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Police chief accused of sexually assaulting her officers

January 26, 2012

Lisa Solomon

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN

Law enforcement officers have names for the girls offering them sex on the beat: Badge Bunny. Holster Sniffer. Uniform Jumper. Handcuff Hugger. In Paso Robles, brethren in blue have one more: The Chief.

A flurry of complaints and mounting grievances alleging sexual misconduct, illegal management practices and retaliation have been lodged against Paso Robles’ first female chief of police, Lisa Solomon. Those known to have made accusations against the chief include five current and former police officers, as well as a growing record of non-sworn police department personnel.

The criticisms against Solomon include allegations of sexual assaults, many committed in the presence of others, repeated affairs with a list of subordinates, and bearing a child out of wedlock fathered by a former lieutenant in the department.

The city has retained the services of an outside investigator to look into the numerous complaints, officers say. Solomon, 43, is married to a San Luis Obispo police officer. She has not responded to detailed emails from CalCoastNews asking for comment.

Numerous officers and department staffers contend that crossing Solomon is dangerous. They say their boss threatens them with trumped-up criminal charges if they rebuff her advances or question her management practices.

After Officer T.J. McCall reported to the city claiming Solomon grabbed his penis while he sat in her car, city officials hired an outside investigator to interview officers about other allegations of unwanted sexual contact.

Former officer Dave Hernandez said he told the investigator of an instance in 2007 when Solomon also touched him inappropriately. In August, Hernandez and another officer in full uniform entered a saloon then called the Crooked Kilt, to do a bar check.

Solomon, who had been out on the dance floor, approached Hernandez in a room full of people and allegedly pushed the officer’s face into her breasts.

“She grabbed my head and pushed it between her breasts,” Hernandez said. “I was shocked.”

Last month, the investigator asked Hernandez why he had not reported the incident back in 2007. He told the investigator he was afraid Solomon would have had him fired if he told, Hernandez said.

“Her MO (method of operation) is to make criminal charges against anyone who crosses her,” Hernandez said. “She will do whatever she can with her power.”

In June 2011, Hernandez, then the union steward, said he complained to City Manager Jim App that Solomon had hired another sergeant at a time when the department was low on officers and heavy in command staff.

In what officers say is typical in the North County department, the chief and several of her top level officers allegedly retaliated against Hernandez and began writing him up for issues such as speeding while transporting a drunk man who was bashing his feet against the back of his seat to the San Luis Obispo County Jail.

In this case, Solomon set out to charge him with negligent operation of a vehicle and being discourteous to a member of the public. Hernandez resigned Jan. 11 and is contemplating filing a civil lawsuit suit against the city.

In 2008, Solomon required all members of the command staff to attend a team-building workshop at the Carmel Valley Lodge during Super Bowl weekend. While there, Solomon allegedly sexually assaulted two officers, according to four officers who told CalCoastNews they were present at the time.

The men, several of whom first told reporters of the incident more than two years ago, have asked to remain unnamed, fearing retaliation.

During the Super Bowl, the officers put work aside and watched the game. After drinking heavily for several hours, Solomon said it was time to get back to work and ordered the seven attending officers to the hot tub for a mandatory meeting, the officers related.

Shortly after they suited up and sat down in the tub, Solomon said, according to the men, “You wanna see boobs?” She removed her top and allegedly rubbed her breast in a commander’s face, officers said.

She then scooted up close to Sgt. Brennen Lux, slid her hand into his shorts and grabbed his penis, the officers said. Lux quickly got out of the hot tub and jumped into the unheated pool.

Solomon then reportedly turned her focus on Lt. Tim Murphy, whom she also groped, the officers said.

The following day, Solomon reportedly warned her command staff that information about the incident was not to leave the conference room they had rented at the retreat.

After Lux rebuffed her advances repeatedly and began questioning the chief about her policies, Solomon began taking actions against him, officers said. She wrote up her former “golden boy” for issues such as speeding to a report of a three-month-old who was not breathing, and speeding to assist another officer who was grappling with a suspect. Lux was a combat Marine and 15-year law enforcement veteran.

In Nov. 2011, Solomon terminated Lux for allegedly committing battery, use of excessive force, and unlawful detention during the arrest of a combative suspect.

Hernandez, the watch commander at the time, said he saw the video of the arrest and contends that Solomon trumped up the charges in a failed attempt to have the officer charged with a crime. And while Solomon sent reports of the alleged assault to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office, charges were never filed.

Lux is also contemplating filing a civil lawsuit against the city and Solomon.

Several former employees said they informed city management of the alleged problems in the department during exit interviews, but their concerns were ignored.

City Manager Jim App declined to comment on the alleged investigation. He also demurred when asked why Solomon was not on administrative leave, a question several of her officers are also asking.

When City Attorney Iris Ping Yang was asked if she was aware of an investigation into Solomon’s behavior, she said, “I can’t tell you. I have no comment to make.”

Mayor Duane Picanco said he was surprised by the assertions: “That’s news to me,” he said. “And I mean that.”

And while most of Solomon’s threats of criminal charges against her employees are never filed, or result in the district attorney’s office refusing to prosecute, several employees have been criminally charged after crossing Solomon. Officers say Solomon and a few top-level commanders regularly search videos of employees they are looking to get rid of in an attempt to claim excessive force, and check the employee’s computers for unlawful access of driving records, a misdemeanor.

