09-03-1975 - Special
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CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EDGEWATER, FLORIDA
SPECIAL MEE'l'ING
SEPTEMBER 3, 1975
The special meeting of the City Council of the City of Edgewater,
Florida was called to order September 3, 1975, by Mayor David C.
Severance.
ROLL CALL
Mayor David C. Severance
Councilman Jacob Lodico
Councilman William H. Cairnie
Councilman Walter B. Sikes
Councilman Calvin R. Dietz
City Manager Dale N. Bryant
City Attorney Joseph E. Weaver
City Clerk Sue Blackwell
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Mayor Severance explained the procedure which will be followed
during the meeting tonight. He asked that everyone cooperate
and conduct themselves in proper manner, if anyone gets out of
order or disturbs the meeting, they will be escorted from the
hall. Each charge will be read, the City Manager will then have
the floor to make comments on that particular charge, then the
members of the Council will ask questions of the manager to that
item only, then Chief Katez and his counsel will have an opportunity
to rebut and questions will be asked by the Counci~ when all of this
is concluded questions from the floor may be asked if they pertain
to that item only, not statements of support or non support. Every-
one with a question is asked to come to the front and speak into the
microphone.
Chief Katez spoke to the audience asking them please to conduct them-
selves as law abiding citizens and accept the decision of the Council.
Tape 1
Side A
5 min.
Councilman Sikes was given the floor, he stated that he has talked to
Chief Katez and his Counsel, and like a lot of people present, it is
not the desire of the Council to hurt Mr. Katez as an individual.
The problem goes back some time, it was stated in the meeting of
July, 1974 which was open for the public, that he has no objection
to this except that he feels that there are certain places that you
should laundry your dirty linen and the public is not one of them.
Chief Katez stated at this meeting that he knows the Police Depart-
ment has problems. Councilman Sikes stated that we could leave this
meeting tonight and there will be a lot of them that will be hurt
other than possibly George, and we might have to make a decision
that will be an unpopular decision, based on certain things. Council-
man Sikes states that he spoke to Mr. Katez and he mentioned that he
had planned on possibly retiring, and that in October he will reach
the age of 62 and if the harrassment continues he plans to retire,
so, we talked along these lines and he has agreed along this bases
however he wants 10 minutes of this groups time to talk it over with
his attorney and because of the Sunshine Law we need to talk it among
the Council that we accept his resignation as of October 30 that we
pay him up to that time, that we grant him a leave of absence with
pay and with all the rights of insurance and hospitalization and that
all the charges be dropped and the hearing be dismissed. Mr. Sikes
stated that Chief Katez's attorney has asked that the Council vote
on this before we go further with this meeting, and Mr. Sikes stated
that he would like to add that subject to the resignation that as of
November 1st Mr. Katez will retire. Mr. Sikes made this in the form
of a motion, being seconded by Councilman Cairnie.
Mrs. Woodard asked if a new Chief would be hired and also paid at this
time.
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Mayor Severance stated that this will have to be discussed, however
a new Chief could not be found in thirty days.
Mr. Walter Gross spoke asking the City Manager to withdraw his
charges.
Mayor Severance stated that we have a motion and a second on the
floor, after this we can hear other motions.
Councilman Sikes stated that if this is accepted the meeting will
immediately adjuurn and no other motions be heard or business
taken care of.
Mr. Wharton asked if the Council would rescind the suspension?
Mayor Severance stated that the suspension would automatically be
rescinded if the motion carries.
Councilman Lodico asked if this would mean that the Chief would
still work until he retires?
Mayor Severance explained that a leave of absence would be given
to the Chief.
Marge Andrews asked why this was not put in the paper?
10 min.
Mayor Severance stated that it was not known about until now.
,
Bill Anders spoke to the Council that he was at the meeting the
other night and he left early, but he does remember that it was
said that nothing could be done except set a time for this hearing,
he would like to know how the Chief could be suspended?
Mayor Severance stated that we are getting out of order and we are
not on the question at hand.
Mr. Anders stated that he would like to ask the Chief if this will
be a long term thing?
Chief Katez stated that he could save the ten minutes by saying
right now that his answer will be no.
Mayor Severance stated that there is a motion and a second on the
floor. Upon roll call vote said motion CARRIED. All Councilmen
voting YES.
Mayor Severance stated that now we need an answer from the Chief
as to whether he will acc~pt the motion.
Chief Katez stated that he will not accept the recommendation.
Mayor Severance stated that we will begin with the charges.
Mayor Severance read the memorandum from the City Manager to the
City Council recommending the termination of the Chief of Police.
#1. The charge was read in full by Mayor Severance.
15 min.
Mr. Bryant was given the floor, he stated that the memorandum
was self explanatory. He stated that the Council was made aware
of this procedure and the procedure was followed for a two to
three month period of time and then it just stopped. Mr. Bryant
added that he received no questions or suggestions concerning this
procedure therefore we proceeded with the procedure as he had outlined.
Councilman Lodico - Was this carried out?
Mr. Bryant - Yes, for two or three months.
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Chief Katez - We did have a departmental request forms and we made
those out for about three months. Mrs. Leclair said there were no
more in the safe. I asked Mr Bryant about the things and he said
keep on reporting. OUr dispatchers wrote the location of the street
and everything on a sheet of paper and put this slip of paper on
Mr. Martine's spindle, Mr. Martine's man would come in the next
morning and pick up all messages on his spindle and go out and take
care of the work. The work was done, and I went to Mr. Bryant about
it, and this is where I possibily made my mistake by not getting the
answer in writing.
20 min.
Mr. Woods - This is beauro~cy at its best. The paperwork involved
in reporting simple potholes in the street requires complete reports,
three copies, whereas a note would have done the same thing.
Joe Martine - Stated that he is the person in charge of repairing
potholes and washouts in the streets of Edgewater. - We pick up the
slips in City Hall and I send the boys out to fix it.
Mr. Woods - Is it true that you have a man that circulates throughout
the City of Edgewater looking for potholes and washouts.
Joe Martine - Not every day, but about once a week we do.
Mr. Woods - All of this paper work, when a telephone call to Mr.
Martine accomplishes the same thing.
Councilman Sikes - Mr. Martine has anyone reported a pothole on
Indian River Boulevard east of U.S. 1?
Mr. Martine - Yes, and we haven't had time to get to it, because
we just got it last week.
Councilman Sikes - Have you been getting these reports weekly or
daily from the spindle on the Clerk's desk?
Mr. Martine - Yes, and we got them there before too.
Councilman Sikes - Did you ever give a report back to the City
Manager that you had attempted to fill certain pot holes on certain
streets?
Mr. Martine - We keep track of them ourself, anything you want to
know we will tell you.
Councilman Lodico - These potholes that you are talking about are
they reported to you by the Police Department or citizens or you
find them yourselves?
25 min.
Mr. Martine - Some by the police, some by the public and some we
find ourselves.
Mayor Severance - Have you received any of those forms from the
Police Department in the last six months?
Mr. Martine - No, no form, but the slips of paper are received from
the Police Department.
Mayor Severance - So, you are still receiving communications on paper
in writing from the Police Department personnel in regards to pot holes
and street conditions at the present time.
Mr. Martine - Yes,
Councilman Lodico - Did anyone order you the forms, did the Chief
order the forms?
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#2. The charge was read in full by Mayor Severance.
Mr. Bryant - After coming to Edgewater and talking to certain
members of the Police department it appeared to me that there
was almost a total lack of, if you will, training outside of
the required training required by the State in order to serve
the capacity of a police officer. I felt that in presenting
a training program to our police department that it would make
better officers out of them, to better serve the public in a
capacity other than strictly patrolling as my memorandum indicates
I did have some discussion with the Chief on the matter and he
apparently concurred with me and consequently I wrote the memo-
randum to the Chief.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant, exactly what type of training program
did you have in mind for the officers? And you said that you
were going to give him some direction, did you do this?
Mr. Bryant - I asked the Chief to establish, if you will, a
training program, he very obviously did not Prepare the training
courses and decide to communicate because I received no answer
of it.
Mr. Woods - Your answer is unresponsive, Mr. Bryant, what direction
did you give him and what type of training program did you have in
mind?
Mr. Bryant - The mayor just got through reading the memorandum
Mr. Woods - I asked you, not the mayor.
15 min. Mr. Bryant - And I will add, I asked the Chief
Mr. Woods - Isn't it true that all of the officers have received
some training, that was brought about by work scheduling by Chief
Katez, so that these men could receive the training? Mr. Woods
listed the following men under training programs: Officer Kelley,
Officer Tillotson, Officer Page, Officer Realmuto, all officers
except McCall, Westfall and Page have had 40 hours of the breathalizer
training.
Chief - Officer Rickelman is going through a correspondence course
of Institute of Applied Science.
Mr. Bryant - I would like to ask each of the officers if they were
taking any of these classes through the suggestion of the Chief or
by his assistance or if any arrangements were being made by the
Chief or did they arrange these extra curricular activities on their
own.
Mayor Severance - Each officer may answer yes or no to that question,
or you may reserve the right to answer no comment.
Officer Rickelman - The Council was approached by Chief Katez about
my course.
Officer Westfall - The Chief assisted me in essence of working my
schedule around so that I could attend school.
Officer Realmuto - The Chief did assist me, I was encouraged to go
to this school by the Chief.
20 min.
Officer Page - The Chief is assisting me in the scheduling so that
I can attend school.
Officer Tillotson - I am now attending Daytona Beach Junior College
and my schedule was worked so that I could attend school.
Mr. Bryant - During the month of March was there some confusion on
your part because of the lack of long-term scheduling, if you will,
for shift work to the point that you did not know if you could attend
school?
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Councilman Lodico - It is not the citizens decision as to whether
the Chief is to be fired, they did not hire Mr. Katez, we are the
responsible party.
Mayor Severance - There will be no further statements made from
the Councilor the floor in regard to the procedures of the City
Council.
Les Coals - Asked the Chief if he could cover all the streets in
Edgewater, and still have men patroling?
Chief Katez - No.
Councilman Lodico - We never intended the Chief to go out and look
for pot holes, that is what he has men for, while they are out
patrolling this is when they are to report these conditions.
Ruth Yule - Asked the City Manager if he doesn't think that our
Police Department has more important things to do than to look
for potholes in the City of Edgewater.
Mr. Bryant - It was not my intent for Police Officers to fill out
this report, they would, while they are patrolling, they could
radio the dispatcher, and the dispatcher could fill out the reports.
Chief Katez - I would like to point out to the Council that the job
was done, it just wasn't done in the manner that the City Manager
wanted it done. We were out of the forms, I went to him with the
situation, there was nothing done, so we continued doing it the best
way we could.
Mr. Bryant - I submit, that we are in
the City Clerk just went over to City
that we are talking about right here.
ask the daytime dispatcher, as a matter
forward and answer yes or no if she did
out of the forms.
fact, not out of the forms,
Hall and here are the forms
I would further like to
of fact, if she would come
tell the Chief that we were
Mayor Severance - I would like to ask the daytime dispatcher to come
forward please.
Mrs. Woodard asked if she would be under oath.
Mayor Severance - Mr. Martine was not under oath, This is a question
and you can answer yes or no and you reserve the right to answer no
comment if you so desire.
Mrs. Leclair - No.
At this time Mr. BRyant repeated the question for Mr. Lodico.
Mr. Woods - Another words she did not tell the Chief that we were out
of forms.
10 min.
Mr. Bryant - She didn't tell him that we were out of forms, he just
got finished saying that we were out of forms and he came in and
told me that we were out o~ ~orms.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant, and Council members, I think that this is
so petty that it doesn't even bear decision.
Mrs. Opel - Why did she ask if she had to take an oath, i~ she had
to take an oath, she would answer the question, so she is lying.
Mayor Severance - She did not ask if she had to take an oath, Mrs.
Woodard did.
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Mr. Woods - That is irrelevant
Mr. Bryant - I say it is relevant, because I am the one who insisted
upon the long-term schedule in order to allow this type of training.
The mayor will verify the fact because he and I had several discussions
on the matter.
Mayor Severance - I want no question left unanswered or unasked,
because if we are going to open this up we are going to open it
up all the way.
Officer Tillotson - I did have a conversation with the City Manager
and I made it known that I desired to go to school, Mr. Bryant did
recommend that I put it in writing and follow the correct channels
and write a memo to the Chief. I did this, and my schedule was
arranged so that I could attend school.
Chief Katez - Officer Tillotson, when the work schedule came out,
is it true that I said to you that it would be arranged so that
you could attend school?
Officer Tillotson - Yes, Chief Katez did say that regardless of
how the shift was set up I would be able to attend school.
Chief Katez - Mayor, did you come up with the idea of a watts list
of a year in advance before Mr. Bryant came here?
Mayor Severance - Yes I did
Mr. Bryant - Mayor, is it not true that you and I had a discussion
on this year's worth of scheduling, and did not I indicate to you
that I was having some trouble in receiving this schedule and if
we gave the Chief a deadline for which to submit a schedule?
Mayor Severance - Yes, I discussed this with the Chief in the past
and I have discussed it with Mr. Bryant and had it put in memorandum
form as a matter of a morale factor that the schedule be made up one
year in advance, however I believe I told the Chief six months in
advance so that the officers would be able to know ahead of time
when they would be working.
Chief Katez - Mr. Bryant did I not ask you for an extension on that
deadline because it was almost utterly impossible with the other
memorandums you had given me, and you refused that extension?
Mr. Bryant - No sir I did not, it was discussed with the Mayor,
and you were, in fact, given the extension on that deadline.
Tape 2
Side A
Mayor Severance - I can not say what developed between you and
the Chief in regards to the extension, however I did aproach you
and I did approach the Chief because of another assignment he had
in allowing him to have an extension of time to prepare the watts
list so that the other item could be taken care of.
Mr. Bryant - Officer Tillotson, I believe you indicated to me that
you had approached the Chief prior to your letter to me requesting
a watts schedule to allow you to go to school, and this is why I
told you that we would go to the chain of command, give the Chief
a request which will come to me and then we would go back down through
the channels.
Officer Tillotson - Yes, at that time the schedule of the shifts was
debatable and it was all tied up in the air.
Chief Katez - Officer Tillotson, did I know that you had been to the
City Manager when I promised you that we would work out the watts
list so that you could go to school?
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Officer Tillotson - I don't remember, however I mentioned it in the letter.
Chief Katez - You told me verbally before I got the letter though,
is that right?
Officer Tillotson - Yes
Mr. Bryant - I still say that it boils down to the fact that I
had asked for a progressive training program, I asked for a program
to be laid out, following the development of the program I asked
that it be coordinated with myself and that we would then develop
recommendations to go to the Merit Board for all of the persons
such as the City Council and I submit sir, that this has not been
accomplished.
Mayor Severance - What you are saying, Mr. Bryant, is that you have
not received in writing from the Chief the request you had in re-
gards to a program being developed for subsequent Merit Board
presentation, is that correct?
Mr. Bryant - Yes.
Councilman Lodico - How long ago was it that you asked this to be
done, one month, or what, I am speaking of the scheduling.
Mr. Bryant - This memorandum is dated October 2, 1974, and I believe
I received a schedule for one year in advance in April, 1975.
Mr. Woods - What kind of training program are you talking about?
These officers have attended Daytona Beach Community College and
are receiving professional training without costing the City of
Edgewater the payment of any over time, how do you respond to that?
Mr. Bryant - This is exactly why we have a PoliceChief, and I would
think that as the head of that department he, being in police work,
if you will, could administer those courses that might be helpful
in carrying out their jobs. Mr. Mayor, I still maintain that I
made the request and it was not carried out, and if in fact, the
Chief felt that we did not need the training program he should have
answered my memorandum in writing, stating why, and in fact if he
did have one why didn't he report to me in fact that we did have
one.
