And it is a life choice. SEATTLE (AP) The Port of Seattle has fired its police chief, who had been the subject of a lengthy investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct. He said that Anderson was on paid administrative leave and stressed that Anderson is clearly a good police officer and exceptional American. However, he wrote, Andersons right to speech has limitations.. Port of Seattle officer losing support from his fellow port officers? Your actions will cause bloodshed and thats on you! Do state constitutions give their respective governors the authority to suspend the constitutional rights of its citizens for a limited amount of time in order to survive certain crises? OPA: 2 Seattle police officers violated de-escalation policy in fatal In it he says, I have seen officers around the country enforcing tyrannical orders. He said he comes from a department where he feels the chain of command shares his view. I walk un-intimidated into the fray. He articulately produces examples of police officers blatantly violating several amendments by stopping people from protesting, blocking people from going to church, and making traffic stops merely to find out where the driver is going. Im seeing people arrested or cited for going to church, for traveling on the roadways, for going surfing, opening their businesses, Anderson said in the video. Greg Anderson, Washington Police Officer: 5 Fast Facts - Heavy.com Its not how this country works. verdade. I dont know what crime people are committing by doing nails in their own house. Im not sure what the timeline looks like. As of now, the page has raised over $200,000. We're supposed to be able to assist. Greg has always had the ability to express his opinions on what is going on in the country like all other Americans, Covey wrote. Volunteer to help people understand their Medicare options! What are you the Gestapo? They are questions I have in my own mind, have discussed with my family, and that keep me up at night (and see that I wake up quite angry). During his six years as a Commander, he oversaw and led the Investigative Services Division, Training, the Valley Regional SWAT Team, and the Patrol Division. I talked to him today for over an hour about the death and chaos overtaking that city. Those are defacto arrests. I dont care if its your sergeant or chief of police. He knew this when he made the decision he knew would most likely result in his termination. He was put there by a chief whom Anderson respects greatly. But he is definitely in a tough spot, and its probably not as political as most may think it is. News - OPA | seattle.gov When officers arrived, the man appeared to . Wir entschuldigen uns fr die Umstnde. In 2018, he worked with state and regional law enforcement partners to execute an interlocal agreement that secured Port participation on the Auto Theft Task Force. Chief Villa entered law enforcement in 1990 as a police officer with the Tukwila Police Department. Less than 20. I hired Greg, and he and I have always had a mutually respectful relationship. Id like to go back to two things I already addressed: Emergency decrees and Officer Andersons chief. Police officer on leave after urging cops not to enforce stay-at-home order A Washington police department placed an officer on administrative leave after he urged fellow law enforcement members not to enforce stay-at-home orders in a viral Instagram video. Just take a look at our survey on COVID-19 decree enforcement. He has been told it will result in termination due to it being an insubordination charge for refusing to take down the video., Is this what America now stands for? Mike Villa, who has been serving as acting chief of police during that time, will continue in the acting role until a replacment is found. The Port of Seattle terminated the employment of police chief Rod Covey on Thursday, according to a Port-wide email. Covey had been on paid administrative leave since June 2020, when the investigation began. Lamentamos In the caption, he wrote, Are you doing the right thing? Refuse unlawful orders. The overwhelming majority of it has been positive., Anderson wrote on Facebook on May 11 that he had not been terminated yet but he expects to be fired because he refused to take down the video. Anderson said he doesnt buy it when people say theyre just following orders or need to keep their job. Its a badge and a gun. We dont get to violate someones constitutional rights because somebody in our chain of command tells us otherwise, he added. But then comes the sticky mess. #police #lawenforcement #quarantine #civilliberties #constitution #freedom #america.. In a nutshell, Andersons chief explains that you are never off duty as a police officer when it comes to how you represent yourself, your agency, and your responsibilities. Chief of Police Rod Covey, by all accounts that Ive seen (including from Anderson himself), is an incredibly honorable human being. That's I still have enough in the tank to get out there and help people. Chief Villa enjoys teaching and developing others and has instructed SWAT command and supervision for the National Tactical Officers Association at a national level and several other leadership courses and