In 2010, Solomon was allegedly looking to get rid of Officer Jeff Bromby. After the district attorney’s office rebuffed attempts to have the officer charged with theft for helping his girlfriend remove items from an elderly relative’s home, she was successful in having him charged with unauthorized access to driving records.

A few years ago, dispatcher Deleena Rankin began making mistakes at work. Though unknown at the time, she was suffering from a brain tumor.

Solomon went to the dispatcher and asked her to resign or face criminal charges for pulling the driving record of a former boyfriend, Rankin said. And while officers contend Solomon would usually follow through on her promise to not file charges if the employee agreed to resign, in this case Solomon asked the district attorney to file charges on the dispatcher after she resigned. The court sentenced Rankin to one year of probation.

“It was common practice (pulling driving records without a legal reason). Sgt. Dave Buffard looked his son up, and the chief also had her son looked up,” Rankin said. “I had been a dispatcher for 29 years.”

Officer Jon Tatro, the current police officer association president, recently filed a lawsuit against the department regarding the chief’s implementation of illegal ticket quotas.  Ticket quotas are illegal under state law because they can pressure police to write bogus tickets to meet the goal, something Tatro refused to do.

Union officials are currently considering a vote of no confidence against the controversial chief.

Solomon was appointed chief of the 30,000-resident city in 2007. She was the first woman to hold positions of sergeant, lieutenant and captain in the department.

During her 20-year career in Paso Robles, she has been past president of the North County Women’s Shelter and chair of the San Luis Obispo County Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Program.

Clarification: The incident with Solomon allegedly touching McCall occurred in her car, not his. The incident was reported to the city, but not through a formal grievance. Jon Tatro’s Los Angeles attorneys sent the lawsuit for filing and have not yet received confirmation.


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Boy, oh boy, this story brings new meaning to “hands on leadership”. The really problem in all of this is the total leadership of Paso Robles, starting with the Manager, Mr. Apps, City Attorney, Ms. Yang and yes, the City Council should ultimately take full responsibility for allowing these types of behavior stories, incidents and discord among the employees. How effective can this City function knowing how little support and decent leadership the employees have. COUNCIL, do your job and resolve these problems. Elections are around the corner. AND ALL WEEK I THOUGHT ADAM HILL WAS THE A”””H+++!!!


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SLOBIRD, It seems perfectly clear to me, Chief “Loose Legs Lisa” has certainly created a hostile work environment. The entire “leadership crew” needs to be replaced & SOON…


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OK, OK, OK! Let’s take a second and calm down a bit. We all know articles written by reporters (especially by this rag) and comments made to reporters can be taken out of context, so let’s throw out all comments made by Hernandez, Rankin, and McCall and just label them as disgruntled employees whether they are or not. The kicker here is the hot tub incident, which from what the reporters have told us seems to be the most credible of all the allegations, citing personal accounts of what occurred there in the tub.


My question is; doesn’t the administrative staff including sergeants and above have a duty to act and report violations of police department policy and criminal law as they occur? Isn’t that what they are “paid” and “paid well” to do? Now according to the article, Solomon and her staff had a meeting right after the incident and she told them these incidents could never be disclosed to the public. It is unclear whether she threatened any of the staff if they did so.


Why didn’t Lt. Lewis, Lt. Murphy or Capt. Burton report these numerous policy violations to the city manager? Essentially four of the top brass of the Paso Robles Police Department all came together and conspired to conceal these numerous policy violations and criminal acts. I realize that Lt. Murphy is in a tight spot being a potential victim but the other three clearly did not follow any type of required department protocol.


I wonder if Lt. Lewis, Capt. Burton, and the Chief returned to their posts after their Carmel retreat and disciplined any of the Paso Robles PD officers for policy violations? If they did how could they do it with a clear conscience. These “leaders” must share in the blame as they are not only responsible to enforce policy and procedures but also to protect the rights of those employed by the city of Paso Robles. Capt. Burton and Lt. Lewis have failed miserably and deserve to be either demoted or terminated. You can bet Capt. Burton and Lt. Lewis would discipline, demote, or even terminate any of their subordinates if they knew an officer “knowingly” covered up multiple violations of department policy and criminal law! Right! Wouldn’t that be the “Right” thing to do?


I am sure there will be a big change coming at this troubled department. I feel for the officers and other staff members that have to put put up with all the ridicule and jokes about their workplace. I am sure most of these employees take pride in where they work and what they do for a living. I have heard the department is severely understaffed but they do have a full compliment of supervisors. How is that allowed to happen??? Last time I checked the city had a city manager and a full compliment of council members! What are we paying them for if they are not properly spending our tax dollars and managing their work force wisely?


I am sure police department morale is not the best, which probably makes going to work harder by the day, especially now. Some people have said in other articles that Paso Robles cops were “dicks”, now I guess we know why!


The moral compass of these Paso Robles Police Department leaders must be worn in a very very dark place where they are unable to see it!


Enough said, off to the dispensary!