Chief - I will answer Mr. Bryant, if he didn't know it, who signed
the devise for me to get the money that the men had to go to the
breathalizer test, it had to be okayed by Mr. Bryant, and I went
to Mr. Bryant and asked him for them to go.
Chief - Mr. Weaver, how long have I been trying to get you and
Jud~on Woods to hold a training for court procedures in my Police
office.
Mr. Weaver - Yes, we did discuss that, about the time that Mr. Woods
came on as Municipal Judge.
Chief - Why was it never carried out.
Mr. Weaver - Because of pressing matters, we just never got around
to it.
Mr. Taylor - As I remember, Mr. Bryant did not have control over
the Police Department at this time.
Mr. Bryant - Reading from the Ordinance which gave him authority
over the Police Department, it was dated the 30th day of September,
1974.
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Jim Nichols - I would like to know what specific training was to
be established by the Police Chief if the City Manager was in
charge of the Police Department.
Mayor Severance - The City Manager is in charge of the departments
administratively, in regard to any type of education, training, etc,
I would even myself assume that the Department Heads would know
what of training those particular people under him should have.
Mr. Nichols - What about the pay raises for these men who received
the training.
Mayor Severance - This would have to be suggested by the Chief,
and the Merit Board.'
Mr. Odell - Based on your past administration of Police Departments,
is the training, scheduling, not usually set up by a training officer
and not by the Chief of Police?
Mr. Bryant - In this case, since the Police Department did not have
specified officer with that duty, then it fell on the Police Chief.
Mr. Odell - Would that have not been more in order than the Chief
of Police to do?
Mr. Bryant - If the Chief thought that it was advisable to have a
training officer he should have advised me that he was appointing
one.
Mr. Odell - With a City which has had no training program what would
be a normal time limit for setting up a full training program?
Mr. Bryant - A month is ample time to at least draw up an outline
and call some people and coordinate some activities.
Chief -Lt. Snell is the training officer for New Smyrna Beach and
I did attempt to set up a program for the next time New Smyrna
Beach P.D. had a training program that my officer would be allowed
to attend.
Mrs. Katez - If the City Manager did not specify what type of
training program he was talking about, and these officers have
testified that they are receiving training, doesn't that answer
the questions?
Mr. Bryant - What I asked for the development of a program and
coordination with myself which was never made. I suggest requesting
a recommendation from the Merit Board for presentation to the City
Council and it has not been done.
15 min.
#3. The charge was read in full by Mayor Severance.
Mr. Bryant - Shortly after I came here I noticed that the flag was
being flown 24 hours a day, I brought this to the attention to the
City Council. I did quite a bit of research on the proper display
of the American flag, it is a Federal Law that the flag be displayed
properly, and I was instructed by the City Council, if you will, to
see that the flag was properly displayed and handled in a proper
manner and in my reports to the City Council I indicated that because
the Police Department did serve three shifts a day around the clock
that it is my opinion that it would be most practical, if you would,
that this duty be assigned to officers while they were on patrol to
handle the matter. I received no objections to this procedure and
accordingly wrote the memorandum as is attachment #3.
20 min.
Councilman Sikes - We might mention that we had numerous calls from
people complaining that the flag was being flown at half mass and
so on.
-9-
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Councilman Lodico - Was their order obeyed or was it disobeyed
very often?
Mr. Bryant - I have on several occasions when I just happened to
be down here in the evenings and one morning I came to work early
about 5:30 and the flag was up at that time. I can't commemorate
by date a condition under which the flag was improperly displayed.
Councilman Cairnie - Was there any system set up so that the dis-
patcher would remind an officer that the flag was still up?
Mr. Bryant - If there was, it was not to my knowledge.
Chief - The dispatchers weren't notified by me to notify the officers,
a lot of times the officer would get busy, not just forget to do it.
Mr. Bryant, what illegal way was that flag flying, and what time?
Mr. Bryant - The most recent occasion was August 26, as a matter of
fact it was on a Tuesday evening when we had bingo here and the
flag was still flying at 10:30 P.M. and wet.
Chief - This is the point I am getting at, the officer was probably
busy and couldn't get to it. As far as the flag flying illegally,
are you talking about the time that you came in and it was down at
half mass?
Mr. Bryant - I didn't say anything about that, I know how that
happened.
Chief - You didn't want to say anything, but it is in my charges
and I would like to tell the Council, why and the attitude you
had on it. I have an offense report made out by an officer.
Mr. Byrant - Yes, I walked out of City Hall one day and the flag
was flying at half mass, I went back into City Hall and I asked
if someone died that I am not aware of? The answer was, the rope
slipped and what the answer was to me was lets get a longer rope.
25 min.
Chief - What reply did you make to the officer? The point that I
am trying to bring out here Councilmen, that this is just, assinine,
I would like to read Mr. Bryant's comment to the officer.
Mr. Bryant - Mayor, before Chief reads that, I am very well aware
of it, and I want to tell you the tenure of the situation and the
officer involved was Officer Page. I was simply asking why the
flag was flying at half mass and the next thing I know I have a
written report on my desk. I thought it was something of a facetious
nature, if you will, so I answered it in a facetious tone, if you will,
and then here comes another one, so I walked in the clerk's office
and I said wait a minute, this has got to stop, I considered this
to be in a facetious tone and I answered you in the same tone.
'rape 2
Side B
Chief - It just so happens Mr. Bryant that you just happened to
get a copy of all the men's reports that I get from my officers.
Your answer to him was if the Edgewater P.D. has trouble stretching
rope in order to prevent same from slipping, the City Manager will
be glad to give individual or group instructions on how to accomplish
such a difficult task. Now I ask you is that how a grown man as
head of a department is to answer a police officer?
Mr. Bryant - As a matter of fact I indicated before Chief Katez
read that the tenure in which I wrote it because I didn't feel
like that when I came back into City Hall and asked why the flag
was flying at half mass that I needed a written report, if you will.
-10-
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Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant, who furnished you with the code of citations
on flag raising?
Mr. Bryant - As a matter of fact, my wife did, she got it from the
library in Daytona Beach.
Mr. Woods - Is it illegal to fly the flag at night?
Mr. Bryant - Yes.
Mr. Woods - Why is the flag flying over the capital day and night
with a light on it?
Mr. Bryant - By presidential proclamation, and no where in all the
instances that they spell out where the flag can be flown at night
with a light, I might add, does it say in there in front of the
Edgewater Community Center, or in front of the volunteer fire depart-
ment of Edgewater.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant before you came here we had a flag displayed
out front with a light on it, and it was removed, is this correct?
Mr. Bryant - REading from the flag code: The flag should be flown
only from sunrise to sunset upon special o~casions, however it may
be displayed at night to produce the patriotic effect.
Mr. Woods - That answers the question
Mr. Bryant - Another words, at sports events, and it enumerous
certain events.
Mr. Woods - If you are such an expert about flag raising, why don't
you raise it when you come here in the morning and lower it when
you leave in the evening, or have the custodian do it instead of
having a police officer do it and take him off of duty.
Mr. Bryant - Because I asked the police department to do it and
that ought to be sufficient, until my bosses tell me that I
shouldn't do it.
Mr. Woods - That is the indication that you could direct Mr. Katez
to draw hopscotch lines down the front of Community Center and he
would have to do it?
Mr. Bryant - If that's what the City Council directed me to have
done that is exactly what I would do.
Mr. Woods - I think every tax payer here would revolt.
Martha Rich - I have two grandsons who are in the service, and
my son flies his flag in front of his home day and night and he
will until they come home.
Mayor Severance - That is a private home, I argued the question
myself, the law does spell it out, and you must receive permission
from the U.S. Congress to do so.
Councilman Lodico - We are missing the entire point, as I see it,
this Council has directed the City Manager, and he does what we
say or else.
Mayor Severance - Chief, did you at any time, once you received
this memo from the City Manager in regard to the flag raising, did
you at any time in writing or verbally instruct your police officers
to carry out this order?
Chief - It was done verbally, they are all well aware of it.
Mayor Severance - Did you say earlier that you in fact did instruct
the dispatchers to remind or contact the officers and tell them the
flag was still up.
-11-
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Chief - I said that I did not tell them.
Tape 2
Side B
5 min.
Betty Bosse - Chief Katez, do I have to wait for an officer to
take the flag down when there is a prowler outside of my house?
Chief Katez - No mam.
Betty Bosse - Have you or any of your men ever been disrespectful
to the American flag?
Chief - No mam.
Mr. Clinton - Mr. Bryant, you stated that when you were hired you
noticed the way the flag had been flown around here and you took
it on yourself to do the checking up.
Mr. Bryant - I brought it to the attention of the City Council
and then I made a report on it.
Mr. Clinton - When did you take office, Mayor?
Mayor Severance - Late January or early February, 1974.
Mr. Clinton - The flag was flown at half mass when Mr. Dimm died,
is that correct?
Mayor Severance - That is correct.
Mr. Clinton - Mr. Bevel brought it up to the City Council about
the flag because he had people complaining about it,when Mr. Bryant
got to this job he has right now did not the City Council tell him,
did Mr. Bevel bring encyclopedias and did everybody concerned look
at encyclopedias, and we did not know anything about the flag, and
when he made the statement a while ago that he was the one who saw
how the flag was being flown in Edgewater and that he is the one
who brought it to the Council is an untrue statement, and you people
know it.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that apparently when these other occasions
were brought to the City Council that I was not here and wasn't
aware that it had been brought to the Council, if in fact, it had.
I simply brought it up, I was directed by the Council to take care
of it. I might like to add, in regard to any disrespect was
shown to the flag bv members of the Police Department, and I sub-
mit sir, that I would like to ask Mr. Weaver if he was in the
Police Department in the early hours of Sunday morning and what
conditions in which he found the two flags in the Police Department.
Mr. Weaver - Yes I was there with Mr. Bryant and I found the two
flags wadded up on top of the fili~g cabinet.
Mrs. Murphy - With all of this talking and arguing that is going
on, I wonder if there is a job description sheet of the duties,
responsibilities and procedures of the Police Chief of the City
of Edgewater?
Mayor Severance - I have never seen a writen job description of
any of the department heads of the City.
Mrs. Murphy - Who determines these responsibilities?
Mayor Severance - Should be determined by the City Council and
the City Manager?
Mrs. Murphy - And this is on a day to day basis; any day you can
see something else that you feel should be the responsibility of
the Chief?
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Mayor Severance - At the present time, yes.
Mrs. Murphy - Who places the priority on the duties,responsibilites
and procedures of the Chief?
Mayor Severance - It would be up to the Chief of Police, I might
add that the City Charter does in fact give in my opinion,generaliza-
tion not in specifics as to the duties of the department heads, but
it is not a specific job description.
Mr. Nichols - I would like to know if any of these Councilmen has
seen a uniformed officer in any City do the daily raising and
lowering of the flag, outside of the military?
Mayor Severance - Yes sir
Councilman Dietz - Orlando
Mayor Severance - New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, the custodian
for Edgewater is a part time employee.
#4. The charge was read in full by Mayor Severance.
Mr. Bryant - In connection with this memorandum, it was indicated
to me that the Chief was to be a working chief, and he was to
patrol a certain number of hours a day, it was also indicated to
me by members of this City Council that prior to coming to Edge-
water, the Chief had been directed by the City Council, in fact,
to patrol four hours a day. Is this true Mayor?
Mayor Severance - Yes sir, by motion, second and the unanimous
vote of the Council he was instructed to patrol four hours of each
day.
Mr. Bryant - Reletive to that,with the administrative duties that
I placed on the Chief I felt that a minimum of two hours a day
would be sufficient, with the administrative duties that I placed
on him to carry out certain instructions for which the City Council
had directed me to do or that I had discussed with individual mem-
bers of the Council as to what some of my plans were for, if you
will, carrying out certain administrative programs. If you will
recall the memorandum concerning the report that I requested in
order to keep informed on all of these things that I had aaked
the Chief to take care of, some of them would take a few hours,
some of them would take a few d~ys to set up, but I realized that
there might be a conflict, if you will, in order to accomplish
some of these administrative duties with his patrolling, so there-
fore I did say that I realize that there would be days that he can't
and to please report this, not a day to day activity, but to report
by exception when this directive could not be carried out.
15 min.
Chief - I did patrol, sometimes I was out 45 minutes a day and some-
times I was out three hours a day. This was not done in order from
9 to 12, sometimes it was cut in half because I would be called back
into the City Hall, however if the radio log was kept accurately, it
is on the radio log. I asked Mrs. Leclair to put it on the radio log
every time I was in that car whether it was 10 minutes or an hour.to
If it was accurately kept, it is on that radio log.
Mr. Bryant - As a matter of fact, I submit, that the radio log will
show that he in fact did not patrol for two hours a day or anywhere
near it.
Mr. Woods - We would like to see the induction of that evidence.
Mr. Bryant - That is a matter of public record in the City Hall
-13-
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...,
Mr. Woods - I think the records could verify what you are saying,
but I think you would be waisting everybody's time here trying to
go throught.
Mr. Bryant - Mr. Katez was the one who entered into evidence the
radio log.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant, you have a statement in here that you are
of the opinion that there is a direct corrilation between patrolling
and the issuance of traffic violations. Did you ever make the state-
ment to Mr. Katez that you were dissatisfied with the amount of fines
and forfeitures that are collected by the City of Edgewater, Florida?
Mr. Bryant - No sir, I don't recall making that statement.
Mr. Woods - But you said a direct corrilation is that correct?
Mr. Bryant - Yes sir, I say if you don't patrol, you can't write
tickets.
Mr. Woods - Which is more important, writing traffic tickets or
patrolling for crime?
Mr. Bryant - The question that you ask Mr. Woods, is very obvious,
however, I am not going to answer the kind of question, I am just
not going to do it.
Mr. Woods - This is what you expect Chief Katez to do, besides
serving as the one man Chamber of Commerce for the City of Edgewater
to go around and checking businesses to see how they are doing?
Mayor Severan ce - I directed the City Manager to instruct the Chief
of Police and as I remember I told George in many discussions that I
thought that it was proper in a community of this size for the
businesses to get to know the Chief of Police and for him to verbally
to have conversations with them while out on patrol, now as far as
traffic tickets go I dont think it was the feeling on the City
Managers part that the Chief of Police should patrol and see whether
you can write a ticket. However, if a patrolman is out patrolling
he is going to write a ticket. It is my opinion that it is impor-
tant that the businesses learn and know and have the respect of
the Chief of Police and his department.
Mr. Woods - Have you had any complaints from the businesses about
the Chief of Police?
Mayor Severance - I have had none from the businesses.
20 miIJ..
Councilman Lodico - I have had people ask me why there is no patrol-
man on the school crossing on Ocean and the Highway?
Chief - The County has taken over the school zoning on all County
road and State Roads, however the City Manager did ask me to take
the school zone at Ocean and Old County Road, which I did do until
the end of school last year.
Councilman Sikes - Chief, you stated a minute ago that if the log
was kept correctly it would show that you patrolled two hours a day.
Who keeps that log?
Chief - Mrs. Leclair, the daytime dispatcher.
Mrs. Leclair was not in the audience so that she could be questioned.
Mr. Woods - Do all the department heads make a monthly report to you?
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Mr. Bryant - I receive a report from the Water and Sewer Departments
by subject, if you will, concerning the matters of the respective
departments.
