a letter from the city March 31 “advising that he was being terminated effective that date,” Rains said.
Lt. Herm Robinson’s firing, first reported by the Bay Area News Group, was also confirmed as of April 1, said Rains, adding that “we have filed immediate appeals from both individuals and are requesting arbitration.”
Nichelini and Robinson have both been on paid administrative leave, as has Lt. Fabio Rodriguez, who was recommended for a suspension for his part in replacing the windshield of the police vehicle used in the shooting of Sean Monterrosa on June 2.
Rains represents Nichelini and Robinson. Julia Fox, an attorney in Rains’ office, represents Robinson.
Rains said that he’s “never been more confident in my life that both will be reinstated because both of these terminations are a joke. They are farces and they are a travesty. Both of them.”
A source of the Times-Herald said they believe that a lawsuit filed March 9 against the city on behalf of the VPOA and Nichelini for $7.5 million will be increased to $10 million because of “wrongful termination.”
The source added that Nichelini was cleared of any wrong-doing in the windshield case and Rains said all actions taken against Nichelini “are solely because of his union activities.”
Contacted late Friday afternoon, Nichelini deferred questions to his attorney..
Though Fox represents Robinson, Rains said he’s fully aware of the case and reasons for firing the veteran lieutenant “are ludicrous and pathetic.”
“I really think Herman is being railroaded and I think it’s a betrayal of Vallejo’s native son. This is not a justified termination,” Fox said.
VPD public information officer Brittany K. Jackson emailed the Times-Herald that Police Chief Shawny Williams couldn’t comment on the disciplinary action “pursuant to Code Section 832.7(a) and government code 6254(c).”
“The Vallejo Police Dept. is unable to provide any information related to personnel matters as such matters are confidential,” Jackson said.
The 69-year-old Robinson, the VPD’s “Officer of the Year” in 2019, was terminated because of his age, Rains claimed.
“They certainly wanted him to retire,” said Rains.
“He’s had a long and successful career and he loves being part of the fabric of that department,” Rains said, believing Robinson was fired “because he has rebuffed efforts to get him to retire.”
Robinson was believed to be accused of “disseminating information that they didn’t want him to disseminate,” Fox said.
Two former of Robinson’s former colleagues stood by his character and work ethic.
“I can’t help seeing this as a way to get rid of him because he won’t retire,” said retired Sgt. Larry Rogers. “Because other people think that he should retire should not mean anything if he wants to continue working. It is hard for me to see what he could have done anything that it would justify termination. He has no disciplinary history that I know of. What terrible act would get him fired with 48-plus years of service with no progressive disciplinary history.”
A retired Vallejo officer re
questing anonymity said he worked many patrol shifts with Robinson said he was “a leader and a mentor. He was always there for the police department and citizens. I don’t know the circumstances he is facing now but I can’t imagine anything he would do to be fired. he has too much respect for his job and people around him.”
Robinson’s father was the late Alfred Robinson, Vallejo’s first Black officer in 1948.
Rodriguez, on administration leave since midJuly, was accused of participating in the destruction of alleged evidence — the windshield of the police vehicle, which, said Rains, “had absolutely no evidentiary value; that was agreed upon by the investigator.”
Rains said the windshield had already been photographed and videotaped and Rodriguez approved of its replaced to get the police vehicle back on the streets.
The city was aware of the windshield being replaced, since it approved of the funding, Rains said.
“This is a city run amok,” Rains said.