seminars for various organizations. Thank you for your kind words and support.. Moss, whose suit in King County Superior Court revolved around the Ports alleged refusal to produce documents related to its investigation of his complaint, settled with the Port in February. Theyre happening every single day. Police Officer FIRED for Telling Other Cops to Do What Is Right Read More Police Agency Links In the video posted on May 7, Anderson, in uniform and sitting in a patrol vehicle, says citing or arresting people in relation to what he called tyrannical social-distancing orders violates peoples constitutional rights. In a statement posted on the Port of Seattle Police Departments website, Covey said Anderson was on leave for violating the departments policy on the use of social media. Its just a matter of everyone else taking part because I felt like it was a call in my life to take up that challenge and to answer that call. Anderson then reads from the Constitution of the United States. Arresting paddle boarders, arresting a man playing catch with his young daughter, prohibiting church services, asking for travel papers! He supervised patrol staff and then the Support Services/Crime Prevention Unit before being appointed as a Commander in 2001. OPA's investigation concluded that the two officers who fired the shots violated . READ NEXT: Man Tried to Crash Train Into Navy Hospital Ship: Feds, Washington Police Officer Greg Anderson on Leave Over Video Opposing COVID-19 Orders, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. This time, he was ordered to take the video down. Greg Anderson is a military special forces veteran and police officer with the Port of Seattle Police Department in Washington who was placed on administrative leave after he recorded a. The Daily Caller reached out for a comment from the Port of Seattle Police Department, but they have not yet responded. Ive seen officers nationwide enforcing tyrannical orders against the people, and Im hoping its a minority of officers, but Im not sure anymore because every time I turn on the television, I look to the internet, Im seeing people arrested or cited for going to church, traveling on the roadways, for going surfing, opening their business, going to the park with their families or doing nails out of their own house, using their own house as their place of business and having undercover agents go there and arrest them and charge them with what? All Rights Reserved. I think what is going to happen is were going to see bloodshed in the streets. If you continue to see this The investigation concluded that Chief Covey violated the Ports Code of Conduct and Human Resources policies, according to the email, sent by Port Executive Director Steve Metruck. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. We should be an entity that people can lean on. Port of Seattle fires police chief after investigation | KOMO Around 9:20 p.m., Port of Seattle Police contacted Seattle Police about a man in crisis, armed with a knife, at Alaskan Way and Seneca Street. This is what I am seeing, First Amendment rights. Anderson says he was informed by the department and his union that the reason for termination was due to insubordination for refusing to take down his Instagram video. Two Seattle officers trespassed on U.S. Capitol grounds during riot and Port of Seattle fires police chief after investigation - Q13FOX.com The Port has declined to comment on the substance of the allegations against Covey, but Port police Officer Yandle Moss said in a lawsuit last summer that Covey had been placed on leave after Moss, who is Black, filed an internal complaint accusing Covey of racial discrimination. Mark Thomas joined the Port of Seattle Police Department in September of 2013 after serving two years as the Chief of the Medina, WA Police Department. On February 15, 2021, Port of Seattle officers called SPD for assistance with a "man in crisis" wielding a knife to his throat. Chief Villa has a long history of community policing and problem solving. He recently made a video urging officers to stand for liberty and integrity, the video has gone viral and has been positively received across the nation! she wrote. I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. Gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and age, these characteristics are all widely representedthroughout the department. Lets read something right here, the Declaration of Independence. Port leadership determined that termination was the appropriate discipline. Port of Seattle officer on leave after urging officers not to enforce That was determined in 1803. He made a public statement on the Port of Seattle Police Department Facebook page. Port of Seattle Police Department Facebook page, The Four Truths of the Human Animal from Jim Glennons Arresting Communication, Jim Glennons Book, Arresting Communication Excerpts & Special KINDLE Price. Nous sommes dsols pour la gne occasionne. He risks his life domestically and has risked his life in foreign countries. All good questionssolid questions. I was just looking for change. Port of Seattle Police Officer Salaries | Glassdoor While you stand up for Greg this week, please take time to also