25 min. Mr. Woods - Through a memorandum on December 16, 1974 to Chief
Katez: Please advise me at your earliest convenience a status
report of those projects you have been assigned. I would like
this report in writing and submitted to me by the 15th of each
month until the items have been concluded. Once one item has
been completed and reported complet~, drop it from the report.
Also there is a list of the various items. December 30, 1974
the Chief wrote a memorandum back to you which read that : In
order to carry out subject pursuant to the list in the memorandum
dated December16, 1974, this will be carried out as soon as pos-
sible. Is this not correct?
Mr. Bryant - Do you have the list of items there?
Mr. Woods - read the 13 items which were listed on the memorandum
dated December 16, 1975. Mr. Woods read from the memorandum of
the Chief in regard to each of these items.
Tape 3
Side A
Mr. Bryant - I maintain that there has never been a schedule of
the police vehicles to certain officers while on duty, and that
in fact an additional personnel safety program was initiated and
in fact, died, and that the automobile safety program was initiated
and that died. In other words they aren't being done today, and
these three items particularly are to be carried on.
Mr. Woods - I think that the Chief has answered your question about
patrolling and the memorandums we can get to later, there is another
memorandum: To the City Manager, there are no memorandums from you
on record for me to report on. Pursuant to your instructions I
have placed Pete putting up signs on Juniper and Royal Palm Streets,
Mr. Woods read the entire memorandum mentioning other activities,
and stating that if there are any parts you have mentioned today
that I have not completed please refresh my memory and I will be
glad to attend to them.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that that is a report received February 15th
and of course we are speaking on the item here #5 on my memorandum
and I submit that there is no report for August, July or June.
Mayor - What we are reporting of is the monthly reports.
Mr. Woods - You said that you wanted the reports by exception,
is that not correct?
Mr. Bryant - Yes sir, I can still maintain that the radio log will
show that the patrolling of two hours a day was not done.
Mr. Woods - You do not have the radio log to prove your statement.
Mr. Bryant - As a matter of fact it was the Chief who brought the
radio log in in the first place, and I submit that if he brought
them in you should produce them to verify your clients statement.
Chief - I did say that if the radio log was accurately kept by the
day dispatcher.
Mr. Woods - One clarification, Mr. Bryant, certain proof is upon
you, you have made the charges, and proof has not been made.
Mr. Bryant - I did not speak to the radio logs in any of my memor-
andums.
Councilman Cairnie - It says on the memorandum that the reports
are to be received by the 15th of the month, did you receive that
report?
Mr. Bryant - I did through the month of May.
-15-
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Mayor - You have not received a monthly report since May from
the Chief?
Mr. Bryant - No.
Counse~man Sikes - Chief, did you at any time get any of your
officers to help you with any of these duties you had to do?
Chief - Not that I recall.
Councilman Sikes - Why not?
Chief - Because I had orders from the City Mangger to do it myself.
I might bring up a point on the occupational license checks; I got
some static from the business people about coming and asking for
these licenses. They said that this has never been done before,
the copies are in City Hall. I did ask Mr. Bryant for assistance
from myofficers to do this, and he said do it yourself.
Councilman Sikes - Of course anything pertaining to the Police
Department would have had to be through direction by you, now
wouldnt it have been easier for you to ask some of the patrolmen
to help you out on some of these items?
Chief - Yes, but it seems that Mr. Bryant is trying to put my men
on the spot about not reporting, I did not ask them because I was
directed by Mr. Bryant to do things myself. They were instructed
on the flag and on the potholes.
Councilman Sikes - You would not have felt at ease if he had directed
these duties to any other officer, the only way he could direct it
to the police officers is to direct it to you, not necessarily for
you to do all of the work, but for you to see that it was done.
Chief - Mr. Sikes, the situation was that the way that it was
directed to me, I understood that I had to do it.
5 min.
Mayor - Lets clarify something, you did in fact come to me and
request that I talk to the City Manager to allow you or to ask
him the question could you assign the duty of occupational license
check to an officer in your department, and the reason for your
request to do so was because.you at the same time were instructed
by myself and the City Manager to come up with a watts list for
one year in advance. These two items overlapped each other and
you could not work on the watts list and complete the occupational
license check at the same time and meet the dead line, therefore
your request was that you utilize an officer to do the occupational
license check so that you could devote full time on the watts list.
However, you were in essence given an extension on the occupational
license check.
Chief - This is the point I was trying to make, I was denied a
request of another month on the watts list. I was given the ex-
tension on the occupational license, not the watts list.
Mayor - That is right.
Mr. Armenio - The Chief has stopped several times to talk to me
during business hours.
Paul Walls - I would like to ask the size of the administrative
staff of the Police Department?
Mayor - I would say one and a half.
Paul Walls - If the Chief is the administrative staff,where did he
find the time to answer all of the City Manager's memos and still
have time to go out and patrol for two hours?
-16-
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Mr~. Katez - Getting back to where you said about the memos you
requested on the 15th of the month and they stopped off in May.
Did you not say that you did not request a daily report on activities,
did you not say that he wanted a report on an exception bases, in
fact, when certain things did not happen or when a routine or
schedule was broken or when certain activities occur?
Mayor - There was a memo to that effect, what brought that memo
about was a discussion between me and the Police Chief in regards
to preparing a detailed drawing of what he does, this is not the
intent, the intent was as you read, by exception, if he didn't
patrol, why, for example he was in court on Tuesday morning.
Mrs. Katez - Then if those things didn't occur he was to report?
Mayor - That is correct.
Mrs. Katez - Mr. Bryant, did you request Mr. Katez to gather up
all of his memos because you didn't have yours, and make you a
copy of them in the City hall on the xerox machine so that you
would know what you had given him and what he had to answer.
10 min. Mr. Bryant - In the first place, on some occasions when I give a
memorandum out I don't necessarily need a copy of it, so therefore
I did not retain a copy, I didn't even have a copy made. Secondly,
Mrs. Katez - Doesn't that give an indication that the Chief of
Police was pretty up on his job that he had all your memos, and
all the answers to them?
Mr. Bryant - I maintain, that he didn't have them all, as a matter
of fact ~ou claim that you have a copy of all the memorandums and
all of the answers, and I maintain that if this is so the Chief
again has not followed orders by giving me everything he had,
because I have memorandas that he did not give me copies of.
Mrs. Katez - You asked for all the memorandas that were pertaining
to the charges being brought here tonight.
Mr. Bryant - No, I asked for all of them period, as a matter of
fact, if again I might add, he gave me a whole tassle of memorandas
and as a matter of fact in some cases three and four copies of the
same memorandum that didn't even pertain to this subject matter,
and for your information I have them right here.
Mrs. Katez - Can you say that the Chief of Police hasn't worked
14 to 16 hours a day for the three years that he has been chief
of this City.
Mr. Bryant - I can't say that he has.
Mrs. Katez - You can't say that he hasn't.
Mr. Bryant - The radio log will show when he goes la-54.
Mrs. Katez - If Mrs. Leclair kept the radio log correctly, it will
prove that he did. It will also prove that he answered your memos
up to the time that you told him that if he did not complete a
project, then report to you that you did not require a report unless
the project was not finished.
Mr. Bryant - I have already stated that I asked for a report on the
occasions when these things did not occur.
Councilman Sikes - Mr. Katez, why did Mr. Bryant not get copies of
these memorandas to begin with rather than make them and leave them
lying on your desk, I mean the ones from you. Why did you make
several copies and not give him one.
Chief - He got a copy of every memoranda that I had.
Mr. Bryant - I maintain that these are the memorandas that were
brought to me and I maintain that there are several copies of the
same memorandum in that bunch right there.
-17-
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..."
Chief - I can answer that, Mr. Sikes on this xerox machine there
is a dial for the number of copies, and at times I forgot to check
the dial and instead of getting one copy I got several, and I
imagine that the girls in the City Hall have done the same thing
many times, is that right Mrs. Blackwell?
City Clerk - Yes sir.
#6,#7, and #8 - The items were read in full by Mayor Severance.
15 min.
Councilman Sikes - Mr. Katez did you establish a vehicle inspection
program?
Chief - I have what you call a discrepancy sheet, at Mr. Bryant's
request, he and I thought it out and I brought a copy to Mr. Bryant
and he said put it into effect, and I did, I have them here now.
Councilman Sikes - Do the patrolmen have the cars checked before
they take them out?
Chief - The officer who drives that vehicle inspects it and if
there are any discrepancies he leaves a note and it is taken
care of the next morning at the City garage.
Mayor - It states in the paragraph that the program was initially
started however no discrepancies have been posted in the last four
months which has led to a passive approach in correcting any
discrepancies on vehicles and equipment. Will you give me an
answer to this please.
Chief - I have a discrepancy sheet for all City yard vehicles,
Water Department, Sewer Depatment and the City yard. I have
very few discrepancies and they have Mr. Martine's name on most
of them and they have been corrected and the sheet is in my office.
20 min. Mayor - This means that it was taken care of immediately?
Chief - Yes. The sheets are in my office and I will be glad to
show them to you.
Mayor - If the vehicle is not repaired in a particular time,
depending on the seriousness of it, it would be put out of service
until it is maintained.
Chief - I might bring out the fact that it took me 15 days to get
a tire for the Water Depa~tment truck because it took Mr. Bryant
15 days to issue an order to buy a tire.
Mr. Bryant - When a request for a purchase order is filled out
and the reason for the purchase is stated it doesn't take any
15 days to decide whether I am going to sign it or not, most
particularly if it is pertaining to a safety element.
Chief - I hate to put the City employees in the middle, but the
superintendent of the Water Department can veri~y this, and I
wrote Mr. Bryant several memos on this tire.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Martine is there vehicle inspection made on a
daily bases?
Mr. Martine - Yes, every day, the drivers come in at nights and
make a report, we get the reports and fix them.
25 min.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Martine, while you are up here, there has been
some complaint also that Mr. Katez has failed to initiate a per-
sonnel safety program. Did you, in fact, attend a safety program
that was conducted by Florida Department of Commerce at New Smyrna
Beach?
-18-
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Mr. Woods read a memorandum from the Chief of Police to the City
Manager in regard to the men who attended this program.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Martine you did attend this program?
Mr. Martine - Yes
Mr. Woods - In your own department did you stress safety?
Mr. Martine - Yes, we instruct the men to wear their safety jackets,
to use their flags when they are mowing.
Tape 3
Side B
Mr. Woods
How many employees do you have in the Street Department?
Mr. Martine - Right now we have about 16.
Mr. Woods - Have you received safety posters from George Katez to
be posted in your department, and have they been posted?
Mr. Martine - Yes.
Mr. Woods - There is another charge here about workmens compo
How many employees have you had out over the past year on workmens
compensation claims, that were serious, that is an accident which
requires time off.
Mr. Martine - About ten.
Mr. Woods - What was the serious accident?
Mr. Martine - Some of them had poison ivey, one of them had driven
a fork in his hand.
Mr. Woods - Werent there quite a few cases of the poison this past
year?
Mr. Martine - I had quite a few men with that.
Mr. Woods - I am trying to pinpoint if you had any real serious
workmens compensation claims.
Mr. Martine - You got me there.
Mr. Woods - I would like to read a letter from Mr. A. J. Wells,
Insurance Company North America, the letter is from Mr. Bryant
dated October 31, 1974, thanking Mr. Wells for his assistance
in inspection our City operation and his recommendations. By
this letter I am instructing Mr. Martine to implement the inspec-
tion report to be made on a daily bases and on each vehicle.
The letter also stated that Chief Katez had been appointed Safety
Director. Mr. Woods stated that he personally came down and in-
spected the workmen compensation file and I failed to find any
serious claims, there were accidents of which George Katez had
no control over, such as poison ivey. I submit to the Council
that again that you are trying to place a burden on Chief Katez
to accomplish too much, and the City Manager has taken it upon
himself to put such burden upon Mr. Katez that he could not
possibly be done. Now the Chief is being used as a scapegoat
for all of these charges against Mr. Katez and he cannot verify
these charges.
Mr. Bryant - The letter Mr. Woods read to Mr. Wells was dated
October 21st. As a matter of fact I have another letter from
the INA Company, dated June 18, 1975, which was written by
Richard Watkins, he is a Safety Engineer. I would like to read
this letter to you: "Thank you for meeting with me on June 10,
1975 to discuss to City of Edgewater's workmen compensation
losses over the past five years. It gave us both a chance to
see how severe the losses have become this year and what action
might help revert the trend. I would make two suggestions and
would like to be provided with information on several employees
who have had several injuries. You can verify this information
-19-
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from the list of losses on page 2.
Rather than read the entire list..
Mr. Woods - I would like you to read the entire list.
5 min.
Mr. Bryant - This goes over the last five years. It is making a
comparison of the cost of the claims to see how severe the losses
have become this year.
Mr. Bryant read the entire list which was attached to the letter.
Mr. Bryant - Still reading "The purpose is to get these people to
work in a safe manner to reduce injuries and costs. I will meet
again with you in October to see'-how your training is going. I
am mailing you some Safety Posters to use in your program."
I maintain that going back to the first paragraph of his letter
that he was concerned about the severe losses this past year.
Mr. Woods - There seems to be one very serious claim here and it
is a reserve which is set up on Cal Dalrymple. The reserve is not
based on the workmens compensation claim or any other claim it is
a reserve set up by the insurance company as they are required to
do. However, let's finish this letter. "The injuries of the City
covering the period from 12-1970 to 5-5-75 shows a total of nine
back injuries, improper lifting, which costs $8,097, this cost
represents 22% of the total amount paid. Mr. Woods continued
reading the letter. I submit to you that I don't think that
there are very many qualified people in this room to show you
how to lift something, and I don't think Chief Katez can stay
on every vehicle while a man is stepping down from it to make
sure he doesn't slip.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that the training films made by INA could
be shown to city employees and I also maintain that it is not a
requirement of the Chief of Police of this City to following the
Sanitation Department around to see how they are lifting; I simply
stated that I wanted a safety program started and I might add that
the reason for involving the Chief, if you will, the Chief came to
me shortly after I came here asking to have his title changed if
you will from Police Chief to Safety Director. My remark to him
was that George if you show me that you can institute the safety
program in order to become a Safety Director, I will then take it
to the City Council for their consideration.
Mr. Woods - I would like to have Mr. Bryant respond to number 8.
Mr. Bryant - Read the charge in full in regard to vehicle use
schedules. To me Mr. Woods that is self explanatory.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant it seems like a conclusion on your part
as far as different driving habits of individuals.
Chief - We did this, we assigned men to certain vehicles. We got
away from assigning a man to a car because that would put two men
10 min. on the same shift driving the same automobile. You can ask any
of the police officers if we didn't do that. With three police
automobiles, it is almost impossible to put 8 or 9 men driving,
you would have to have at least 7 automobiles. Mr. Bryant and I
discussed,this, we tried and it did not work.
Mayor - Did you institute a rotating bases to where every police
vehicle in a week's time be on the road an equal amount or as close
to an equal amount as possible?
Chief - I did, all except my own car, because it is the oldest car
we have. I would like to ask Officer Jones - Did I not have a plan
that you people drove the same vehicle, you didn't have to drive
only when a few men a few men were assigned to the same shift.
Officer Jones - Yes sir.
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Mayor - Did you in fact respond to the memorandum from the City
Manager pertaining to rotating the vehicles in a memorandum form?
Did you tell him verbally or in memo form?
Chief - I told him in one of my memoranda to him
Mayor - As I can see so far, Chief the problem in regards to each
one of these charges, tells me that there is a lack of communica-
tion back to the City Manager in memorandum form, and those that
require monthly reports from you have not been carried out over
the past few months.
Councilman Cairnie - As I understood, Chief Katez was appointed
Safety Officer is that correct?
