Correspondence - CS Item No. 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 Chief Valentin then opened the floor to questions. When a sergeant mentioned that there were 2 several officers in specialized units being excluded from having their information released because they worked in an undercover capacities,Chief Valentin was asked a serious question as to whether 3 the city and the court would consider excluding officers who wished to work in one of these units 4 `' in the future.Chief Valentin chuckled and said that he appreciated the creativity that members were trying to use to keep from being included in the release.If an officer spoke in support of the Chief s 5 decision,Valentin acted more professional in response. 6 Officer Cardenal then raised[his]hand and asked a question about some of the things Chief Valentin 7 had discussed, and to provide the Chief with a perspective of many officers in patrol. Officer Cardenal asked if the Chief would be willing to work alongside the POA and on behalf of the 8 department's members who did not want their information released.Chief Valentin responded by 9 first asking how many years Cardenal had in the department,and then exclaimed that he,the Chief ofPolice,did not need Cardenal'sperspectivebecausehe had 31 years ofperspective.ChicfValentin 10 became irate in his response and began yelling at Officer Cardenal,in front of the entire roll call,that Cardenal was out of line for asking the question (despite the fact that he opened up the floor for 11 questions and Cardenal was simply asking a question as a member concerned for the safety of 12 officers he works with). Chief Valentin then attacked Officer Cardenal's military service, training and experience, referencing Cardenal's military service and experience in a disparaging manner 13 several times.At one point,Chief Valentin went as far as to say that Cardenal was lucky to work in 14 Santa Ana and eluded to the fact that ifhe didn't like it,Cardenal could seek employment elsewhere. It is unclear if Chief Valentin simply lost his composure, or was trying to threaten Cardenal's 15 continued employment with the City of Santa Ana. 16 Chief Valentin ultimately apologized to the personnel present for his(unprofessional)outburst,but 17 then tried to shift the blame for his actions to Cardenal. Chief Valentin's behavior was unprofessional and beneath the expected professionalism that he hold his subordinates to. Officer 18 Cardenal was extremely upset by the Chief s actions,which included violating officers rights by 19 discussing an open investigation and spreading false rumors 20 Later that evening, Officer Cardenal was informed that Chief Valentin.had ordered Cardenal's trainee to be assigned to another officer,and that Cardenal was not to be assigned any more trainees. 21 It was later learned that Chief Valentin engaged in similar discussions about Officer Cardenal at 22 ` other roll call appearances. 23 Based on Valentin's conduct,Officer Cardenal has been receiving harassing messages from other 24 employees. Clearly, the Chief demonstration of retaliatory behavior has left the impression with others who support him,that they too can feel comfortable attacking Cardenal at work. 25 26 We are formally requesting that these matters be immediately investigated.If it was an officer that had engaged in these violations, he/she would immediately be placed on administrative leave in 27 order to protect the department and the investigation. Finally, we are requesting that an outside investigator be assigned to conduct the investigation and that the investigation be overseen by your 28 office or the City Council." 111 CAnExALv.CnYoaSMTAANA CASENO. COMPLAINT