Residents begin calling for an investigation into Menifee PD

By Doug Spoon, Editor

As allegations against the leadership of the Menifee Police Department turn from accusations of misconduct to those of actions that if proven to be true would be illegal, a growing number of residents are calling for a third-party investigation of the department.

There were no further statements from the City Manager’s office Thursday regarding the allegations this week in Menifee 24/7 news articles – reports based on a series of accounts given by a group of current and former officers now numbering 11. No such statements were expected, considering Police Chief Chris Karrer is on medical leave and City Public Information Officer Phil Southard is out of the office until Monday.

But someone controlling the City of Menifee – Police Department Facebook page elected to make a post acknowledging the news articles and saying, in part, “While the articles include negative claims, we want to reassure everyone that we are committed to the success of our employees and the safety of our community. Building on feedback we've received from our employees, we are strengthening our efforts to foster a positive and supportive work environment.”

Judging from comments on that post and others on the Menifee 24/7 Facebook page, residents want a lot more than that kind of response.

“Just my two cents, but to truly mean what you say in this statement, you need to hire a third-party administrator to come in and do an objective anonymous culture assessment survey of your staff. And then use those results to make changes as needed,” Scott Crabtree wrote in a comment that got 95 “likes”.

“If you actually had even a shred of integrity, you’d release the real survey results unedited, raw, and public for everyone to see,” wrote Alfred Ordiano in reference to an employee survey allegedly full of negative comments that city officials have refused to disclose. “How messed up the PD is. But why are we kidding ourselves? We all know the playbook: Bury the truth, silence the dissenters, and then roll out some shiny, manipulated data from the freshly minted ‘yes’ men you are going to get and installed in place of anyone with a spine.”

And this from Cory Moles Sr., commenting on a Menifee 24/7 Facebook post:

“An outside independent investigation sounds warranted relative to the many issues being voiced by current and former PD employees. Many statements are both shocking and concerning as well as unethical and contributory to an unhealthy hostile work environment. If the allegations are true, changes at MPD are warranted, including a cleansing of top leadership.”

Menifee 24/7 asked City Manager Armando Villa in an email on Wednesday if he planned to call for any sort of investigation of the claims. The statement released by PIO Southard did not address that question, with Villa instead focusing on general statements that did not deal with the controversy. And it should be noted that in the agenda for the upcoming June 4 City Council agenda released on Thursday, there is an item under “presentations” titled “Recognition of Menifee Police Department Officers.”

That was being described by former officers on Thursday as a futile attempt to put a positive spin on the department. Granted, those officers and others say that a large percentage of the officers are good people who are very good at their job. As Sarah Caskey wrote in an email to Menifee 24/7:

“As an independent contractor for the Menifee Police Department, I have had an incredible experience working alongside their chief and many of their officers. The article that was written does not reflect my experience and, in my view, lacks balance. It appears one-sided and fails to acknowledge the many positive aspects of the department.”

However, those officers interviewed who have or still are living through what they describe as a toxic environment say that only an investigation focusing on the few leaders accused of misconduct will improve the situation for all.

“From what I hear from officers there, the last three weeks have been like a fire that they don’t know how to put out,” said a former officer who still corresponds with both former and current officers. “They had an emergency meeting the other day and they all got yelled at by a lieutenant who said, “Don’t say anything to the media. You have nothing to say.”

According to another former officer who was told about the meeting, the lieutenant screamed, “Who’s leaking this?”

And while everyone waits to see whether an investigation will be launched, allegations of illegal activities by leaders were made by two former officers.

A former Menifee PD officer who asked to remain anonymous – we’ll call him Gerald –was on a call that was determined to be a suicide in late 2022. He said he searched the premises with other officers and walked out of the room, telling others there was “nothing suspicious.”

Gerald said when he walked back into the room, he saw a Menifee PD sergeant wrapping up several weapons he hadn’t seen before.

“Before, the gun safe was locked and secured,” Gerald said. “Now it’s open and the sergeant is going through the weapons. He said, ‘These are illegal firearms and we’re taking them.’ I asked, “Who unlocked that safe?’ He answered, ‘I did.’ He had found a key and unlocked the safe on his own.

“I looked around and said, ‘Does anybody else have a problem with this? You can’t remove those firearms.’ He said, ‘Just write something [in the report] including this too.’ I said, ‘I’m not doing that.’ Then the Coroner showed up and I left. I wanted no part of an unlawful search and seizure.”

Gerald said he reported the action to a superior, but “nothing ever happened.”

Then there is a video that circulated on social media and was sent to Menifee 24/7 by a resident, showing someone throwing a flashlight at a moving vehicle on a freeway in the dark of night. An anonymous source we’ll call Travis said that the person throwing the flashlight at moving vehicle was a Menifee PD sergeant who was standing next to a vehicle parked on the shoulder of the freeway.

“That specific person unfortunately is one that gives officers a bad name,” Travis said. “Apparently he did it out of anger due to a car that was passing too fast. Technically, he was breaking a law. The California Vehicle Code section 23110 prohibits throwing substances at vehicles or their occupants on the highway. It’s a misdemeanor.

“It was brought up to the captain and swept under the rug without any type of discipline. He is one of the officers in the ‘in group’ that don’t ever get in trouble.”

These are the kinds of allegations that are pouring in every day from sources within and outside the department. Again, it should be noted that all sources say there are many good people involved – both those who said they were driven out and others who “are stuck” at Menifee PD. And this is why both officers and residents are asking for an investigation into the department as soon as possible.