Mr. Bryant - Yes sir.
Councilman Cairnie - Was that approved by the Council?
Mr. Bryant - No sir, I don't believe it was. It was an appointment
by myself with regard to the conversation that the Chief and I had
regard to ultimately changing his title to Safety Director, if you
15 min. will, opposed to Chief of Police.
Councilman Cairnie - He has been acting as Safety Director?
Mr. Bryant - Yes sir.
Councilman Cairnie - Mr. Martine, out at the garage, has a safety
program been established by Mr. Katez at any time?
Mr. Martine - When we inspect all of the vehicles, we turn the
reports into him.
Mayor - I think what Councilman Cairnie means is, has Chief Katez
as Safety Director approached you and given you any assistance in
setting up a safety program for your employees, such as classes,
posters, etc.?
Mr. Martine - He did.
Chief - Mr. Bryant stated a while ago, that I came to him and asked
to change my title, it is true, however what Mr. Bryant failed to
say is that I said" If I am going to have to do all of this, Mr.
Bryant, why aren't I a Safety Director." He said, well we will
have it changed to Safety Director. Mr. Bryant did put these things
on me to do, but I have never gone to the City yard in my uniform
and climbed under a truck to check them, I figured Mr. Martine was
more experienced in that job and he has done a good job because I
have seen the reports on it.
Mayor - I agree that your job as Safety Director will be strictly
as administrative capacity.
Councilman Sikes - Mr. Martine, do you get these cars on a regular
bases or do you not get them until they break down and you have to
fix them? Do you look at them and say everything is all right?
Mr. Martine - We check the oil, deisel and lights all the time.
When they break down, they come in and we fix them.
Chief - The officer who drives the automobile inspects it, anything
wrong with the horn, the lights, or the car is running bad, the car
20 min. is taken to the shop the next morning and it is fixed.
Councilman Sikes - It seems like to me that the cars should be in-
spected and ready to go when the patrolman checks into duty rather
than him having to check over the car to see then if it is o.k.
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Mr. Bryant - I would like to ask the Chief if the daily inspection
forms have been made out every day on every car?
Chief - I think so sir.
Mr. Bryant - May I ask any of the officers if recently any of
these forms have been made out on a regular bases?
Officer Jones - Yes sir, I have.
Mr. Bryant - Now, if this is so, the board that I had placed in
your office and the board that I had placed in Mr. Martine's office
has not had any discrepancies whatsoever in the last several months
and I maintain that we have had an unusually amount of maintenance
on all of our vehicles, most particularly those of the police depart-
ment.
25 min.
Mr. Woods - Read a letter dated Feb. 20, 1975 to all department heads
from the Chief of Police. This spoke of discrepancies which were
found and that they must be corrected so that a report can be sent
off. Mr. Woods also read a letter dated March 4, 1974 to Industrial
Safety Office in regard to the discrepancies. Mr. Woods read a letter
to Mr. J.E. Tumblin, from Mr. Bryant stating that he has appointed
Chief Katez as Safety Director and that by this letter he is re-
questing that Mr. Katez appoint a safety committee in the effort of
a safety program.
Tape 4
Side A
Mr. Jim Nichols - I was employed as a mechanic for this City. When
the new police shift came on if there was any item of discrepancy
it was repaired then if it was at all feasible. I have had patrolmen
come by my house and I have repaired the cars on my own time.
I am wondering why that since this was brought up that all depart-
ment heads did not hold a meeting with the City Manager and dis-
cuss this out and see if there was any way that they could schedule
their employees to do this, if you are going to go to the Chief he
has to go to each individual department head and it is a waste of
time.
Mr. Bryant - I maintain that since the Chief had been appointed,
if you will, Safety Director, the Chief could have handled the
matter and had this arranged. I maintain that I directed the
Chief to establish a safety program, and I maintain that it has
not successfully been carried forward.
Mr. Gross - I wonder if the City Manager ever set down with all
of these things that he asked the Chief to do and said there is
just not enough hours in the day for the Chief. Did the City
Manager think that the Chief could carry out these items?
Mr. Bryant - Yes, for the most part these items could have been
carried out right in his office by memoranda, if you will to the
different department heads, making contact with organizations that
provide safety films and coordinating those efforts with the depart-
ment heads.
#9. Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Tape 4
5 min.
Mr. Bryant read from the 1974 audit report, comments and suggestions
in regard to the handling of the bonds and bond money.
Mr. Woods - The answer we have for this was that it was done, it
just was not posted, and I guess he means by posting he means putting
it on the board.
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Chief - Each officer knew the bond as I mentioned in my memorandum
to Mr. Bryant, the bond is on the ticket, and that I did not put
it on the bulletin board.
Mr. Bryant - I would like to ask any of the police officers if in
fact they ever saw the list of bonds developed by the Chief.
Officer Westfall - I saw a white slip which has the list of bonds.
I saw it on the Chief's desk.
Mr. Bryant - I would like to ask Mr. Kelley if he has ever seen
this information?
Officer Kelley - No
Officer Rickelman - No
Officer Jones - No
Officer Tillo~son - No
Lt. McCall - No
Chief - I readily admit that I did not post the bonds, I did make
one up, the bonds were on the tickets.
Mayor - Are you stating that the same list that you have is also
on the tickets?
Chief - Yes.
Mr. Woods - The police officers are well aware of the minimum and
maximum fines on the traffic violations.
Mayor - However, Mr. Woods I think that it was very important that
also they be supplied with written information for their brief cases
or what have you so that they can readily be acceptable to anyone.
I realize that this is in the statutes book, however if a patrolman
is out in the field it would be a lot easier if he had a piece of
paper handy., rather than having to call in and have a dispatcher
look it up in the Florida Statutes.
Chief - The traffic fines are on that ticket.
City Attorney Weaver - There was some statement made that the
schedule of bonds is on the ticket, there is a number of citations
listed on the ticket, the bond is written on the ticket by the
officer.
Mayor Severance - The amount of the bond is written on the ticket,
however we don't have any information on the ticket as to what the
amount of that bond is, am I following you correctly?
City Attorney Weaver - That is correct.
Mr. Woods - May we ask any of the officers are they not familar
themselves with the bond structures for the City Ordinances, you
do know what the bond is set at to memory?
10 min. Lt. Mc Call - Yes sir.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that whether everyone of the officers know
them by heart is not what the auditors requested. The auditors
requested that they be posted.
#10 Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - I think the charge, if you will, and the memorandum
speak directly and very specifically to the instance of the viola-
tion and the fact that I did bring it to the Chief's attention and
asked him to take care of it and it has not been taken care of,
and furthermore I think the City Attorney will verify this because
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questions concerning this subject came up in Council meeting and
he came into my office not more than ten days ago asking why Pappy
was still displaying goods outside the building.
Chief - I did go down and took with me a copy of the ordinance.
I showed it to Pappy and he took his things in at that time.
I received a memo from the Zoning Board to the City Council,
which I acted on.
Mr. Woods - Read the memorandum, stating that they were giving
Pappy permission to display his articles outside of his building
on the ledge. He also read a copy of the minutes at which it
was stated that the Ordinance would be amended to allow this.
City Attorney Weaver - We also agreed in that meeting that the
ordinance would be enforced until such time that the amendment
was made.
15 min.
Mayor - Irregardless to what the Zoning Board, they do not have
the authority to allow anyone to continue in violation of the
ordinance. The Chief of Police takes his orders from the City
Manager and the City Council, not the Zoning Board.
Chief - We did discuss this and I was told that he had to remove
his things. Pappy is here. He can verify that he did talk to
various councilmen. Mr. Bryant and I did discuss this and he did
not tell me to remove the things, until we wait and see what the
Council is going to do.
Mayor - In other words what you are saying, Chief, is that Mr.
Bryant instructed you not to have Pappy remove his merchandise
from outside his business.
Chief -
effect of
to do and
ledge and
I can't remember his exact
Cool it until we see what
it was brought up that as
not on the sidewalk.
words, but something to the
the City Council is going
long as he had it on that
Mr. Bryant - I don't recall giving such instructions because I
made it very plain in my memorandum that in fact it was a violation
of the ordinance to display these items in this particular zoning.
It did come to the City Council, and the Council said that in fact
the ordinance would be enforced and as late as Monday the violation
still existed.
Chief - If this is still in violation, why hasn't it been taken
care of?
Mayor - The question is Chief, what action did you take when you
were confronted with the situation to begin with?
Chief - I asked him to remove his stuff. Then it came back and
this is when I had the conversation with the City Manager on the
recommendation of the Zoning Board.
Councilman Sikes - When we discussed this I brought out the question
about A-I Rental and although their merchandise being displayed out-
side is a violation of the ordinance, however it is on their own
property, and the Attorney came back with that it was in violation
Bnd it would have to be enforced.
Mrs. Leo Turner - My husband and I both attended the meetings at
which this was discussed and my understanding was that although
A-I Rental was in violation and also Pappys was in violation. As
20 min. long as he kept his merchandise on his own property he would be
permitted to display it outdoors. And I also understood that A-I
Rental was not goi~g to be bothered until you got this straightened
out. I at no time heard anyone instruct the Police Chief to arrest
anyone.
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Mayor - It was discussed and it was said that it was still a
violation of the ordinance and that action should be taken
according to the ordinance.
Mr~. Turner But didn't you say that he would be permitted
to display on his own property?
Mayor - If the amendment went through, it would allow this
area to display outside of their businesses with a permit.
Mr. John Gross - Was the Chief of Police authorized by the
25 min. City Manager to enforce this law, or was the law interpretted
by the proper authority and then the Chief authorized to enforce?
Mayor - The law is interpretted when it is written,and it is the
Chief of Police's duty to enforce the ordinances.
'rape 4
Side B
Mr. Barnett (Pappy) - A police officer came and made me move
my things inside for two weeks. My business dropped. I saw
the City Manager, and I went to the Zoning Board, and they told
me that I could put my things back out. Mr. Katez came over
and asked me why I moved my things back out. I explained to
him that I got permission from the Zoning Board to put them
back out.
Mayor - You are saying that the Chief came over and told you
to remove you things one time, then you went before the Zoning
Board and they gave you permission to put the stuff back out.
The Chief returned again and told you that you must take it
back in, and you stated to him that the Zoning Board gave you
approval to put it back out.
Pappy - That is right.
Mr. Woods - Read the memorandum from the City Manager to the
City Manager
Mayor - I would say that the duties were carried out prop~rly
however the Zoning Board interceded without the proper authority
to do so.
#11.
Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - The reason that I put this in there, if in fact,
if Chief Katez had responded to my first memorandum and had
he got the occupational licenses, it would not have at a later
date become conflicting~ if you would, on his schedule to get
other items done, which he was directed to do, in which he had
been given additional time, if you will, to accomplish the tasks.
Chief - Read the first memorandum from the City Manager, and he
stated that he did misinterpretation. I did go to the City Clerk's
office and ask for a list of the occupational licenses of the City.
She supplied me with that list and they were all there. I assumed
that this is what he wanted., and then later in another memorandum
he spelled it out that I will make a check by going to each business,
and then I did this.
5 min.
City Manager - My first memorandum, in the last paragraph indicated
please inform me by exception any problems you might encounter. If
all I wanted was for someone to check the list of occupational
licenses in City Hall, I certainly could have deligated this to
the City Clerk and she in turn could have deligated it to a clerk
that in fact takes the occupational licenses. I don't see any
problem in interpretting what my instructions were, most particularly
the last paragraph in the memorandum.
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Councilmand Sikes - Mr. Bryant after the second memorandum was
given did you find any discrepancies or any violations where they
did not have their licenses?
Mr. Bryant - Only where they were not purchased properly, and I
think that the Chief took care of that.
Mr. Walter Gross - Why didn't the City Manager go to the City
Clerk and get the list of these people and turn it over to the
Chief instead of telling him to get the list.
Mr. Bryant - We all work there in the same building and it is not
that difficult for theChief to walk over and request the list.
Mr. Gross - Why didn't you do it?
Mr. Bryant - Because I instructed the Chief to do it.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant why did you feel that it was necessary to
have someone go around and check the licenses, isn't it more im-
portant to make sure that the businesses had purchased the licenses
from the City.
Mr. Bryant - I had a method to my madness, Mr. Woods. I felt if
I had the Chief out there checking, at least he was out patrolling.
Mayor Severance had to call order to the meeting,and remind the
public that he will have the hall cleared if there are anymore
outbursts.
Mayor - Mr. Woods, to answer your question, it is important to
see that the businesses had purchased an occupational license,
however it is also required by State Law that you will post the
license in an appropriate manner and place. This was my objective
for having the Chief check this out.
City Attorney - You can not check the licenses in the City Hall,
you can only check the licenses that should be renewed.
Councilman Sikes - Another thing too, the purpose of checking the
licenses is to see that they have the proper licenses.
Mr. Bryant - Mayor, did not we discuss also the fact that could
be done while the Chief was on patrol?
Mayor - That is correct. I think the Chief was aware of that
also, that this was while he was out on the road, he would stop in.
Chief - Is it true that you, Mayor, rode with me one night while
I was patrolling and I stopped in the drive-in then because it was
only open at night?
Mayor - That is correct. The point is for having the licenses
checked was to determine whether or not the proper licenses was
being purchased and that they were posted properly?
#12. Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - I had two points that I would like to speak to on
this. The first being that my memorandum of April 7 directed
the Chief to do certain things, such as the break-even bases
and that hot chocolate and soup be provided for non-coffee drinkers,
if you will. Instead of getting this done, I got a long memorandum
returned to me, giving me a choice, if you will, again rather than
instituting what I had directed him to do. The directions given
was not again, for the Chief himself to take care of the service,
he had department personnel around the clock and since it was
primarily set up for their department I felt that they should be
the ones to maintain the service. The second point, the reason
for making coffee available, if you will, and the soup, hot choco-
late or whatever else was because of a, what I considered at the
time, a serious morale problem within the Police Department. This
- 2 :(5-
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can be verified through minutes of ' past meetings. Meetings have
been held with the department personnel and it was an attempt, if
you will to let the Police Department know that the management,
the management being the Chief and myself, were concerned about
their well being and we were trying to do something in the area
15 min. to provide what I considered to be a morale booster.
Chief - In regard to this service being most~y for the Police
Department, I might ask some of the officers and dispatchers
how many of them drink coffee? Mrs. Garvey brings her own,
Miss Davis brings her own, Mr. Kelley is not a coffee drinker
Mr. Jones doesn't drink coffee, Lt. Mc Call doesn't drink coffee
and I am the only one who drinks coffee in that department.
What brings this up is the dirty coffee cups that someone has
put back in the tray on the table, and Mr. Bryant said something
to me about it, and I said Mr. Bryant if you want them washed,
you wash them yourself, and this teed him off and from then on
this coffee thing snowballed. I don't think the Chief should
have to worry about washing coffee cups for anyone who walks
into City Hall.
Mr. Bryant - I maintain that there are other folks who drink
coffee in the Police Department. Around Christmas time the Police
Department received $100.00 donation. We didn't quite know how
to handle the money, and I suggested that this be placed in a
coffee fund, if you will, now from the 1st of January, that
$100.00 had been depleted in addition to what money had been
collected on the honor system, if you will, in four months time
and if the Chief drinks coffee at that rate, either he drinks a
lot of coffee or more people availe themselves of the service
other than what he says.
Chief - If Mr. Bryant is insinuating that I drink all of the
coffee, I said that I am the only one in the Police Department
that drank coffee. I couldn't stay there 24 hours a day to see
that people put the money there. I had coffee available in the
Police Department before Mr. Bryant ever thought to come to
Edgewater. We had people who would donate to the coffee some-
times and if it wasn't there, I bought it.
