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Former SLO police officer sues city

August 8, 2013

sloA former San Luis Obispo police officer who was fired after he pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of bringing misbranded Mexican prescription drugs into the United States, filed suit against the city on July 31. [NewTimes]

Former patrol officer Dan McDow, 35, claims that his rights to due process were violated, the city failed to serve him a copy of its decision to uphold his termination and that the penalty imposed by the city was “patently excessive.”

In his suit, McDow wants his termination overturned, full back pay, and for reimbursement of all costs associated with the lawsuit.

In 2010, McDow and fellow officer Armando Limon were stopped and detained while reentering the U.S. from the Mexican border town of Tijuana. The officers were attempting to bring more than 800 pills, including both uppers and diet pills, into the United States.

 


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Cops and elder abuse? financial or otherwise sucks regardless of who does it! We walk in the footsteps of those that walked before us. If not for those steps taken prior, we would be “left with nothing for an example to follow” without our elders really “where would we be”? My guess would be this! in a hole minus a future. yep, that is exactly where we would be!


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“Misbranded” prescription drugs? I don’t think the “brand” matters. They were large amounts prescription drugs absent a prescription ergo international drug trafficking. I think people like Mason and these cops are blackmailing the city with a lot of info that they are privy to and the city has to concede. SLO City management has no control because they have a lot to hide. Why bust corrupt cops in league with drug traffickers when we don’t bust other city staff in league with the well-connected?


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So you have an organization with the following based upon articles on this site: officer Corey Pierce placed on administrative leave as he faces criminal prosecution for extortion and drug dealing while on duty; fireman Ryan Mason beats someone up off duty is fired then re-hired; officer Limon is put on administrative leave facing federal charges for importing contraband; Ron Faria Public Works inspector is busted for misappropriating City property for personal gain and remains in his position; former officer Dan McDow pleads guilty to a lesser offense for importing contraband to the U.S.; Christine Wallace the police chief’s personal assistance goes postal on facebook and tells all of her coworkers to go @$#&*& themselves on duty after she is called on the spot for violating some coworkers religious beliefs; Bob Nicholson Utilities staff apparently charges unsuspecting residents for the very services he is paid to do as a city employee and apparently remains on the city’s payroll; a Utilities worker grows marijuana at the City’s facility at Whale Rock reservoir in Cayucos and is only relieved of his duty after being convicted of cultivating marijuana and drug trafficking by the feds; several other utilities employees dump hazardous waste at the back of the a city facility; a City attorney who continuously provides poor legal advice to council and then when these facts come out she bad mouths a local judge to the press. On top of this you have a fireman who sides as a political satirist and depicts a cartoon referencing tepid management and hostile work environment – nice job by the way. To be frank, is the city recruiting from the local penitentiary and are they just recruiting abusive managers from other regions, such as the school yard bullies based upon comments from other posters. I have to say it appears that the City Management appears to recruit the worse of the lot, that way they don’t look so bad. That’s right the City Manager hasn’t been arrested for importing contraband to the U.S. The City Attorney hasn’t been charged with beating someone up yet. And we haven’t had any council member accused of misappropriating City contraband for personal gain yet. Come on people wake up.


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Faria knows enough to prevent action against him (certain people exempt from city regulations strictly enforced on their competitors). Same with the rest of the miscreants, people in glass houses cannot throw stones. Why can’t we pay some local business manager say $150,000/yr plus benefits to competently run the city at half the cost? I’ll tell you why, the $300,000 buys a lot more than 40hrs/wk, it buys complicity with corruption.


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Obispan,


Do tell, which regulations and which are enforced on who and not. Buy the way a few years back the City fired a contract Public Works Inspector for taking bribes and rumor has it that he was turned in to management not because he was committing a crime, but because someone else wasn’t getting a piece of the action. In fact, rumor has it he gave another employee a free 50 something chevy truck to keep silent on the misdeeds involving various City projects.


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Hey, you forgot SLO’s financial elder abuse cop who threatened relatives and social workers who tried to intervene. What happened to that guy? Got off as well?


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That elder abuse cop is none other than Dan McDow – the very SAME officer this article is talking about. Someone posted a link to the article about his elder abuse activites in the comments below. Clearly the drug smuggling was just the tip of the iceberg with this guy.


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Bravo! I would triple like your comment if I could. The only things you missed that I can think of are: Road-raging SLOPD cop Scott Cramer chased down and beat up a disabled guy in front of his kid and gets no punishment. SLOPD officers Jeff Koznek, Amy Chastain, and Crystal Locarnini beat the piss out of Jeff Milne in his own home, which results in the city having to pay out nearly $200k in a police brutality lawsuit – all three received no punishment and are still on the beat. Then there are all the hijinks that Ian Parkinson was involved in during his time at SLOPD – punish him? No let’s make him Sheriff! Finally, don’t forget that SLO mayor Jan “Karl” Marx lied about her involvement as VP of the political action group to screw over rancher and aspiring developer Dalidio. But yeah, at least she didn’t smuggle any drugs or beat anyone up yet!


Corruption runs wide and deep here in SLO city. I guess at least we can be thankful that we didn’t crown as man of the year someone facing 300 years in a federal penitentiary for felony mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges like A-town did. Now THAT would really be embarrassing.


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A guy hired to uphold the law, breaks the law, is fired, and that is “patently excessive”? He should probably be in jail. It seems that I am now living in bizzaro world……


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How correct you are. This clown should be in jail. However, we should consider there IS abuse of power in this county. How do I know? i am a 53 year old native and am living proof. If this was a arroyo grande, the officer pulling this he would get a medal for his actions and a paid settlement. wake up people! there are dirty people in professions that DO make it bad for the those in service that “want to serve the public and perform within the guidelines of the law.” these guidelines we are all expected to live under”.


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Of course… the criminal is actually the victim! Poor baby.


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The city should not cave in on this one, let it go to court. I can’t imagine the jury that would give this guy a cent.


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Can’t go to court if you’ve got your own dirty laundry to hide. And since the City Attorney, paid more than the Attorney General of the State of California, lacks all but minimal expertise in the job, and the necessary outside attorney’s expenses are staggering, better to cave. SLO City government is a social circle dispensing patronage jobs, not a professional organization.


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Are you kidding me? McDow was the dirtiest of the dirty cops at SLOPD. In addition to the federal crime of drug smuggling that he pleaded GUILTY to, he was also accused of elder abuse, lest anyone forget about that: http://calcoastnews.com/2009/10/suspended-officer-accused-of-elderly-abuse/ There were many other dirty dealings that McDow was involved in, including an affair with another officer who he got pregnant. It’s no surprise that he is now trying to shake down the city for more money – classic McDow. The New Times also uncovered that McDow has repeatedly filed permanent disability claims, alleging he fell down the stairs at the SLOPD station.

http://www.newtimesslo.com/news/9558/bad-press/


He should be thankful that he got almost a year of paid leave while he was investigated. If I was SLO city, I would ask for that back!


It’s thanks to the out of control police and firefighter unions that allow this nonsense and the Mason snafu to occur.


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NOT kidding. Ha, ha. SLO cops make 40% more than LAPD and have cake jobs in comparison, lots of staffing, and every ancillary program you could imagine. Ask Paso cops what they have. But they can’t stop there, they want southern small town corruption, no hard big city work, and resort city wages with no accountability for behavior.


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