That's certainly a possibility, but I'm sure its more of the "good 'ol boy" network. Plus the troopers were union, too.
We need to shine some light on Monegan......
Off-duty officer who kicked parked car allowed to remain cop - 5-4 VOTE: Despite tampering with evidence, he’s valued by police chief and mayor.
Anchorage Daily News (AK) - December 3, 2003
Author: SHEILA TOOMEY Anchorage Daily News ; Staff
It was a close call, but the state Police Standards Council decided Monday to let Anchorage officer Jeffrey Martin keep the certification that allows him to work as a peace officer in Alaska.
In a 5-4 vote, the council rejected the recommendation of its hearing officer, who had concluded the 13-year veteran had to lose his certificate because of an August 1999 misdemeanor conviction that grew out of an off-duty parking dispute.
Hearing officer Jeff Feldman, an Anchorage attorney, concluded that Martin’s conviction for attempted tampering with evidence was a crime of dishonesty that required loss of his police certificate regardless of other factors. Martin also pleaded to one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief.
In his written findings, Feldman said he recommended decertification “with considerable unease” because of Martin’s “impressive record” as an officer, his obvious honesty and “genuine remorse” over his behavior.
Former Police Chief Duane Udland fired Martin after his 1999 conviction, but an arbitrator concluded that was too harsh a punishment and put him back to work. He is currently a patrol officer.
On Monday, Chief Walt Monegan testified in support of Martin. Monegan told the council that Mayor Mark Begich also supported letting Martin keep his ticket.
Martin’s trouble started in the Fifth Avenue parking garage. On a family shopping trip, off duty and not in uniform, Martin kicked a dent in the door of an Isuzu Trooper that had parked extremely close to his new SUV in an area where there were many empty spaces, according to court papers.
The driver of the Trooper was not present. Apparently annoyed that Martin had taken up two spaces, the driver had written “I dunno how to park” in the dust on Martin’s vehicle.
A passer-by saw Martin’s outburst, took down his license number and left a note for the Trooper owner, who called police. When police confiscated the shoes Martin had been wearing that day, the soles had been cut. Prosecutors concluded he had tried to short-circuit a match between the shoes and a shoe print on the Trooper door and threatened to charge him with felonies unless he pleaded to attempted tampering with evidence, according to his attorney, Ray Brown.
The cuts in Martin’s soles did not prevent a match with the print on the Trooper door, and Feldman said evidence that Martin intended to make a match impossible was “ambiguous.”
Daily News reporter Sheila Toomey can be reached at stoomey@adn.com or 257-4341.
Edition: Final
Section: Alaska
Page: B1
Record Number: 370589112/03/03
Copyright (c) 2003, Anchorage Daily News
(I know, he kicked a parked car, big deal, but it is a start)