20 min.
The Chief asked all the officers present if they drink coffee
all but one said No.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Bryant himself stated in the memorandum that he
really doesn't care if the present dollar system is maintained
or not.
Councilman Dietz - This is irrelevant to the whole matter.
Mayor Severance - There will be no questions on this matter.
#13, #14 Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - In an attempt to clear some of the clutter out of
our small spaces there, I did make arrangements in the west bay
of the old fire station. As you and other members of the Council
are aware we were trying to clean up the back room to establish
an employees lounge, if you would, so that they could get away
from their desks to eat lunch. In connection with this, I had
the big cabinet moved to the old fire station, placed the rod
between the studs so that the bicycles that were picked up could
be secured and that the smaller items would in fact be stored in
the cabinet which has a lock. The simple fact is that I instructed
the Chief and I had a reason for it, and it has not been done.
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Tape 4
Side B
25 min.
Chief - When we first talked about this, was it not the bicycles
that you were referring to, Mr. Bryant?
Mr. Bryant - Any court evidence that had to be locked up is exactly
what I had in mind.
Chief - In other words, Mr. Bryant, I am suppose to put marjuana
which I am holding for evidence out there where that door is open
every day with kids playing in there?
Mr. Bryant - I am talking about fans and T.V.s and things of that
nature, and the newspaper stands that we particularly talked about
are not being stored there.
Chief - Where are those newspaper stands, Mr. Bryant?
Mr. Bryant - They were sitting out in front of the City Hall for
I don't know how many months.
Chief - Six months ago.
Mr. Bryant - No sir, since May they were sitting out in front of
City Hall.
Chief - The T.V.s and fans, you expect
where that door is open all the time?
dispatchers, has anyone instructed you
without signing the book?
me to put those over there
I would like to ask the
not to give anyone the key
Miss Davis - They have to sign the Book.
Chief - Can anyone come over there and sign any name and get the
key to the fire house?
Miss Davis - Yes.
Tape 5
Side A
Mr. Bryant - If that is his answer, I maintain that there is a
lock on the cabinet and I still maintain that the Police Depart-
ment has the key. If there is anything too large to fit in the
cabinet and can not be secured by cable or chain or whatever,
that could be an exception, but I further maintain that there
are items in the Police Department that can be kept in the old
fire station.
Mr. Woods - In order to produce evidence in court you must show
the proper means for handling the evidence. I submit that the
fire house where the evidence is stored is accessable at all times
there would be objection in court by a good defense attorney to
knock that evidence right out.
Mr. Weaver - I agree whole heartily. Everyone walks in City Hall
Not everyone walks through cabinets that are locked.
Mr. Bryant - I am aware of how the court evidence should be se-
cured and I am also submitting that prior to establishing these
arrangements, which added more security, if you would, than was
used prior to that procedure, which was simply throwing it in
the back room of the City Hall, which everybody had access to
coming in to use the water fountain, or the coke machine, they
could open the back door and walk off with a whole bunch of it.
Chief - That was bicycles only.
Am I right Lt. Mc Call?
Lt. Me Call - Yes.
Mrs. Katez - I would like to ask how police evidence could be
placed in the fire station, when I came to the meeting Monday
night at 6:55 P.M. both doors were open and two little boys
were playing in there? And I would like to ask how you are
going to be assured it is safe when one of the firemen almost
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I
threw one of these boxes out because they didn't know what they
were? And the fireman is in the back and he can verify that.
Mayor - Very valid question.
myself.
I do not have an answer for you
Mr. Bryant - Like I said before, I have memoranda to show that
arrangements were made with Chief Blackwell to utilize the area
that was described in my memorandum and it was read for the
storage for items. The cabinet, if you will, must be seven
feet tall and about 2 1/2 feet deep and weighs about 250 pounds
and I don't think that anyone is going to walk off with it. And
in fact, if the Chief feels that that cabinet needs to be secured
to the wall, he should have made arrangements to see to it that
it was secured.
Chief - Mr. Bryant, the lock on that cabinet would not keep anyone
out who wanted to open it, if people in Florida Shores have homes
out there broken into every so often.
Mr. Bryant - As a matter of fact we talked about placing a security
bar across those doors and I indicated to you to make arrangements
with Mr. Martine's crew to have someone come over and place a bar
completely around the cabinet. I maintain that these are excuses
and not reasons to follow up my memorandum.
# 14. Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
At this time Mayor Severance left the chair, leaving Councilman
Lodico acting as Mayor.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that as indicated, I was directed by the
Council to take action on these two areas, my memorandum speaks
for itself. Like I indicated the only information I have re-
ceived were some pictures that were takenof the locations and
to my knowledge nothing else was done since I don't see any
resulting action from the memorandum I issued.
Mr. Woods - Mr. Weaver, who is the responsible person to make
sure that all of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing codes of
the Southern Standard Building Code are conformed with by the
City?
Mr. Weaver - The City Council is responsible.
Mr. Woods - I would like to read Sec. 6-17 stating that the Building
Inspection Department of Volusia County, Florida is the official
inspection agency for the City of Edgewater, Florida on all building
plumbing, electrical and mechanical work done in the City of Edge-
water, and to enforce all of these ordinances.
Mr. Weaver - The responsible party will remain the City Council.
All charges and violations shall remain the priority of the City
of Edgewater.
Chief - First of all I don't know a thing about a building.Mr.
Bryant gave me a memo on Pine Bluff, and I contacted Mr. Knock
10 min. and Mr. Knock has talked with Mr. Bryant about this. He gave
me another memo on a house on Boston Road, and again I talked
with Mr. Knock. I told Mr. Bryant that I took care of everything
down there as far as I can go, and he said Mr. Knock mentioned it
to me. So I don't see why I have to report to this man my memo,
when he has already got the answer.
Councilman Lodico - It is on the memo here, that he suggested that
you coordinate with Mr. Knock, Mr. Crites and Mr. Blackwell. Did
you only get ahold of Mr. Knock, or did you get ahold of all of them?
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Chief - I got ahold of Mr. Knock and I have talked to Mr. Blackwell
and this was way back on these other things, I got ahold of Mr.
Walls because he was Chief, and it was hard to do because Mr. Walls
was always in school.
Mr. Walls - I don't know when Mr. Bryant's memorandum came out, but
when I was the fire chief, Chief Katez approached me and the County
Health Inspector and Mr. Knock to get us to go and look at these
places that looked like they might be condemnable. The Chief
worked and worked; the problem was getting these four people
together, and I know this because I was the fire chief.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that when I ask people, if you will, as I
indicated in my memorandum, to carry something through, I mean
for them to carry it through to the finality, not to come back
and dump it in my lap and say I have taken it as far as I can.
The fact is that if I wanted to do it myself, I would not have
directed the Chief to coordinate this activity, I would have
done it myself. It is fact that I asked the Chief to do it and
I expect that when I ask people to do something that they follow
through to the conclusion.
Chief - Did Mr. Knock contact you on this place on Palmetto?
Mr. Bryant - He said that he had been by and looked at it, that
is about the only report I got.
Chief - Mr. Knock told me that he had discussed this with you.
Mr. Bryant - I submit that someone has to take the initiative to
see to it that these things get taken care of and as a subordinate
to me, if you will, as directed by the City Council, I asked the
Chief to look into it because I felt that it could be a possible
15 min. violation of an ordinance.
Mr. Woods - lie did look into it, aren't you familiar with the City
ordinances, what about the City Attorney?
Mr. Bryant - I maintain that that is beside the point, I asked the
Chief to take care of it and bring it to some type of conclusion
and it simply wasn't done and the building is still there.
Councilman Dietz - Won't this come under the category of a public
nuisance, and not a building inspection. We can't ask the building
inspector to take care of that?
Mr. Woods - The ordinance specifically calls for it.
Councilman Dietz - Do you mean before we can condemn a building
we have to get the building inspector?
City Attorney Weaver - The City of Edgewater uses the County
Building Inspection Department, anything that has to be done to
the City buildings, the Chief should gather the information for
the City to enforce, and actually the enforcement is up to the
City.
Councilman Lodico - I don't understand, the City Council has
instructed a directive to the City Manager to have them checked,
he had to do it, because we instruct and he has to carry it out
and not bring it right back to us.
Mr. Woods - I think thatthere must be some misinterpretation,
I would submit that they go over Section 6-17 and lets determine
who is actually the responsible party for taking care of a nuisance
in this City.
City Attorney - I can tell you who is exactly the responsible party,
that is the City Council of the City of Edgewater.
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John Gross - Why is this a duty for a police officer, as is the
coffee dispenser, building inspector, carpenter.
Councilman Lodico - Mr. Gross, when you go to your place of
business and you instruct someone to do something, he'd better
do it or you will fire them, believe me you will, and even if
they do it you might fire them.
20 min.
Mr. Gross - I don't tell the salesman to go over to the typewriter,
I don't tell the typist to go out and sell. I delegate the duties
where they belong.
At this time, Councilman Lodico turned to gavel back over to Mayor
Severance.
Mayor Severance - I am sorry there can be no more questions on
this matter, because once the man leaves the chair, that subject
is closed. When we get to the miscellaneous section I will recognize
the question.
#15.
Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - We had a request from the Court Clerk and some
officers regarding a lack of proper and comple~record system.
Accordingly, I asked the Chief to coordinate with another City
if you will, about a satisfactory record system. We made arrange-
ments I believe with the City of South Daytona Beach in order to
to by and review these records and as I indicated in my statement
here that because the Court Clerk was sick the day before they
were scheduled to go, the arrangements to go were canceled and
there have been to my knowledge no other arrangements made to
try and keep up our records system, if you will.
25 min.
Chief - As Mr. Bryant stated a while ago, all we are giving is
excuses. This is another excuse: I made arrangements for Officer
Rickelman and Mrs. Leclair to go up and talk to the Chief of Police
in South Daytona to review the record keeping. Mrs. Leclair was
sick the day before we were to go, and I notified the Chief that
we would be unable to come up. I would have to pay Officer Rickelman
8 to 10 hours overtime. I tried to get this worked out and I found
out that I would need about $800.00 for what I needed and according
to the budget, I didn't do it.
Tape 5
Side B
Mrs. Katez - Mayor, Mrs. Leclair is the Court Clerk and also
secretary for the Police Department, and she has been in that
position a number of years? The City of Edgewater pays her
salary and she has been here all this time and she doesn't know
how to file, is that what you are talking about?
Mayor - No mam, the filing system that we currently operate under
I believe there was some discussion about the auditors statipg
that we should file things in a certain manner and have a certain
type of system so that items can be drawn out and copied in an
orderly manner. The indication was that we should go to one of
these other communities that does have a filing system that is
compatible and agreeable with the auditors and that we could pick
up a few things from them to set up a more efficient filing system
in our Police Department.
Mrs. Katez - As I understand it at the last Council meeting, the
complaint was coming up about the over time pay, and the Chief
has made an effort to get these people to these places, which he
has, and the problem is how is he going to work it out during
their working hours. Which way is he going to go?
Mayor - Read from the item again to explain what exactly the Chief
was asked to do. If I were the Chief and I got a memo to this effect,
I would go ahead and do it by whatever means possible, even though
it caused overtime.
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Mrs. Katez - You personally as aCouncilman do not give him the
authority to do so, Mr. Bryant does. Also, Mr. Bryant gives
him daily activities to do which have covered entirely every
hour and minute of the day. Also on that point, again, Mr.
Bryant mentioned that when he gives the department heads the
memos to do these things, he expects an answer from them.
How many other department heads have received this number of
memos from Mr. Bryant?
Mayor - I don't know?
Mr. Bryant - Yes mam. I give directions a great deal of the time
to Mr. Martine.
Mrs. Katez
Does he write you a memo in return?
Mr. Bryant
No mam, because the work is accomplished.
Mrs. Katez Well, Mr. Katez is accomplished but you are saying
that you did not get a written memo from him that he is accom-
plishing this work.
Mr. Bryant - I maintain that it has not been accomplished.
Mrs. Katez - Well, what you maintain, is your personal opinion.
Mr. Coles - Do the auditors change yearly, and each year they
say no, you should do it this way.
Mayor - The reason for that is that the auditors go by the State
Auditors instruction as to what is required in municipalities.
Chief - I can't remember any suggestions of the auditors about
the filing system in the Police Department. I might go further,
Officer Page got me a list from Holly Hill on their filing system,
is that right Officer Page?
Officer Page - that is right.
Chief - That was what I was waiting on, rather than take two people
8 to 10 hours to go up to South Daytona, Mr. Page offered to get
this list because he lives in that area.
5 min.
Mayor - In regards to the auditors, there was a statement in the
1973-74 pertaining to the docket book, the method used, the filing
of the cards on the cases and so forth.
Chief - I didn't say it wasn't, I said I can't remember it.
#16. Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - I indicated the number of hours of overtime required
or that has been used to date, the amount which the City has paid.
I have information concerning the number of sick days taken by the
Police Department. From October to August 77 1/2 days of sick
leave was taken by the Police Department,which because of its
very nature, it requires 24 hour surveillance, seven days a week
and if we try to maintain a two man police force all three shifts
each day, it does require that other officers on off duty status
should be brought in and paid over time. I might submit that when
the officer takes sick leave he is being paid regular time and then
when we bring a man in who has already worked 40 hours we are obli-
gated to pay him one and a half time, so this has cost us at the
rate of 2 1/2 times, if you will.
Chief - I don't know how to answer the question on that, because
when the men take off sick, I am no doctor. Mr. Bryant has made
remarks to me that men were abusing the sick leave, and I had to
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do something about it, and I don't know what to do about it. I
have tried to check on them, and I have checked on them through
the men and found out that they were sick. Now, I was accused
one time of getting others to spy on the other men. I have worked
one man on a shift, it is just on the week ends or when the traf-
fic was heavy that we worked overtime.
Mayor - I think it is a very difficult task to cover on overtime
for an individual who is on the 3 to 11 or 11 to 7 shift, to ob-
tain coverage without calling a man in, however I think Mr. Bryant
is specifically aiming at is the fact that the Chief has utilized
calling men in on over time to patrol for the day shift when he
himself could be out patrolling. Mr. Bryant is thatthe intent of
this charge?
Mr. Bryant - Yes it is.
Chief - Could the City Manager tell me how many days I have not
worked on the day shift?
10 min. Mr. Bryant - No sir, I don't have the records available. I have
available that there has been a total of 77 1/2 days sick leave
taken, 1105.75 hours of over time utilized and the amount of
$6,342.56.
Chief - He is trying to say that I caused the overtime because
I didn't want to go on patrol, and I have done it by myself,
I had to call an officer in a couple of weeks ago because I had
to take Court.
Donna Johnson - I would like to ask the City Manager if he knows
of any businesses that work on shifts who have someone out if the
manager will pull that shift rather than call someone in.
Mr. Bryant - I can't answer that question because I haven't talked
to any manager's of any stores. Relative to the subject all I did
was make a statement, that in my opinion there was an excess in
the amount of sick leave utilized.
Councilman Dietz - The management in the hospitals work when some-
one is<out on sick leave.
Mr. Nichols - Are these men allowed this sick leave time?
Mayor - They are allowed a certain amount of days a year.
Mr. Nichols - If they are out so many days, they send someone out
to check on them to make sure they are sick, is that right?
Mayor - Severance - No, a statement from the doctor's office
is sufficient.
Mr. Nichols - lias this been done?
Chief - They have to be out three days.
Mr. Nichols - Does anybody in the Water, Street, or Sewer Departments
head of departments take over somebody's job and work overtime when
he is out sick?
