Villa says there are 'internal investigations' into Menifee PD

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The City Manager of Menifee said this weekend that city staff “reviews all complaints and takes these matters very seriously,” but added that “there is currently not a department-wide investigation” into published allegations of misconduct by Menifee Police Department leadership.

“I can confirm that there are active internal investigations in process on specific claims through the City’s Human Resources Department, but the details of those remain confidential as they are related to personnel matters," Armando Villa said. "If the results of these investigations show that further review of the department’s operations is required, the City will take additional steps at that time.”

Villa’s latest statement on Friday followed questions emailed by a reporter to members of the City Council, asking whether a third-party investigation would be launched and if so, whether it would be similar to the one in the fall of 2023, when Villa was placed on administrative leave for four months. The City Council has authority over Villa, who in turn has authority over Menifee PD.

In October 2023, the City Council voted 3-2 to place Villa on leave during an investigation that was conducted by a representative of the California Intergovernmental Risk Authority – defined on its website as “a statewide risk-sharing Joint Powers Authority (JPA) providing comprehensive coverage to cities, towns, and non-municipal public agencies throughout California.” It is described by some as the City of Menifee’s “risk pool carrier.”

None of the City Council members responded to the question of whether a third-party investigation would be launched. However, Mayor Ricky Estrada forwarded the reporter’s email to Villa, who issued the aforementioned statement, concluding with the words, “Our City leadership remains committed to the continued success of the Menifee Police Department and is currently evaluating opportunities to help further support the needs of our police department and personnel.”

Villa was reinstated in February 2024 and no explanation or admission of wrongdoing was ever given. Remembering that case and hearing Villa’s latest statement, one former Menifee PD officer replied, asking to remain anonymous, “And what’s the Human Resources Department gonna do? Hire a biased third party just like last time?”

Many of the 11 current and former Menifee PD officers who have made allegations against the department maintain that an in-house investigation is inappropriate, claiming that PD leaders who routinely handle Internal Affairs cases and could possibly do so here are the ones who are accused of the misconduct.

Allegations by officers published previously by Menifee 24/7 include:

-- A Lieutenant allegedly violated the Police Officers Bill of Rights by using a master key to open all officers’ private mailboxes and leaving the contents on a table for all to see.

-- A Sergeant allegedly conducted an illegal search and seizure of weapons by unlocking (without permission) a gun safe located at the residence of a suicide victim and removing the weapons.

-- A Sergeant allegedly threw a flashlight at a moving vehicle on the freeway (an incident which has been verified by video).

-- A Captain allegedly ordered a Sergeant to write up an officer without any documentation of policy violation, saying, “He did something. Find it and put it in his file.”

-- Allegations that none of these members of leadership were disciplined for their actions – and that all are allegedly the leaders in charge of Internal Affairs, where they discipline other officers.

Many of the allegations of misconduct were detailed in a survey of Menifee PD officers conducted by an officer who asked – and allegedly received – permission to do so as part of a project toward a PhD degree. Multiple sources say the comments about the department were so negative, City officials refused to release the document and that the city attorney sent a “cease and desist” letter to the survey author and others.

Four public records requests by Menifee 24/7 regarding the survey and other claims were denied by the City. Requests for emails and possible disciplinary actions were responded to with the statement, “There are no public records responsive to your request.” The request for a copy of the survey resulted in a letter of denial sent to Menifee 24/7 by City Attorney Jeff Melching, quoting a government code which states:

“An agency shall justify withholding any record by demonstrating that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of this division, or that on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record.”

Mayor Pro Team Bob Karwin issued a statement to Menifee 24/7 on May 31 saying, “The city is taking the allegations seriously and is conducting an investigation.” But sources told Menifee 24/7 that in a June 2 meeting at Menifee PD, the leader of the meeting told officers, “There is no outside investigation to our knowledge, and Karwin saying that in the media was an error.” In other PD meetings, a leader allegedly said that Menifee 24/7’s reporting is "a media BS thing” that would not be investigated, then demanded to know of officers, “Who’s leaking this?”

Menifee 24/7 is consulting with the First Amendment Coalition in seeking support for our request of the employee survey. We will continue to investigate this story and seek information on whether any third party plans to investigate this matter.