Deputy racked up complaints, lawsuits -- then retired comfortably

MSNBC/Seattle Post Intelligencer ^ | 12/30/05 | LEWIS KAMB

[kiriath_jearim]

Deputy racked up complaints, lawsuits -- then retired comfortably

By LEWIS KAMB

The Seattle Post Intelligencer

Longtime Deputy Pat Covey quit the King County Sheriff's Office last year, leaving a wake of complaints, lawsuits and a conviction for criminal trespass in a domestic-violence case. Today Covey is an honorably retired peace officer, thanks to former Sheriff Dave Reichert, who did not act on department recommendations to fire him.

In fact, when the Sheriff's Office let Covey retire in October 2004, he was allowed to keep a state license to work as a cop -- even though he can't legally own a gun.

He kept his license with an assist from another department commander who sent a document to the state police licensing agency stating -- falsely -- that when Covey retired, the Sheriff's Office knew of no conduct or conviction that could disqualify him from holding a state police certification.

The Sheriff's Office knew well of a first-degree criminal-trespass conviction with a domestic-violence flag that took away Covey's gun rights -- among the criteria under state law that could warrant his license being revoked.

A King County jury had rendered its guilty verdict against Covey less than a month earlier, on Sept. 23, 2004.

A few weeks before that, two sheriff's commanders also recommended Covey be fired for breaking department rules. Instead, Reichert -- then in the midst of a hot congressional campaign -- allowed Covey to quietly slip into retirement about two weeks later, records show.

Covey, 51, is yet another example in a group of sheriff's deputies who have managed to complete their careers -- his spanned 26 years -- despite criminal behavior and other misconduct described in police parlance as "conduct unbecoming."

[Jack Black]

Seattle is extremely corrupt and is dragging the rest of the state down with it. Among other horrors they have foisted our faux-governor on us. She stole her election and the criminal groups that funded her theft, including the state employees union, John Kerry and the DNC are now pillaging the state.

As one example among many all State employees must now join the union. Hundreds have quit rather than be forced to join an immoral and corrupt organization.

[swmobuffalo]

We have a bozo like this down here but fortunately he's in jail for several years.