15 min.
Mayor - We have had an occasion when a department head has had to
work over time when an employee is out sick in the Water DepartmBnt.
Mr. Bryant - I might add that from October 1, 1974 - August 1975,
there were 0 hours of sick leave taken by members of the Water
Department.
Mrs. Woodard - Mr. Bryant, are you accusing the Chief because his
men are sick that it is his fault?
Mr. Bryant - No
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Mrs. Woodard - Mr. Bryant, have you ever been sick?
Mr. Bryant - Yes
Mrs. Woodard - How long have you been with our City?
Mr. Bryant - One year and 2 days.
Mrs. Woodard - How many days have we paid you for a sick leave?
You don't get sick leave, because you are on a salary, right, may
I ask how many days you have been off?
Mr. Bryant - Two days
Mrs. Woodard - Didn't you take a vacation and go somewhere one
time?
Mr. Bryant - No mam.
Mrs. Woodard - Each one of these men are allowed twenty days of
sick leave a year, that is 115 days, right? They have taken
77 1/2 days, right, I think that is a good percentage for a year.
Mr. Bryant - With respect to the other departments, I don't feel
that it is.
Mrs. Woodard - We can not compare other departments with one
department
Mr. Bryant - From a management standpoint that is the way I have
to do it.
Mrs. Woodard - From a management standpoint, from what I am seeing
here, you have done a lot of comparing.
Mr. Turner - Do you have some line of organization drawn, and who
is ahead of it?
Mayor Severance - The City Council is the top dog, if you will,
the City Manager is number two, number 3 in categories as 3A,B,C
is the department heads. The City Charter explains this.
Mr. Turner - I don't see how the Chief can be blamed, he can't
help when someone is sick.
Mayor - That is not the point, it is not the Chief's fault that
the men are sick, the point is that it is the Chief's responsibility
to look into the excessive, if you will, sick leave and to determine
on his own as department where the problem is, if such a problem
exists.
#17.
Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
20 min.
Mr. Bryant - I had a list of several violations and I maintain
again that the ordinance is not being enforced, obviously it was
either a lack of enforcement by members of the Police Department
or lack of correction by the Chief to see that this ordinance was
enforced.
Chief - The only thing I can say is that I have instructed the
men in my department to observe any junked vehicles or vehicles
with no tag, and I think that they have been on it, whether they
have been on it as much as the City Manager thinks they should
be, I don't know. We have had reports on junked automobiles and
we have had them removed.
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Mr. Bryant - I would like to ask Officer Rickelman a question.
Have you had any specific orders from Chief Katez to make any
efforts to enforce this particular ordinance to any degree at
all?
Officer Rickelman - Yes sir.
Mr. Bryant - May I ask what were the instructions and what seems
to be the problem in the enforcing thereof?
Officer Rickelman - I can't remember exactly what started it,
but I have an idea. There seemed to be a conflict with another
ordinance about the size of the vehicles, a large truck was
parked in the City limits and it seemed like at that time there
was a problem, people were getting special permits, so we were
at the point that we had to sit back until someone got something
straight.
Mr. Bryant - So you claim that because of a misinterpretation,
if you will, or a conflict with another ordinance, or whatever,
you as a police officer felt like you were being placed in the
middle?
Officer Rickelman - Yes sir, so to speak.
25 min.
Chief - Officer Rickelman, I don't think Mr. Bryant clarified
himself on that, did you say you were put in the middle by me
or by the City Council?
Officer Rickelman - I would have to say the City Council.
Mayor - I will have to concur with that, it was the City Council
who put the police department in the middle in that particular
situation. There was discussion in regard to amending the ordinance
pertaining to commercial vehicles and unlicensed vehicles and the
officers were instructed to carry out both of these items, yet the
Council never really did make any commitment as to whether they
were going to leave the ordinances as is or whether we were going
to amend them to allow different types of variation in the ordinance.
There was a lot of discussion about permits being issued also.
Tape 6
Side A
Mr. Woods - I wonder if Mr. Bryant could be be specific about the
violations that presently exist.
Mr. Bryant - 2014 West Park Avenue
Mr. Woods - Who reported this?
Mr. Bryant - I did, I saw it myself.
Mr. Woods - Did you tell the police about it?
Mr. Bryant _ I just went around and got these, while driving
around the City, I was trying to see whether the ordinance was
being enforced.
114 West Park Avenue, Old County Road, 400 Flagler, 1900 block
in Travelers Palm, 3211, Needle Palm, 602 Flagler Avenue, 821
Flagler Avenue, 1820 Needle Palm, 1703 High Street, Hotel Street,
one on Juniper.
Mr. Woods - These are all cars who did not have current tags, is
that correct? Mr. Bryant answered Yes.
Mayor - Chief, did not the City Council instruct you in a couple
of meetings of vehicles that were in this category of vehicles
that were in this category for you to check them out? One of
them being over on Hubble Street, a hunting vehicle that was
not licensed, and another one, which you yourself went out and
observed and you issued him a citation for driving with invalid
license plates,?
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Chief
That is correct.
Mayor - My point is that the Council did direct you on a couple
of occasions?
Chief - Yes,and back on this hunting vehicle, there seemed to
be a big hassle, this is what kept the police department in the
middle. I might direct Mr. Bryant a question on these ..
Do they have a tag on them?
Mr. Bryant - Some of them do.
Chief - What year?
Mr. Bryant - I didn't get that, all I can tell you is that they
were not current.
Chief - If you don't know what year, how do you know they are
not current tags?
Mr. Bryant - I can tell you that it is not a 1975 with the little
sticker.
Chief - There are a lot of people who have automobiles who
have not been able to afford the tags, and I don't believe I
have the right to take the car away if a man is waiting another
week so he can buy a tag. If these cars don't have the little
stickers, then I don't see how my police officers could have
missed them.
Mrs. Katez - The question about carrying out of ordinances -
at the meeting on Monday, October 13, 1974, Mr. Dietz, himself
and there is a tape made of it, made the remark that the City
Ordinances were in such a mess that you could not tell heads
or tails from them, and he did not know what the prior Council
had done that had made such a mess out of these ordinances.
If even a councilman doesn't understand the ordinances, how
do you expect the men to understand them?
Mayor - That is Mr. Dietz's opinion.
Councilman Dietz - That is absolutely right, but what we are in
question here now is a direct order given by the Council to the
Chief of Police, by the City manager that weren't carried out.
Mrs. Katez - It is only the City Manager's opinion that they
were not carried out.
Mayor - The two items that I mentioned, were in fact carried out.
Councilman Dietz - When he is referred to a specific ordinance
and it is explained to him, then there is no question, that is
a direct order, and anything other than carrying out that direct
order is insubordination.
Mrs. Katez - Until somebody else comes behind him and gives him
another order to counter act that one.
Councilman Dietz - Did anybody do that?
Mrs. Katez - Mr. Bryant does it constantly.
#18. Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - We called a meetin8 in my office on June 11, 1975,
and this was brought up, that one of the problems they have is
~hat they did not have a current set of ordinances which they
needed pertaining to enforcement, if you will, available to them
in the Police Department. Now of course we have ordinances in
City Hall that are locked up in the vault on the second and
third shift and on the week ends. I see no need in giving a
directive to the City Clerk, if you will, to see that all
ordinances are posted in the Police Department for obvious
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reasons because the Police Department does not get involved with
the enforcement of certain ordinances. So therefore we talked
about this and I think the members of the Police Department can
verify this fact and that this was one of the complaints brought
to us at that meeting. The Police Chief indicated at that meeting
with the entire force that ordinances would be made available and
he also spoke of the Session laws, which would be made available.
Chief - The ordinances were not discussed at the meeting, the
Session logs were discussed and they were in there, I just hadn't
received the new copy. Officer Kelley, what is the big red book
in the Police Department?
Officer Kelley - It contains the City Ordinances.
Chief - How long has it been there?
Officer Kelley - I guess about a month or two.
Chief - Mrs. Blackwell, when did you issue me that book?
City Clerk Blackwell - The same time I issued everybody's.
Chief - Officer Jones, what is in that red book, and how long
has it been there?
Officer Jones - The City ordinances.
Officer Rickelman - City ordinances, I can't say more than a
month or two.
Chief - Mr5. Blackwell, when did you issue those books?
City Clerk - I can't remember exactly, but it has been several
months. I know they were issued shortly after Mr. Dietz and
Mr. Cairnie came on the Council.
Chief - Mr. Woods, when you were the City Judge, where did you
find the book of the City Ordinances? and how long ago?
Mr. Woods - In the Police Department,since I came on as City Judge.
Chief - Officer Tillotson, how long have you been with the Police
Department?
Officer Tillotson - One year in September.
Chief - How long would you say that the red book has been in the
Police Department?
Officer Tillotson - I will have to say I really don't know, because
up until a month ago I was still using the small black book.
Chief - Officer Mc Call.
Officer Mc Call - I would have to say longer than a month and a
half, roughly three to four months.
Chief - Officer Kelley, how often have you had the use of that book?
Officer Kelley - About once a week or once every two weeks.
Chief - And the Florida Session laws have been in there?
Officer Kelley - As far as I know they are up to date.
Chief - This is the point I am trying to make, Mr. Bryant doesn't
know the difference between the City Ordinances and the Florida
Session laws. The Florida Session laws have been in that office
ever since I got them, and the red book has been in there ever
since Mrs. Blackwell issued it to me.
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Mr. Bryant - I submit that the first book that was given to
Chief Katez was taken home by Chief Katez, he was later issued
a second set that went to the Police Department,and I maintain
that books that carry November 1 date, I will agree that they
are there, that does not include all of the current ordinances
that have been passed since then.
Chief - That is not so, Mr. Bryant, that is an out and out lie.
The red covered book that Mrs. Blackwell gave me has never been
in my house, the books that I had at home are right here, and I
got that from Mrs. Blackwell after I got the red book, is that
right Mrs. Blackwell.
Mrs. Blackwell - Yes sir, you did get it after you got the red
book.
Chief - This proves that the man told a lie and he knows it.
Mayor - The question is, that in the red book, if you will, which
is the recognized City Charter and code of ordinances, there has
been additional ordinances written that have been passed by the
City Council since you received that book. The question is have
you obtained copies that pertain to your duties and incorporated
them into that book as they were passed?
Mr. Woods - Is that his duty to do so, or is it the City Clerk's?
Mayor - I would say that any ordinances pertaining to the Police
Department it would be the responsibility of the Chief of Police
to see to it that he gets the copies.
Mr. Woods - How would he know to get the copies, if the City Clerk
didn't advise him of which of the current ordinances were available?
Mayor - By going to the City Clerk and asking if in fact he has any
particular - at this time the Mayor had to call order to the
audience and then finish his statement - - I think that it is the
Chief of Police's responsibility to see to it that his department
is furnished with every necessary paperwork or item in order for
him to carry out his duties. If he has to go to the City Clerk
10 min. and determine if, in fact, there are any current information that
pertains to his department, then he should do so.
Mr. Woods - Shouldnt this be just a matter of course by the City
Clerk?
Mayor - It would be the responsibility of the City Clerk to see
to it that the appropriate agencies receive copies, but it is
also the responsibility, like me as mayor, it is my responsibility
to check with the City Clerk to see if she has anything for me.
I think each department head should take that much interest in
their job to see to it that they are not overlooked.
Councilman Lodico - Am I correct in saying that when there is a
meeting, that the Chief is at every meeting and he knows exactly
what ordinances are passed?
Mayor - He has not been at every meeting. The point I am trying
to make that it is not one persons individual responsibility, I
think the responsibility is the City Clerk and the Chief of Police
to see to it that his department is furnished with the appropriate
legal documents in order to function properly. I think a joint
effort.is needed.
Mr. Woods - I would say as a final comment that when I was City
Judge the ordinances were always available to me.
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Mayor - Did you say that you had requested copies?
Mr. Woods - No sir, I used the copy in the Police Department.
Mrs. Katez - At the beginning of this whole thing, Mr. Bryant
stated that he waited ten months on this issue, in this ten
months if the Chief did not get issued what they had in here
is it his fault? and Mrs. Blackwell, didn't the Chief go into
your office and ask you for a copy of the City budget in order
that we could view it and she told him that she did not have
the authority to give it to him.
City Clerk - I didn't say that I didn't have the authority,
I said I made copies for the Council, I made a copy for the
office, if he wanted to copy it, I made a copy for the library.
Mrs. Katez - But you did not give him a copy?
Mrs. Blackwell - Neither did I give any other department head
a copy.
Mrs. Katez - But he did ask for it.
Mrs. Blackwell - That is correct, and there was one there he
could have copied.
Mrs. Katez - So therefore, if he asked for a copy of something
it wasnt necessarily so that he would get it, is that right?
Mrs. Blackwell - It was made available to him if he wanted to
make his own copy, the budget I am speaking of.
Clair Johnson - I want to know if the Chief of Police has a
secretary?
Mayor - He has a day dispatcher, who is his secretary also.
Mrs. Johnson - Don't you think that he should have his own
secretary since he is bogged down with so much paperwork.
Mayor - The Chief has requested this of the Council for the
last two years, to have an additional person in his department
to assistant in the various categories and functions of the
Police Department.
Mrs. Johnson - I think that if he had a secretary he could
probably function as Police Chief and not a memo writer.
# 19. Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
15 min.
Mr. Bryant - I would like to call Mr. Tucker forward please,
who is our property manager. Mr. Tucker, when you came to the
City as property manager, one of the first things that I turned
over to you was a folder relative to property and items which
I had requested from various department heads, one of the items
which I gave to you was amemorandum which had been given to me
by the Police Chief relative to the Police Department vehicles.
The Chief had given this to me and I put it in the folder and I
turned it over to you. I would like to ask you that in your
physical inventory of the automobiles, what were your findings?
Mr. Tucker - The memorandum that you are speaking of is dated
November 17, 1974, I received the document from you and I also
received the same document from the Chief of Police. In the
physical inventory of our City, I find upon the identification
of the item which is on the list that was certified by the Chief
that there are three discrepancies in regard to the memorandum
versus the physical item which we had on inventory.
Mr. Bryant - How many vehicles were listed on the me~orandum?
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Mr. Tucker - There were five.
Mr. Bryant - There were three mistakes out of the five.
Mr. Tucker - Yes sir, the first item on the agenda was a 1973
ford torino, which was the City Manager's vehicle, there was
a 1970 plymouth fury and there was a 1970 fury plymouth, there
was a 1974 plymouth and there was a 1973 matidor from American
Motors.
Mr. Bryant - What did you find that wasn't on the inventory?
Mr. Tucker - A 1972 ford torino, instead of a 1973, a plymouth
fury, 1973, a plymouth 1974 in lieu of a 1973 and a 74 and 73
as I described. These are a matter of physical inventory in
the City of Edgewater that have been properly anitated, inven-
toried and they meet specifications required by the State of
Florida under Chapter 273 of the Florida Statutes, which is a
requirement of Florida Law at the present time.
Mr. Bryant - I would like to ask when you, if you will, when
you went through the records of what was purchased and then
you compared that against the physical inventory of actual
items on sight, what did you find in regard to this matter
regarding two shotguns held by the Police Department?
Mr. Tucker - The City Clerk turned over to me every available
record within the City and I have spent approximately 2 months
going through these items and I started out with fact that there
was a Remington 880 12 gauge pump gun that was bought from the
gun shop on Mason Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida. I have the
document but I am not able to find the shotgun in the City of
Edgewater and I have screened all of the available property
within the City.
Mr. Bryant - What did you find relative to the two guns that
you did find?