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QUOTING “HIGHDUDE” or “PASODUDE’ or WHATEVER:


OK, OK, OK! Let’s take a second and calm down a bit. We all know articles written by reporters (especially by this rag) and comments made to reporters can be taken out of context, so let’s throw out all comments made by Hernandez, Rankin, and McCall and just label them as disgruntled employees whether they are or not. The kicker here is the hot tub incident, which from what the reporters have told us seems to be the most credible of all the allegations, citing personal accounts of what occurred there in the tub.


1. Why are you bothering to read CCN and post here if you think it is a “rag”?


2. What are your reasons for calling it a “rag”?


3. No, let’s not “throw out” the comments made by Hernandez, Rankin and McCall. Karen Velie and Dan Blackburn have been around the buoy once or twice, and I trust their judgment on the credibility of witnesses far more than a transient poster who sounds suspiciously like “pasodude.”


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On KPRL’s Sound-off, they are discussing the possibility of outsourcing both police and fire department services. Police services would be outsourced to the county and Sheriff Parkinson. Besides being cost effective, outsourced services would not be under the control of the corrupt City Manager, and could use present facilities, meaning they would be just as close as the present Police Department.


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The City Mgr. has WAY too much power…


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It might save the taxpayers money, too, both in day-to-day police services, but also in giving the city a reason to boot out Lisa Solomon: her job is no longer available.


Of course, the other officers will also lose their jobs, and it sure doesn’t sound fair for them to lose their jobs because the police chief so horribly ran the PD that, to straighten out the mess she’s made, would be more expensive than paying her retirement, etc. just to get rid of her.


I wonder if her ex-husbands, to get rid of her, paid her to go away.


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pasoparent5 says:

01/26/2012 at 11:02 pm


Paso residents: PLEASE contact our city officials so this matter finally gets properly addressed! Here’s contact info from the prcity.com website:


Mayor Duane Picanco dpicanco@prcity.com 227-7212

Mayor Pro Tem John Hamon jhamon@prcity.com 227-7215

Councilman Fred Strong fstrong@prcity.com 227-7213

Councilman Ed Steinbeck esteinbeck@prcity.com 227-7216

Councilman Nick Gilman ngilman@prcity.com 227-7211


City Manager Jim App 237-3888

Police Chief Lisa Solomon Chitty 227-7520


WE pay for these officials’ salary, stipends and benefits. WE deserve an honest, transparent city government. WE need to make our voices heard and maybe–just maybe–they will finally listen.


Had to repost this, pasoparent.


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Thanks Ugluk. I sent some e-mails today & shared the article on Facebook; I hope others do, also.


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At this point with complaints already filed, if she were put on leave it would be akin to an admission of guilt and probably lead to the city having to settle all the complaints but you know what, that’s what insurance is for.


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On the other hand, if Chief Lisa threatens or gropes an officer while on duty during the investigation, the city is wide open for law suits, and the officer will win. It’s too bad that City Attorney YANG (working for the same attorneys that administered the City of Bell) is also in collusion with the City Manager to cover up this situation rather than protect the city from legal actions.


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On the OTHER other hand, if Chief Lisa isn’t able to grope one of her subordinate officers, things are going to get mighty cranky in the PRPD’s police chief’s office.


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I disagree. To NOT put her on leave–especially after her long history of epic efups, and with her subordinates lawyering up–would seem to be extremely poor leadership on the part of PR city management and council.


They need to, at least, appear to protect the best interests of their constituents and other employees.


They’ve let this go on far too long. Has any of her sexual assault officer victims ever lawyered up before? If not, it just looks WRONG that they keep her actively “working” with such serious allegations.


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Isn’t it weird how the system works? I mean all the back scratching and stuff …………


Back in August 2008 when Solomon’s husband was caught conducting his T-Shirt business while on duty a CNN article described how he was rehired by SLO ex chief Deb Linden even though he and Soloman had filed bankruptcy and were sued by multiple creditors.


http://calcoastnews.com/2008/08/protect-serve-and-sell-t-shirts/


According to the article a high ranking SLO police official stated :


“They dotted all their ‘i’s and crossed all their ‘t’s, and if you write that the hiring was due to a favor between chiefs without the usual background review, Chief (Deb) Linden said to me in an earlier conversation that she will use the full extent of the law to go after you.”


It isn’t a secret that Soloman and her husband were close friends to Captain Parkinson who has moved on to greener pastures. About the same time as the rehiring, Parkinson bought Soloman and her husband’s slick ski boat. I wonder if he got a good deal?


There are two types of accountability in this County. There is one set of rules for the line employees and another set for the executive managers.


Until the citizens DEMAND action, the culture will continue … just like bacteria multiplies in a septic tank.


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Wonder if this is the same boat that Parkison had registered in Monterey County (why???) and forgot to pay the taxes on and then blamed his wife. Worst than a septic tank!!!


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“Back in August 2008 when Solomon’s husband was caught conducting his T-Shirt business while on duty a CNN article described how he was rehired by SLO ex chief Deb Linden even though he and Soloman had filed bankruptcy and were sued by multiple creditors….


http://calcoastnews.com/2008/08/protect-serve-and-sell-t-shirts/

————–


When I read LensCleaner’s post, and saw his url resource was a CCN article, I thought I’d just mention what most of us already know: CCN is an irreplaceable source of information to which most of us would, otherwise, not have access.