remember all of the heroes that have given their lives while serving and protecting others. They have forcefully shut down our businesses/ livelihoods and detained us in our homes. naar For 43 years I have served in the law enforcement profession and plan to do so for a couple of more years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Also, when things are going wrong, we should be You only see SPD when your car gets rear-ended or your house gets broken into. So I figured I should explain. You do NOT have that authority regardless of what your governor / overlord or agency thinks. I have been placed on administrative leave (still being paid) pending investigation. A Seattle Cop is Placed on Leave After Making a Video Challenging His Time is running out on free COVID tests and vaccines; what then. On top of that, the first time I saw Andersons original videono matter how much I agreed with the vast majority of itmy thought (as a guy who was in command for 15 years) was, Why the hell is this guy doing this on duty, in uniform, in a squad car? Anderson said in the video that he was a special operations veteran who fought on the streets of Iraq under the U.S. governments guise of freedom, and Im telling you what, the American people, youre going to wake a sleeping giant, and theyre going to fight 10 times harder for their freedom on their soil than anything youve ever seen before.. Als u dit bericht blijft zien, stuur dan een e-mail The Seattle Police Department said many of their newly hired, non-white officers would be the first let go should the city continue with drastic, politically motivated talks of budget cuts. los inconvenientes que esto te pueda causar. Disculpa These men were my colleagues.they were my friends. But itd be a longer leap to go after his job, which his chief obviously doesnt want to do. SEATAC, Wash. Port of Seattle police Officer Greg Anderson may now be losing support from his fellow officers as he continue battling to hang on to his job after refusing to take down. #police #liberty #constitution #quarantine @unclesamsmisguidedchildren @eddiebravo10p @cameronrhanes @granderson33, A post shared by Greg Anderson (@granderson33) on May 11, 2020 at 6:15am PDT. I think many state governors are way over their skis when it comes to their actual powers. Is he? petition with the city auditor seeking to recall Fortney. PO Box 34986, Seattle, WA, 98124-4986 pic.twitter.com/4gpFQ7u1el. Greg Anderson is a police officer at the Port of Seattle in Washington who is on leave after posting a viral Instagram video about COVID-19 coronavirus orders. Does one person (a state governor) get to determine what defines a severe enough crisis which allows that same person to suspend the average citizens constitutional rights? Jay Inlslee is releasing violent felons who have gone on to commit new crimes. Greg has chosen this course of action even after he and I spoke and while also knowing that his actions were outside of well-established policy. In an update video posted Monday to his Instagram, Anderson says he has been terminated from the Port of Seattle Police Department and is on administrative leave pending an investigation. With that said, we social distance and stay at home out of respect for our elderly and vulnerable, not because our governors order it. SPD operates within a framework that divides the city into five geographical areas called "precincts". Officer Greg Anderson with the Port of Seattle Police Department posted the video on his Instagram account on May 6. In my case, the one main way that we are different is that I have the responsibility to make sure that all of my officers do what we all signed up to do which is to protect and serve all Americans. Port of Seattle Police Officer and Special Forces Veteran Greg Anderson made an inspirational video reminding police officers they do not have unlimited powers. Mark previously spent 26 years with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) including nine years as a Division and District Commander. What really has been pissing me off lately is the fact that these officers who have been going out here and enforcing these tyrannical orders. As of now, the page has raised over $200,000. Anderson posted the video May 5, addressing his concerns with police officers across the country enforcing quarantine orders administered by state and local governments. 2 Seattle cops who were at US Capitol in January are fired We need to build I felt like this was just the next step to helping people out, Alexa said. Address: Ive seen officers nationwide enforcing tyrannical orders against the people and Im hoping its the minority of officers, but Im not sure anymore, said Anderson in the video that now has over 600,000 views on his Instagram account. Covey had been on paid administrative leave since June 2020, when the investigation began. I was told by both the agency and my union that this will result in termination due to it being an insubordination charge for refusing to take down the video. Officers noted there appeared to be . I fell in love with its diversity, the way it's growing and I came into this job wanting to just help people and at the very base sense of it thats what I wanted to do..