Mr. Tucker - I have found two shotguns which are not of record
in the City of Edgewater. We do not find a purchase request
and we have them physically on hand at the present time and
they are located within the Police Department.
Mr. Bryant - Do either one of these shotguns match the serial
number of the one purchased by the City?
20 min. Mr. Tucker - No sir.
Mr. Bryant - In your inventory you did ask Chief Katez where
these two shotguns came from did you, and what was his comment?
Mr. Tucker - Well, I asked him to please tell me if he had any
identification of the two firearms that we had physically on
hand and if he could account for the item which we were missing
and he said that he didn't have the slightest idea in the world
where the item was that was purchased by the City on March 26,
1969. This firearm was at the price of $190.00 and he told me
that he did not know how the other shotgun appeared in the City
of Edgewater.
Mr. Bryant - Would you tell us please how he said we acquired one
of the shotguns that we presently have?
Mr. Tucker - He told me that .he stopped a driver under the in-
fluence and that he saw this firearm in the back seat of the car,
he proceed to take the firearm, I think his statement was "I then
put it in my police rack" I know nothing further than that.
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Mr. Bryant - Have you checked the regulation with regard to the
compensation of firearms?
25 min.
Mr. Tucker - Yes sir. I have talked with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation in Washington D.C. they have informed me that the
two firearms that we are talking about are not on record with
the FBI registry there. I also have gotten in touch with the
alcoholic, tobacco and firearms, which is the U.S. Treasurey
Department, and I have talked to the Chief Agent located in
Orlando, Florida and he directed me to a gun shop located in
Daytona Beach which I have a regulation at the present time
which was issued by the Department of Treasurey, Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in regard to the City, and if
I may Mr. City Manager, I would like to read words from its
regulation. " This is a federal regulation and it says that
short barreled shotguns meaning a shotgun having one or more
barrels, less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made
from a shotgun whether by alteration, modification, if such
weapon was modified and has an overall length of less than
26 inches. Section of Firearms 790.221 of this law states
that possession of short barrelled rifles, short barrelled
shotguns or any machine gun, 1. It is unlawful for any person
to own or to have in his care, or to keep under his control
any short barrelled rifle, short barrelled shotgun or machine
gun, which is made comparable but this section shall otherwise
prevent these firearms. Any person convicted of violating
this section, if guilty of a felony, therefore shall be pun-
ished by imprisonment in the State penitentury not to exceed
five years." Now this is what the regulation states. I would
like to read to you the requirements of having a firearm of
this nature within your possession. "179.104 Registration
of Firearms by Government Agencies. Any state, any political
subdivision thereof, or any official police organizations of
the government in any criminal investigation is required for
official use a firearm will register such firearm with the
Director of filing form number 10, (firearms) This section
shall apply to any firearm that is being held for the use of
evidence in a criminal proceeding. Upon registering the fire-
arm, the director shall return the form 10 wit@ notification
thereof that registration of the firearm has been made.
Tape 6
Side B
I have gotten in touch with the Treasury Department and they
say that they are not aware of any form being filed by the
State of Florida (Edgewater, Florida).
Chief - He really jumped on that one didn't he. Mr. Tucker,
when you get back to the vehicles, couldn't this be a typegraphical
error whether it was a 73 or a 74. Did we discuss the fords?
Is it true that the City Manager did not have a title to that car,
the one we gave the fire chief?
Mr. Tucker - Chief Katez I didn't come up here to try to divide
anyone, I came up here for justice and equality and to tell the
truth, and I don't have a crystal ball to tell me what happened
in the past, all I can do is specifically state what I have been
able to learn to read through my doctorate degree and I can not
do anything but read thereof.
Chief - No one is questioning your degrees or anything like that.
I am here fighting for my job and you and the City Manager are
sitting there, you have worked this thing out all along now on
this gun business. You and I and the City Manager discussed this
gun business in the office and I said I don't even know, that I
remember taking a gun out of a car, and I was not Chief of Police
then. This happened way back when Clyde Heath was Chief. It is
not my responsibility to see whether things are, I would like to
ask Lt. McCall, how long have the two shotguns been sitting there?
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Lt. McCall - As long as I can remember
Chief - The lieutenant has been here for over six years.
I have been with the department for a little over five years.
To go further, Mr. Tucker, you gave me a list, also, was I
present when you made inventory of my department?
Mr. Tucker - I was assisted by three or four people in the
inventory of the City.
Chief - I am talking about in the Police Department, was I
there?
Mr. Tucker - You were there on three occasions when I talked to
you about
Chief - No sir, you handed me a list of the things that you had
inventoried, that I had in my department. How many shotguns did
you have me listed for?
Mr. Tucker - There are three...
Chief - That is not what I asked you Mr. Tucker, you had written
one shotgun, I went to your office, in there with Mr. Bry.ant, and
I said that you have made a mistake here, I have two shotguns, not
one. This was discussed, you showed me the ticket which was pur-
chased by Clyde Heath.
Mr. Tucker - We are not talking about either of the shotguns that
are physically located in the Police Department of Edgewater, we
are talking about a document for a shotgun that does not exist.
I have no record of it existing, but the taxpayers that I am
speaking to tonight have paid $109.00 for this gun and I think
that they deserve the right to know where it is.
Chief - Mr. Tucker, I am not running for office, all I want is
my job.
Mr. Tucker - I didn't say you were.
Chief - Let's go back to the question, you have me listed with
one shotgun, and I've got two, where did I get the other one?
Mr. Tucker - My crystal ball isn't working.
Chief - Well, mine isn't either. I told you and Mr. Bryant
in order to settle that thing, and you said that it is all
right, everything is o.k.,it is the same model, same gauge,
everything, same shotgun. I don't lie to anybody.
Mr. Tucker - I haven't accused you of lying, I am telling you
the truth, and the fact of what I have on inventory and the
fact of what has been purchased by the City of Edgewater.
I am not saying who is responsible and I think I made it clear
that I am not up here to slice or cut anybody, I am only to
tell you that the inventory of the accountability of the City
of Edgewater, it is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth.
5 min.
Chief - Mr. Mayor, I have no further questions on the matter,
the man is sitting up there, I don't understand anything that
he is saying. He is trying to say that I have a shotgun that
I shouldn't have, is this the point.
Mayor - Yes, what Mr. Tucker is saying is the City according to
records has a shotgun exhibit A, if you will, however the two
shotguns we have, which may be the same calibur, same gauge, etc.
but the serial numbers that are on the two we have do not match
the one that is on record.
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Chief - That is true and we discussed that. Mr. Tucker and
Mr. Bryant were both there at the same time.
Mayor - Mr. Tucker, did you find any other parts of the City
that in fact there were problems in properly accounting in the
same instance as in the Police Department for instance we are
charged with a shotgun that we don't have, is there any other
department that has equipment on record that we do not have?
Mr. Tucker - The Police Department has the only sensitive item
Mayor - I realize that, I mean any other item?
Mr. Tucker - All of our inventory and all of our records equal
out; we have had several small items that we haye had and the
regulations say that you can pick them up and write it in, make
a document and certify it by a control number and enter it into
your records and certify it and sign it my the property manager
and it is legal.
Mayor - The question though that I am asking, is did you find
in our records currently in the City any items for instance,
a particular vehicle, lets say a truck that our records show
that we have at the City garage, but in fact when you made the
physical inventory, that particular vehicle was not in the City
garage?
Mr. Tucker - We have documentation on vehicles that I have on
record over there that,we have a title for every vehicle bought
now, I assume that the inventory that was taken by the City
Clerk and the City manager in the past which would allow an
older vehicle to be traded in on a newer vehicle, I have still
some documentation that do not have the titles attached, but
there are no variations on the facts that the items are except
with the documentation.
Mr. Coles - Does not that law that you just read speak of short
shotguns or short rifles?
Mr. Tucker - I am told by the Alcoho~and Tobacco tax that it has
to be registered, the agent in charge assured me that it would
be registered because he would come to the City of Edgewater and
personally register both items.
Mr. Coles - Have you ever measured that shotgun?
Mr. Tucker - I don't have to.
Mr. Coles - You read that law again, it says if it's a shotgun
less that 18 inches in barrel length or 26 inches in over all.
Mr. Tucker - I can gaurantee you that it is less than 26 inches.
I am talking about the barrel.
Mr. Cole - No sir, I beg to differ with you, overall length is
from the but to the tip of the barrel.
10 min. City Attorney - The form that we are talking about is form 10
which is for use by the police in case any weapon is held for
evidence.
Mr. Woods - Charge 19 is talking about inventorying property.
Mayor - The fact remains, that in fact the two weapons that are
on hand at the Police Department are not documented properly.
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Mr. Coles - Has anybody actually signed for this shotgun?
Have you got a list of the Chief's after this Chief Heath who
signed for it?
Chief - Clyde Heath was the one who signed for it. The gun
that is over there now is not one of the guns that I took out
of the vehicle.
Mr~. Katez - Did I understand you correctly to say that the
shotgun was bought in 1969 which is not on record? Do you
have the check where that shotgun was purchased?
Mayor - The gun was purchased in 1969, and I believe Mr. Heath
purchased it at the gunshop. This particular weapon is n~t in
the possession of the Police Department.
Mrs. Katez - Is it not correct that you have had four Chiefs
since then. My point is this, you have just hired a man to
do inventory, what is so wrong about my husband being in there
at this point when he makes his inventory and something is a
little improper, and all of these other people (chiefs) have
come here and they weren't brought up for it? Why wasn't the
City Council aware that there was a shotgun that was not regis-
tered to this City before now, my husband only became the Chief
of Police in 1972.
Mayor - I can only answer this way, that we have never had an
inventory within this City.
Mrs. Katez - That is the point I'm trying to make, how can he
be more responsible for it than any other department ahead that
has stuff that cannot be documented for, or any other man that
has been in his position before. How can the Council hold him
more responsible than themselves, or a City Manager or any other
man in this City?
Mayor - I personally don't know myself.
Mrs. Katez - I would like to ask Mr. Bryant if he feels that the
Chief should be more responsible for the possessions of the City
than the City Manager?
15 min.
Mr. Bryant - In my opinion, where it is a sensitive type item, it
is encumbant upon whoever received it, if you will, that it be
properly accounted for and it should have, after the turning over
of whoever Chief Katez took over from, it should have been accounted
for in the proper manner.
Councilman Sikes - Do all of the patrolmen have their own weapons?
Chief - That is correct, they have their own side arms and some
of them have their own shotguns.
Councilman Sikes -And we have no other weapons in the City hall,
except these guns?
Chief - Those two shotguns, Mr. Sikes, have been there since I
have been there, they have been there since the lieutenant has
been there, now I don't know how those guns got there, they were
there when I got here.
Councilman Sikes - We are required by law that the Police Depart-
ment to register all those guns, regardless of the size of the
barrel, right?
Chief - No sir, just on the short barrel, and they are not called
shotguns.
Councilman Sikes - Are we making an effort to comply and registering
them? Are we getting them registered?
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Mr. Tucker - There is a requirement by every gun shop owner in
the world that a gun in which he sells to a customer must have
a serial number and that serial number must be on record with
the Alcohol and Tobacco and Firearms in Washington, D.C. The
reason for this is if there is a gun that is used in a felony
they have a record of its manufacture, the serial number of it
and the purchaser of that item. I am told by ..
Councilman Sikes - The main item is that we have two guns and
we can't determine hO\oT we got them, we are missing one, but are
getting our house in order to where that we are complying with
the laws, are we making an effort to register these two shotguns.
Mr. Tucker - Yes sir, I am in process now of having a man come
down so that we can get them on the firearms registration list,
to find out the present identity of who owns them. As I am not
blaming anybodY in this house for how they got here and I don't
want to cause any impression that I am accusing anybody of any-
thing, but I will work with the Alcohol and Tobacco and Firearm
place and they have asked me to register that number of the
serial number so that if there is a theft from Edgewater and it
is used in a violation where that gun is picked up that they will
know who the owner is. We want the firearms division in Washington,
20 min. D.C. and they are working out of Orlando, Florida, they will be here
the first of the week, and I will pick the two, in accordance of
the regulations, if I may quote you officially, Chapter 273 of
the Florida Statutes says that if I find something on installation
that I must pick it up and I will pick up both of these firearms
and I will properly put them into our inventory and they will be
accounted for, however I want the Council to know that there is
nothing that I can do about the firearm that is now missing that
we have on our record as being purchased, and I am not blaming
anybo~y for it, all I am doing is telling you what property
accountability is.
Chief - This is the same line that Mr. Bryant and Mr. Tucker and
I discussed in their office, now they have brought this thing
out to make me look like maybe I have done away with a shotgun.
The same thing Mr. Tucker just got through saying, is the same
line he used, that he would get it straightened out, and they
brought this thing out to make it look bad on me, and I want
you to look at it long and hard because I think right now you
can see what is in the wind, because those two right there have
brought this thing up to make me look bad, now I am guilty of
not doing my job, but I am a man and human...
Mr. Tucker - May I say something.
Mayor Severance had to call order to the audience, and he stated
that it was the last warning,and that the officers will clear the
halls.
Mr. Tucker - There is only one reason that I bring this to you
because I am under the supervision of the City Manager. I wear
two hats in this City, and I think that everybody here knows
that I am the City Judge, and I answer to the City Council for
this, and I want my bosses that I am facing here to know that
we are going to handle this in accordance with regulations and
it will meet the regulations when we are through and that is my
promise to you.
# 20.
Mayor Severance read this charge in full.
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Mr. Bryant - I talked with the Chief some time ago, it was bpought
to my attention by some of the officers in the department, I can
not recall names, concerning the situation that I think was brought
out in item #20, the fact that we do have two shotguns that were
sitting in the squad room unsecured with ammunition in the guns
which would have required simply someone to pick it up, pump it
one time and you have a deadly weapon in someone's hands. I have
pictures of the guns in an unsecured fashion and the pictures
will show that there are in fact shells in these guns at all
hours of the day, unsecured.
25 min.
Chief - Mr. Bryant has never discussed locking those guns with
me. The only time that this was ever brought up about the shot-
guns, the lock, and I think I can verify this by the men,he said
last week that he had discussed locking the guns at the meeting
that he had with us, now tonight he says that it was brought to
his attention by some of the men in the department. This is not
so, he mentioned it a week before he showed me the letter that I
was suspended. I would like to ask Officer Rickelman what was
discussed at the meeting about the shotguns, what type of locks
were we talking about?
Officer Rickelman - The only locks that were discussed were the
locks in the vehicles.
Chief - That is true, this was discussed, when I brought up the
$32.00 and something, Mr. Bryant said, We can't spend anymore
money.
Officer Kelley - That is the only thing I remember.
Tape 7
Side A
Lt. Mc Call - The locks in vehicles.
Chief - This proves my point, Mr. Bryant, never discussed this
with me, except the other day, when he said he had reports from
the officers.
Mayor - Are the shotguns that we currently have in the Police
Department, kept in an unsafe manner, in your opinion?
Chief - In my opinion, they are behind the door, I will say that
they are not locked, lets go back to the statement that Mr. Tucker
made the other day about those shotguns. Mr. Tucker mentioned
that to Mr. ~yant, also, he mentioned it in front of Mrs. Woodard.
Mrs. Woodard - I was in Mr. Bryant's office with the Chief, and
it came up about the shotguns. The Chief said to Mr. Tucker
that Mr. Bryant had never discusses it with him. Mr. Bryant said
I verbally might have said something to you but I don't remember.
Chief - Mr. Tucker made the remark that day that Chief Ferriera
keeps his shotguns locked in his office and he is the only one
with a key. Now what if an officer needs a shotgun in the middle
of the night.