Even the details, unpublished by other local media sources, that are pure gold. And all of that info, macro and micro, constinues to be available in the CCN archives, often serving (at least, for me) as a repository for information “keys” with which I can unlock the truth, or explain what simply did not make sense, before I clicked on the “search” link in the CCN banner.


So, thanks to Karen, Dan, Lisa and Josh, and others. You help us make sense out of the screwball politics of San Luis Obispo County.


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My post of 1/27/2012, 1;24 pm, was in response to pasodude’s post of 1/27/2012, 11:40 am.


Sorry for the confusion. Carry on.


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LOL. Sorry, the time of the post which responds to pasodude is 1:41 pm.


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First I’d like to preference this response by saying that I think, as a whole, the stories reported on this site are mostly half bake assumptions, exaggerated facts (for lack of a better term) or plain out lies. From reading past articles regarding Chief Solomon it’s obvious that Velie and Blackburn have a major ax to grind. Could it be that they are jealous of Chief Solomon’s success? Could it be that while they (Velie and Blackburn) are making peanuts writing for this rag it burns them that Chief Solomon earns as much as she does? Could it be that while using their great interview/investigative reporting skills Chief Solomon makes them look ignorant by using her educated communication skills? It’s quit obvious that in the professional work force Chief Solomon is in a position much, much higher than that of reporters (and I use this term lightly) who report for an internet mud slinging rag.


With that said where are the facts to this story? Was Officer T. J. McCall interviewed by Velie or Blackburn? If so, why not report the results of the interview? It would certainly lend credence to the story.


You state that Officer Hernandez was with another Officer in a saloon when Chief Solomon grabbed his (Officer Hernandez) head and pushed it between her breasts. Was the “other” Officer identified and interviewed? Were business staff present during the time of the alleged occurrence located and interviewed?


Who attended the Team Building Workshop in 2008? It doesn’t seem that it would be that hard to find out. After all, you are illustrious reporters for an internet mud slinging rag. Why in the world would you report what four officers, who wish to remain anonymous, said BEFORE you actually investigated their stories? Was Sergeant Brennan Lux interviewed? Was Lt. Tim Murphy interviewed? How do you know what these “nameless” officers are saying is true unless you corroborate their stories with independent witnesses to the alleged event. Again, this would add more credence to your initial story.


I could go on and on about your lack of Investigative Reporting skills, both of your incompetence as reporters and the fact that it’s obvious you have a grudge against Chief Solomon but why waste the energy. It’s apparent that it’s not your intention to report legitimate news worthy events, but to inflame your readers. Whenever I hear ANYTHING your rag reports the first thing I do is check other media outlets. I do this because I know that neither of you are competent enough to write an “exclusive” news related article and if you haven’t robbed the story from another media outlet then what you write is probably a half bake assumption, exaggerated fact (for lack of a better term) or plain out lie.


Do I have an opinion on the article you wrote? No! I won’t form an opinion until I see all the facts.


As for you followers, shame on you guys. I know you aren’t so ignorant that you can’t reach the same conclusion that I’ve expressed here.


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When I was growing up in the 70’s this was called investigative journalism. Then all the papers lost their edge and nerve to report. My suggestion to you Dude is to go back over to the Tribune and read their fluff pieces, because you obviously have never read investigative journalism, nor do you understand it.


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Agreed wholeheartedly. Well said.


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No, shame on you. CCN has a good track record at this point. Once in a while they dig into something that’s not very pretty and this is one of them. That’s no reason to discount the veracity of their reporting however…


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Maybe not very pretty, but sometimes with some interesting details.


I had to laugh out loud last night when listening to Karen and Dan on KVEC when, towards the end, Karen said something like it would be like if a man groped a woman’s vagina. I thought Cognalton was going to choke! He REALLY didn’t want to hear the “V” word aired on his show!


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PasoDude. “I won’t form an opinion until I see all the facts”. This is the tip of the iceberg. The sheer incompetence of the Police Chief has not even been discussed.


Your letter sounds like someone who is in the Paso police department, trying to defend the Chief. Is that correct? Then give us your side of the story.


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Does it really matter if I’m a Paso Officer or not? All I’m saying is show me the facts. MaryMalone critized me for saying articles posted here contain lies, yet I fail to back up that claim. So, as a responder I have to provide facts backing up my statements but as reporters Velie and Blackburn don’t?


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Yes, you do. If you want to be taken seriously.


If you accuse a publication of publishing lies, you need to provide some evidence. Accusing a publication of publishing lies is a very serious issue, one that may impact the reputation of the publication.


Of course, if you can’t provide examples of your accusations of lying, then it is you whose credibility is impacted.


The CCN reporters have been sitting on this Solomon-sexual-harassment-of-subordinates story for awhile now. It is a situation that seems to be widely known throughout our county (and perhaps beyond). There has been ample time for Solomon to change her ways, and for the city council, the city manager and/or the city attorney to convince her to change her ways or fire her. But they have not.


Solomon has a long history of irresponsible-to-illegal behavior, and the example she sets as police chief can hardly inspire her subordinates to be any better.


Some examples:


We all know about Solomon, due to pure negligence, had her LOADED semiautomatic firearm stolen from her car which was parked near her home, and didn’t even bother reporting it. Worse, she has given conflicting versions of how the loss of her firearm occurred. CalCoastNews was the one who reported it, after finding out about it on review of SLO Superior Court Records

(http://calcoastnews.com/2009/09/police-chief-loses-loaded-gun/).


Of course, her history of lap dancing and dancing on bar counters is common knowledge, and to such an extent that officers talk about it with reporters (http://calcoastnews.com/2008/09/commentary-girl-chief-gone-wild/).


Then there is the abuse of power and harassment of Solomon and some of her officers against civilians

(http://calcoastnews.com/2008/09/commentary-under-paso-robles-wild-n-crazy-big-tint/)


Also, the on-going problem of gangs and drugs in PR, which apparently takes second place in Solomon’s priorities because she and some of her officers are more concerned with being a**holes to civilians

(http://calcoastnews.com/2008/09/commentary-under-paso-robles-wild-n-crazy-big-tint/).


And what kind of leadership has Solomon provided her subordinates?


One of her subordinates, officer Woods, was board president of California Organization of Police and Sheriffs (COPS) when the State filed a lawsuit against the organization. “The state complaint lists 13 causes of action that include allegations that the Civic Development Group (CDG), the telemarketing firm COPS contracts with, repeatedly deceived donors. ‘Donors were led to believe that 100 percent of their donation would benefit COPS, when in reality, CDG received 85 percent of each donation and COPS retained less than 15 percent,’ says the state’s complaint which quotes directly from the telemarketers’ prepared scripts.”

(http://calcoastnews.com/2009/06/paso-robles-police-officer-presides-over-fraudulent-charity/)


Also, under Solomon’s “leadership,” an arrested man, high on cocaine, was admitted to the county mental health inpatient facility, where he promptly sexually assaulted an inmate.

“Several county employees say they are outraged because they claim the man should have been placed in jail which has “great mental health services” rather than county mental health because police had determined the man was high on cocaine. In addition, staff at the hospital aware of the man’s history and drugged state should have watched him more closely, they said……alifornia law does not allow a person to be placed into a mental health facility because of a substance abuse issue. Officers making an arrest and transporting a person to jail can spend hours on paperwork or only a few minutes if they place a person into a mental health ward.”

http://calcoastnews.com/2011/11/woman-sexually-assaulted-at-county-mental-health/


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Pasodude, I notice you say the majority of articles here contain lies, but you fail to back up that claim.


I also note that, continuously, in your rant, you attack the messenger. Without information to back up your attacks, they are simply attacks based in logical fallacies, a sign of someone who cannot make a credible argument and so must stoop to unworthy methods.


So basically, your post is seven paragraphs of fallacious attacks, interspersed with cloying praise of Lisa Solomon and absolutely hilarious opportunities for comebacks.


I’ll just take advantage of one. You post:

Could it be that while using their great interview/investigative reporting skills Chief Solomon makes them look ignorant by using her educated communication skills?,/b>


My reply:

Funny. I didn’t know that a police chief’s skill set included education in hot-tub negotiating skills.

There are many women who make their living with such tactics, and the ones that make $200,000 a year are a heckuvalot younger, and more attractive, than Lisa Solomon. AND they don’t have to hit on subordinates to get laid.


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So YOUR purpose of being here is to attack the responses of other bloggers and NOT discussing the facts and/or merits of what is posted by Velie and Blackburn. OK, I got it, forget the facts, let’s just stir the pot and make fun of other posters.


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Pasodude, so your purpose it to say that CCN post stories that you “think, as a whole, the stories reported on this site are mostly half bake assumptions, exaggerated facts (for lack of a better term) or plain outlies.” Why would Velie and Blackburn have an axe to grind with the Chief? Where does that come from? Your personal musing? Karen gave Lisa a chance to comment on the allegations yet nothing? Would you stand by and let people accuse you of such behavior and not comment?


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Grow up. How old are you? Twelve?


The CCN reporters have an established history of credibility, and of being willing to break the stories that the other county publishing outlets will not.


You are an anonymous poster, and a new one here, as well.


You don’t seem to realize that with the accusation of lying comes the responsibility of providing an example. Otherwise, you might as well be accusing them of having green hair because you have just as much to back you up in that accusation as you do in the “lying” accusation.


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I’m with you pasodude, it’s you and me against the raging hyenas. They will never let facts get in their way. I appreciate that you are not part of the pack and that you are an independent thinker. We can form our opinions when the FACTS come out but they’re minds are made up. Allegations mean nothing, have you ever heard of the McMartin Case?


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Thanks Typoqueen,


I was beginning to think that I was on a different planet. Yes, a pack of hyenas is a good description for the majority of posters here. I think it’s the mob mentality. Damn the justice system, let’s lynch ’em now!!!


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pasodude, I think the word is “preface”, NOT preference….Just so you know….


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Thanks, correction noted.


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You may not like the story but don’t kill the messenger. I agree there have been stories in the past on this website that did not get all the facts straight, but this isn’t one of them.


People in the law enforcement community have talked about Lisa and the goings on in Paso Robles for years. Nothing in the article was a surprise to any of the cops in this county.


As police chief Lisa IS in an elevated position of authority, which is why I am continually shocked by her behavior. I have seen her drunk and behaving obnoxiously at the fair several times in the last few years. And from the increasing frequency I think she might have a problem with alcohol. I witnessed the drunken fights she had with her then husband Allan Rowe on the balcony of the Paso Robles Inn. Ieven spoke to Tom Martin, the owner, about it and he didn’t know what to do, because he didn’t want any “trouble” with the police department.


For those of us who have known Lisa for 25+ years nothing reported in this story was a shocker.


The officers mentioned in the story have probably been ordered not to discuss the matter with anyone other than the city attorneys investigator and possibly the FBI because it is an employee issue and possible criminal matter. Remember Lisa is a peace officer and in this state they have certain protections under state law that keep this matter confidential. That’s why the city attorney would not comment for the story.


As for the team building exercise and other incidents alleged lets wait and see where the story goes, because I get a feeling the story is not going away. The business community in beginning to get mad about being in a city that is now the laughingstock of the county. Here we are trying to make a living in this town and we are now being compared to the City of Bell and people are calling some of us up and

jokingly asking us if we are going to change the name of the city to “Cougartown.”


I live here and I like it here, but I don’t like how my city government is being operated, especially the police department. The allegations against the chief involve criminal acts, including in the case of trumping up criminal charges, which would qualify as public corruption and possibly violations of the civil rights of the victims.


I want the city council to tell the city manager to put her on leave until the investigation is complete.

I want the FBI to send public corruption investigators from their Los Angeles office to Paso Robles to investigate this matter criminally.

And finally I want a city government I can be proud of, instead of a bunch of local yokels who appear

to be asleep at the switch. Duane Picanco says he hasn’t heard anything about this? Really Duane?


We can contract for law enforcement services with the sheriff’s office, like they do in Goleta, Thousand Oaks, Malibu, City of Industry and Rancho Cucamonga, but it might be more expensive than keeping our own police department. That is something we should explore, after Lisa is removed and the dust settles on this matter.


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I’ve got bad news for you: The city council has no authority to force administrative leave upon any employee. Study the Fullerton case. Of course, they can ask. And then she would just get to sit at home and get paid. The taxpayers always lose.


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Then Jim App needs to ask. The Police Department can run just fine without her; afterall, she was gone while running the AMGEN events. Yes, she will be paid, but the investigation can proceed better without her being around.


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If it is paid administrative leave, they certainly do.


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No. The council does not manage city employees; the city manager does. Study Fullerton.


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Gordo, your response is the most intelligent one I’ve read so far. I agree with you, let the FACTS surrounding the “ALLEGATIONS” be uncovered and go from there. If termination is in order, so be it. My problem is all the assumptions and personal opinions being batted around on the forum that are basically “FACTLESS.” (If factless isn’t a word Ru4Real let me appolize now.) Let’s see what the investigation reveals BEFORE we reach the guilty verdict. That’s all I’m saying.


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I get the feeling you must be new here. You’re responce is one I have seen many a time when someone is new. They attack all posting here for passing judgement but what you and all others overlook here is that this is an article that has been posted. We, the readers, digest it and RESPOND with an OPINION. That is what it is, is one man’s OPINION. Right or wrong. It isn’t going to change anything how I or another poster views it. We aren’t the investigators or jury. We are all just giving our two cents and opinion on what has been presented to us. In a civilized country it is called conversation and sharing a thought on how we view something. I would suggest that you not be so sensitive to others expressing opinions.


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I agree BTDT but the issue that I have is that when I say that I or pasoguy say that we want to wait for facts to come out and these are simple allegations we get stones thrown at us for voicing that opinion (figuratively). Also I do have a bit of problem with the nastiness from some of those posting here. If the article had say that she was convicted or/and the charges were founded then the I would say go for it but this woman has a family, she’s a human, I would hate to see her reputation get smashed over something that’s unfounded. I put myself in her shoes and I were innocent of such horrible accusations this would be very painful. I do say that public figures are open for criticism but I believe that in this forum it gets a bit meaner than it should. If these allegations are true then the people that raised the charges will get their day in court and the hyenas can rip her limb from limb.


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Re-read your posts, TQ.


When you throw stones at other people for not believing as you do, don’t be surprised if they return fire.


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An example please,,,,or is this just another ‘allegation’? I honestly don’t remember smearing someone without being convinced that I have ‘facts’ to warrant such a thing. I have stated over and over in this forum that although personally I’ve made a few exceptions (ie OJ) that over 99% of the time I do wait until the facts of a trial come out before prosecuting someone in public such as in this forum and ruining their reputation. I have always had a strong interest in the law and have read about many cases, I have seen many times when a person was convicted in the public eye but ended up being completely innocent. In some cases these people were forced to move, or have lost their jobs over allegations. I know a local guy whose ex wife accused him of mollesting their children. This guy went through hell because a lot of people that knew him didn’t know that his wife was using this to get custody of their children. He was innocent and found innocent by a judge but by the locals he was shunned before he even went to court. I have also supervised and hired many people in my life and I’ve had dealings with disgruntled employees, I’m not saying that’s the case here but I would like to leave that option open.


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I understand your issues, TQ. We’ve been posting together for quite awhile now.


I just don’t get what makes you think you are the arbiter of what is acceptable in message board environments.


Let the participants in the board naturally create the environment that results from us all interacting as we wish.


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You are giving me more power than I have. I don’t have the power to stop any of you from posting what you want and I wouldn’t want to. I do believe in freedom of speech. In reality I find it interesting seeing how everyone gets into this pack mentality. Now I’m starting to learn that much of that has to do with the way the story is written. The first and most important paragraph is what catapults this over the the pack and I’ve seen CCN do this on a number of occasions. It’s their news site and I’m only visiting so that’s their prerogative but I don’t have to like it. I feel like there are two or three of us watching from the outside and there is nothing but dust and blood flying everywhere in this little mosh pit at CCN. Every now and then one of sticks our foot in the mosh pit and we come back with bloody bruised foot. The more people talk about this the more they get worked up.


I understand that I can’t make any of you see my POV and I also understand that I can’t stop them but it makes me sad to think that so many people would rush to judgement like this. No matter how bad this person might or might not be, she might have family reading this and that could be quite painful.


I don’t feel that I’m the arbiter, just like you I also have an opinion. What’s right to some isn’t right to others, I get that.


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“I do say that public figures are open for criticism but I believe that in this forum it gets a bit meaner than it should.”


————


Too bad. I think the timbre here is just right.


Instead of criticizing the board environment (which is made up of all people posting here) for being what it naturally ebbs and flows to, perhaps a less spirited board environment?


You really don’t think we should all change the way we post to suit your specific likes and dislikes?


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No, I wouldn’t want to post just to please me. Like you guys though I do have the right to post my opinion and in my opinion there is no ebb and flow it’s just a hurricane. This also give credence to Dave Congelton’s complaint that the posters in forums like this get too mean that they wouldn’t post these things if they had to use their real names. But I have tough skin, I can handle the hurricane.


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If reporters didn’t author investigative articles before what they report was proven, in many cases there never would be charges. It is only when a gutsy publication outlet does the footwork then publishes that it shames the local government and LE agencies into actually investigating and bringing charges.


In addition, just because something has not been proven does not mean it is inappropriate to both author articles about it and to discuss it publicly.


Bush Jr has said for over a decade that there were WMDs in Iraq and that is why he got us mired down in a blood bath for nearly a decade. It never has been “proven,” although it is certainly by now common knowledge that we were lied into Iraq by the Bush/Cheney administration.


Bill Clinton has never admitted having “sex” with Monica Lewinsky, yet most people consider oral sex to be, in fact, having sex. Does that mean articles never should have been written about it? t hat people shouldn’t discuss it? Should we have waited until it was proven for our journalists to write about it?


Your stance is absurd, and, I believe, self-serving, because there is zero logic in it. Zip. Nada. Zilch.


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I haven’t seen where pasodude has a problem with the story, maybe he does but I read his post to say that like me he doesn’t like the guilty as charged mentality from the posters. You have your opinion and he has his, he is entitled to that right?


I feel that bringing up the Bush/WMD kinda proves more of my point on this then yours. There were a few of us that didn’t jump on the WMD bandwagon but unfortunately a lot of people like sheep jumped on an unsubstantiated story and they backed him on that and look at the consequences from that. The UN kept asking us to wait until there was proof, they wanted time to go in and make more inspections but nope, Bush rushed to judgement and he was wrong. We want more time to see if there’s any proof to this story.


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“I feel that bringing up the Bush/WMD kinda proves more of my point on this then yours. There were a few of us that didn’t jump on the WMD bandwagon but unfortunately a lot of people like sheep jumped on an unsubstantiated story and they backed him on that and look at the consequences from that. The UN kept asking us to wait until there was proof, they wanted time to go in and make more inspections but nope, Bush rushed to judgement and he was wrong.”


EXCELLENT POINT Typoqueen.


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For Karen and Dan to put out this story without the risk of being sued for libel, they have to have first-hand information. The information they received is much like testimony in court- they won’t print “heresy. They are not going to name the people who were their sources unless the sources say it’s o.k. The sources are very real and they are protected. You give Lisa a lot more flattery than she deserves-she’s not so important that people would sit around making this crap up. Before you start accusing people of lacking investigative reporting skills, you should first find learn what investigative reporting IS.


The person making assumptions is YOU. Just because every person interviewed for this story isn’t named, it doesn’t mean an interview didn’t take place.


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Hey woman, you got the blues

Yes you ain’t got no one else to use

There’s an open road that leads nowhere

So just make some miles between here and there


Evil woman, evil woman

Evil woman, evil woman


Rolled in from another town

Hit some gold too hot to settle down

But a fool and his money soon go separate ways

And you found that fool lyin’ in a daze


Evil woman, evil woman

Evil woman, evil woman


Evil woman, evil woman

Evil woman, evil woman


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Did anyone else in the North County hear KPRL’s (“the North County’s News and Information Source” hahaha) report on this story today???? Dick Mason really outdid himself on this one. He mentions the allegations against Soloman, then spends the rest of the story impuning the credibility of CCN (never mentioned by name, just refered to by Mason as “a web based news operation”). He then goes off on some tangent about some story of a toxic waste pile in Atascadero that CCN got wrong and claims that CCN “mostly targets conservatives.” Is Lisa Soloman a “conservative?” KPRL has been covering up Soloman’s indiscretions for years too, just as they did with Gearhart. Makes me wonder what she has on them? Or maybe they’re just afraid to ‘rock the boat’ and piss off the good ole’ boys, and gals in Paso? I know you’re reading this Dick, your report this morning was one of the most pathetic attempts at journalism I have ever heard.


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bigxyn, I’m a regular listener and tuned in this morning to see if the story would be covered. I also was disappointed in how Dick Mason “reported” the story. You’re correct. Dick did say CCN targets conservatives (um…is Adam Hill on the Right now?) and that when CCN is wrong, they don’t correct themselves. (um…when have they been wrong lately?) Dick & Kevin said something to the effect that their radio station won’t report on “rumors” and that they’re not a “tabloid” type of radio station. ??!!!


My other issue w/that station is that the hosts routinely refer to the Trib as “the fishwrap” (I agree) BUT then Dick Mason proceeds to lift all his local news stories directly from their pages He does zero investigative reporting…more like a simple regurgitation of Trib/KSBY stories.


True, it’s a small, hometown local station so I don’t expect Woodward & Bernstein type of reporting but it WOULD be nice if they’d follow up on this Chief Lisa story and not just squash it like other media outlets are obviously doing.


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What channel and what time do these guys come on? I wonder if these are the same guys that I heard that had some nut job on regarding the plastic bag ban. It really didn’t matter what side one was on regarding the bag ban they just had it all wrong. For example their guest said that grocery bags weren’t petroleum based. I don’t care what side you’re on you must know that this is wrong and these guys went along with it. They were really goofy.


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Too bad Dick Mason doesn’t have a transcript’s or a pod cast’s (very 1990), I would have liked to have added his “story impuning the credibility of CCN ” to the list we keep in the back office. The list is long and over time we have been accused of aiding the left/right/tree huggers/tree cutters and on and on.


E-mails and comments have called us a plethora of nasty things from all sides depending on what week/story it is. We also receive much support from our readers, most who realize it is not about left or right for us. It’s about the abuse of power/crime and telling the people so they can take the action of there choice. ( tips@calcoastnews.com )


Thanks for reading!


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Dick Mason’s ‘report’ went something like this:

________________________________________________________________________

Paso Robles’ police chief Lisa Soloman has aledgedly been accused of inapropriate sexual conduct by a former officer.


This story is being reported by an internet based news operation who has gotten many stories wrong in the past. While they do occasionally get a story right, they are often wrong, such as the story about a supposed toxic waste dump in Atascadero. Environmental health officials inspected the site and detrmined no toxic waste was present there. Even though it was proven that the story was false, the news operation refused to issue an apology. The targets of this news operation’s investigations are mostly Conservatives.


KPRL contacted both Chief Soloman and Mr. App but both declined to comment citing personnel privacy rules.


No charges have been filed and no court trial has taken place. If a trial does take place, KPRL will report the outcome.

________________________________________________________________________


This is what passes for “reporting” on KPRL !!!!!!!!!!!!


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Well, Chief Lisa has been able to sexually assault her subordinates for a long time now. She would not have been able to do so without cover from the other media outlets.


What is interesting is that Mason used the same kind of weak tactics as did pasodude in posting here: attacking the messenger, yet being unable to refute anything the messenger said.


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Conduct unbecoming an Officer. This is a rule written in most LE agencies’ policy manuals. This is the higher standard Peace Officers must maintain. There have been many internal affairs investigations done, and many LEO’s disciplined for Conduct unbecoming an Officer.

I think drunken dancing on bars and grabbing a uniformed Officer in a bar and smashing his face into tits fits this criteria. If any other woman would have done this, she would more than likely be immediately arrested. I Don’t even need to mention the egregious sexual battery. What an embarrassment for Paso Robles and the decent employees in the city. Why is she still here?


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I lived in a crime-, drug-, and gang-laden area growing up. For years we had the LA County Deputy Sheriffs coverage, and they were good.


Then we got a new mayor, with a council majority backing him, and then–at a very, very high price tag–our little city set up its own police department.


We quickly learned that in crime-, drug-, and gang-riddled cities like ours, when you have your own PD, the kind of officers you get usually includes some who have trouble getting hired anyplace better.


The reasons they can’t get hired elsewhere are usually “morality” issues, such as being “heavy-handed” (beating up) the citizens, having extramarital affairs (especially if they cause problems for the chief, such as when the affairs are between two married officers), having a history of drug/alcohol addiction, abuse of power, etc.


It really makes it difficult for the officers who are good cops, but who want to work closer to home, or who grew up in the city and wanted to help things get better there.


Our first police chief was corrupt. It was heII living there. The PD floundered from one scandal to the next. During his reign, there was so much upset going on in the department that it was hard for the officers who did actually want to do good for the community to get anything done. One specific I remember was that the response time between when a resident called and an officer showed up was very long–much longer than when the LACo Sheriffs Dept. covered our area.


Our second police chief was so much better, and, over time, he sorted things out, mostly.


So I just want to point out that the pool of good officers willing to work someplace can be limited if the work environment or the leadership is bad or the community has a lot of problems, especially dangerous problems, like gangs and drugs. There will still be good, qualified officers, of course, but especially when you have a leadership problem, such as Lisa Solomon, it is difficult for the moral of the officers, and there is less incentive for officers to apply for the job.


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