Mayor - My question is the fact that you admit that the shotguns
are not stored in the proper place, they could be in a more secure
place, they are in the position now where anyone could go in and
utilize them.
Chief - They are not locked, but the shotguns are behind the door.
Mayor - Are you aware of the fact that the shotguns have been put
back there in a loaded condition?
Chief - I have issued orders, and I have chewed a few men out if
they leave one in the chamber. Those guns are loaded, but there
are no shells in the chamber.
Mayor - I know as a matter of fact that there is a shotgun over
there that did have a shell in the chamber. The photograph shows
it very plainly, this is why I asked the question were you aware
and did you give orders verbal or written that shotguns were not
to be left in that condition?
-46
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..",;
Chief - No, I was not aware of recently that there was a shell
in the chamber, and I did give the officers orders not to do this.
Mrs. Katez - Do you agree that we do have a condition in the
Police Department that does not have adequate security measures
for storing things of this type?
Mayor - I would say that we do have a condition in the Police
Department which does not have presently adequate security measures
to put shotguns in, if you will, but they can be obtained.
# 21. Mayor Severance read the charge in full
5 min.
Mr. Bryant - We talked about this morale problem that I speak
of here. I think it is something that most of the folks here
in Edgewater are well aware of. I bring your attention to the
minutes of the meeting July 1, 1914,where apparently problems
have preceded that particular date, therefore it was brought
to the Council's attention. You have, Mayor and Council members
been aware of the morale problem which has existed in the Police
Department, which were existing when I got here. Some of the
items we talked about in the June 11, 1915 meeting of this was
the situation which existed prior to my coming here wherein a
change in the work schedule was made while a man was on vacation
and he came back, he was called in to report in early. The man
had traveled most of the day and was tired and felt that he
would be operating in an unsafe situation, and subsequently was
docked a day's pay because he did not come in early. This was
due to the fact that the schedule was changed while he was on
vacation. An item brought up at this meeting was the Chief,
in fact was not receiving complaints from the citizens who
would come and while he was in fact in his office. There was
little or no communications, if you will, from the Chief with
members of his department, which can be verified by the fact
that since I have been here there have been no group meetings
of the Police Department, which I consider most particularly
in dangerous situations, important for coordination, if you
will. I feel group meetings are necessary in order to fill in
the entire Police Department on the fact that the ordinances
were not available. Pay checks in some cases did not receive
over time which had been worked. I have memoranda which have
been issued to state that this has happened. It was also
talked of in this meeting about the lack training for the
record personnel. These items were apparently brought up and
I assume that these were matters concerning various members
of the department which in effect had a result on the overall
morale in that department.
Councilman Sikes - When I came on the Council in March some-
time thereafter, I remember there being problems that we had
in the Police Department. I have a copy of the July 1st
minutes and at that time Councilman Clinton was the coordinator
for the Police Department and he had had several meetings up to
that point. At this regular meeting on Monday, Chief of Police
and quite a few members of the Police Department were present
at that meeting and I am going to read from these minutes, and
perhaps if Mr. Clinton is present he could tell us the purpose
of their having these meetings at that time. "Councilman Clinton
brought to the Council's attention that he was informed about
three or four days ago that we are having some problems in the
Police Department, he stated that he had talked with the Chief
about this and also talked with the members of the Police De-
partment. He stated that he didn't know how to go about taking
care of it, he stated that he asked the Chief if he would set
up a meeting with the members of the Police Department. He
set one up and canceled it due to the fact that all the members
of the Police Department did not attend. He stated that he was
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informed this afternoon that they felt that they would like to
have a meeting before the whole Council. Mayor Severance
directed the officers that were present at the meeting that if
they had one person among them that would like to be a spokes-
man to discuss this with the Council and the Chief. Chief Katez
stated that all the members of the Police Department were not
present. He stated that he had no objection to this, except
that he feels that there are certain places that you should
laundry your dirty linen and the public is not one of them.
He said that he knows that the Police Department has problems.
Mayor Severance asked the Police Department if they wanted to
discuss this matter now with the Councilor did they want to
have a meeting first with the coordinator and the Chief and
then request a meeting with the Council if in fact the problems
are not resolved. Officer Kelley stated that they have decided
that they didn't want to bring this in front of the public and
that they felt that it was their problem, as families have their
problems. They would like to go ahead and have a meeting with
the Chief and the coordinator and if that does not bring desired
results then they will have to take it to the Council and the
public. Mayor Severance stated that as far as this meeting
that they are going to have between the Chief and the coordinator
any information that is going to be released will come to the
Mayor first, it is not meant to bar the press in any way, if
the press wants any information they can call the Mayor and he
will give them what information that has been related to him."
At this point I have had one or two of the patrolmen talk to
me and they indicated that if these things were not straightened
out that they were going to resign and go to the New Smyrna
police force. Mr. Clinton, could you come forward so that we
can have some questions answered? We had this problem over a
year ago.
Tape 7
10 min.
Mr. Clinton - This happened a long time ago and I don't remember
everything that happened. Mr. Kelley was the spokesman for the
Police Department. The only thing that I can tell you is that
when this meeting was over with the Police Department, I thought,
the problem was solved. They can tell you really more that hap-
pened than I can.
Mayor - MY question is this, not right after that meeting, but
you were coordinator beyond that point. Any time during, after
that meeting until the time that the City Manager took over,
did in fact any officers come to you and state that there still
was a morale problem and everything had reverted back to its
original low morale category?
Mr. Clinton - No sir. Because just like Mr. Sikes read, if they
had not been satisfied then they were going to ask to come
before the Council.
Councilman Sikes - Did you say to me that we have a problem
with the Chief and the entire force is about to resign?
Mr. Clinton - Yes sir. Some of the problems were serious, some
of them pickey. The uniforms were discussed, the cars were
discussed and different items.
Mr. Woods - This was over a year ago, naturally your mind fails,
I don't see any objection to call on the officers to tell us
about the morale problems.
Councilman Lodico - Would I be out of order to ask them what
the twenty items were?
Chief - Mayor, after this meeting is it true that you put a
15 min. memorandum on the board and you left it up there a week for
any person who has any difficulty, they were to contact you?
Mayor - This is true, the memorandum stated that if in the future
any of the morale problems that were discussed in the meeting
reoccured and they felt that they were not solved that they were
to call them to my attention. I will have to say at this time
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no officer, no person from the Police Department confronted
me with any problem.
Councilman Sikes - Did you have a meeting with the entire
force after that time?
Mayor - Yes, there were two additional meetings, however they
were over a long period of time, the latest one being back in
the spring of this year. I had talked to the Chief and told
him that there was a morale problem and I believe Chief, that
you had told me that you didn't believe there was a morale
problem at that time, is this correct?
Chief - That is right.
Mayor - However, I stated that I thought there was, so in con-
junction with that I asked you to meet individually with each
member of your department to discuss the morale problem, and
you did in fact meet with each member, and in some cases you
taped the conversation, but you asked prior to the discussion
if they had any objections to their taping the conversation.
Now, in addition to that I told the Chief that I personally
would also be meeting with each member of the Police Department
and discuss the problem of morale and then the Chief, City Manager
and myself would meet and we would discuss the morale problems
that were discussed with the Chief and the ones that were dis-
cussed with me at my home and we would correlate these items
together and we would come out in a written form explaining
each morale question or complaint, if you will, in detail as
to what was going to be done or what was not going to be done.
A copy of the memorandum was going to be put in each Police
Department personnel's pay envelope so they would know that
action was taken on this complaint. However we never got that
far. We got as far as the meetings with the individual depart-
ment members and my meetings, the meeting between the Chief,
the City Manager and myself never materialized because it was
the Council's desire that I not meddle in the Police Department
affairs. Therefore since that the June 11th meeting was between
the City Manager and the Chief and the department members.
Chief - What you have said is true, the agreement was and you
told me while we were patrolling that it was on tape, I was
then to meet with you at your house with the City Manager,
but then I understand that a meeting was held at your residence
with the City Manager present. He was not suppose to be there
on your and I's meeting, but he was there.
Mayor - And the reason he was there was because all the Police
Department personnel stated that they would not meet unless the
City Manager was present because evidently they did not have the
faith that I would in fact carry out and discuss in detail the
problems. As a matter of fact I received a phone call from an
officer stating 'I can't get the people there, they will not
attend unless the City Manager is there.
Councilman Lodico - You mean to tell me that some of these
people were asked to spill their hearts in tape?
Mayor - Chief asked them is they had any objection to him taping
their complaints rather than making long hand notes?
Chief - Here we go again, Mr. Mayor.
that.
You suggested that I do
20 min.
Mayor - That is correct.
Councilman Lodico - I just wonder how many of them would tell their
complaints to you or him on tape.
=49-
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Mayor - I don't know but it would be the same as telling it
verbally, because he was going to take notes of what was dis-
cussed. The point is we didnt get together to discuss the
problems within the Police Department.
Chief - Mr. Bryant what date did we have that meeting in your
office?
Mr. Bryant - June 11th.
Chief - What time?
Mr. Bryant - 3:00
Chief - Why was it set for 3:00?
Mr. Bryant - As a matter of fact, I didn't know that it had
been arranged for 3:00. The City Clerk wrote it on my calender.
Chief - O.K. that is fine, Mrs. Blackwell arranged it for 3:00.
Who was there at that meeting with you and the men and I.
Mr. Bryant - On this particular Wednesday afternoon, it happened
to be that by Resolution the City Council authorized themselves
to come into my office to discuss administrative functions and
activities that we are faced with on a day to day bases. Mr.
Dietz and Mr. Cairnie were there, and if you recall I don't think
they had too much to say, they were there until 4:00 at which
time they left.
Chief - I think my point was made that they were there, and I
stated that I had no objections, but I didn't thihk it was
proper that we were suppose to be in a departmental meeting.
I stated that I talked with each and every man and that they
had no problem. I think your remark was about me being an
ostrich with my head in the sand if I couldn't see that I had
a problem. Is it not true that you have talked with each one
of the people in my department, with the exception of three
about this morale problem? and did you not tell me that I
had a morale problem with every man in there with the exception
of three.
Mr. Bryant - I might had, I probably did.
25 min.
Chief - Those three men were, Officer Westfall, Lt. McCall and
John Ziers. Mr. Bryant, I have a pretty good memory that hap-
pen and when they happen. I do not lie.
Mr. Bryant - May I suggest that since morale is not something
of a nature that you can measure by sight, that this is relative
to a persons feelings, since we do have most of the members of
the Police Department we might ask individuals concerning this
matter.
Chief - I have talked with each man, I don't know whether Mr
Bryant has engineered this, but I think that you will find that
two in my department have a morale problem, possibly three.
Mayor - I am going to ask two questions here, the first question
is Was there ever any morale problem in the Police Department?
the second question is Is there a morale problem presently?
You may answer yes or no or you may state no comment if you wish.
Officer Kelley - I have to say yes to both questions.
Officer Jones - I have to say yes to both questions.
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Tape 1
Side B
Officer We~tfall - I will have to say No to both questions with
reasons.
Lt. Mc Call - Yes to the first one, no to the second one.
Officer Tillotson - I can't speak to the past, but just that we
are having a meeting of this type I will hav.e to say yes to the
second one.
Officer Page - I don't feel like I can answer the first question.
I will have to say yes to the second one.
Officer Rickelman - Yes to both.
Officer Realmuto - I will have to say yes to the second one,
I can not answer the first one.
Miss Davis - Yes there was and there still is.
Mrs. Garvey - There was and there still is.
Chief - I would liketo know what the morale problem is.
Mayor - I think the only way to answer that is to ask a question
of the people in the department Are the same morale problems in
existance today that were in existance in the past?
Officer Kelley - Yes, some are, not all of them.
Officer Jones - Some
Officer Westfall - If I may say that in some of these meetings
the men have said that a spokesman has been elected to speak,
I feel that I can speak for myself and I believe that I voiced
that. If I have any problems with any individual I feel that
I can wash it out myself. There are different individuals
that would like recognition for things that they do, a pat on
the back and things like this. This is all well and good, but
I think if you can cope with yourself to try to satisfy the
people you can get along with them you can do a whole lot more
than talking about the person behind their backs, if you have
something to say, be man enough to walk in front of a person
and tell him. If you can't work it out that way then I don't
feel that I should be wearing this uniform. I try to work
things out personally without trying to involve anyone else.
Lt. Mc Call - My problems in the past are over with.
Officer Tillotson - I have not been here long enough.
Officer Page - I am the same as Officer Tillotson.
Officer Rickelman - The same, some of the problems remain
some of the areas deal with the Chief and some of them deal
with the City Council and the City.
Officer Realmuto - Not here long enough.
Miss Davis - The same problems exist, if not more so.
Mrs. Garvey - May I say something, may I suggest that the tapes
be played and let the City of Edgewater hear for themselves what
is on those tapes, and also, would you please read the list of
grievances that we all gave you and you personally hand wrote.
I think the people are entitled to know.
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partment and borrow things from them and they're not good enough.
All we want is somebody who will go in there and fight for us.
Chief - What you are trying to say is that you don't feel that
I am fighting hard enough to get your equipment, is this where
I am to blame?
Officer Rickelman - This is part of it.
Chief - This is the point I wanted brought out, I don't know
how bad I can fight with the City Manager, but I believe that
Mrs. Blackwell can verify that I have been in there just about
every day with him and I am cut off. I was even told... well
I will get to that later.
Officer Kelley - My complaints were your paranoia towards the
City Council, the lack of equipment, the back stabbing that was
going on in the department, how we can not trust one another,
the lack or the failure of proper administration; our records
system is an example.
Chief - Have you talked with Mr. Bryant on this, has he corrected
you on this?
Officer Kelley - I talked to Mr. Bryant this evening for about
five minutes, he asked me one question and that was the entire
conversation.
Chief - Was that the only time you ever talked with him.
Officer Kelley - That was the only time, I did talk to Mr. Bryant
at the meeting we had with the department, about the records, for
instance, Mrs. Leclair and myself personally ourselves checked
into with Tallahassee the possibility of destroying some records
that were not comparable at this time. We were advised that
certain records could be destroyed with their permission. We
were advised by you to take no further action on it because
the more we had the more it would look like we needed more
room. We were attempting to clear out the records cabinet,
and that was another one of the things in the Police Depart-
ment that I though you could have taken care of.
Chief - So you are saying that the whole blame is on me?
Officer Kelley - As far as the equipment is concerned that we
need we feel that the City Council is not giving us the backing
that we need to protect the citizens of Edgewater.
Chief - Do you feel like I am fighting hard enough for you?
Officer Kelley - No sir, like I said before we feel that you
are super p~ranoid to fight with the City Council.
Chief - Let's go back to paranoid, what is the definition of
paranoid?
15 min.
Officer Kelley - Scared of
Chief - Scared of, or someone who is always, well would you say
this is a good example of it here, of the City Manager, of the
charges he made.
Officer Kelley - It would be my responsibility right now to
refuse to answer that, I don't know.
Officer Jones - Yes sir, I still feel that there is, not back
stabbing, but the favoritism still exists somewhat and that
well, I can't stand up here and think of an actual instance,
I still feel that there isn't fair treatment to all officers
like I told you the other day.
Chief - What was your biggest gripe the last time we had a
meeting?
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Mayor - At the time of my taking the notes,between that time
and the present time I was instructed by the City Council to
get out of the Police Department's business and I turned those
notes over to the City Manager, because he was going to have
a meeting with the Chief of Police and they were going to
discuss the problem.
Mrs. Garvey - May I please ask where the tapes are?
Mayor - The Chief has the tapes.
Mrs. Garvey - The Chief informed someone that he destroyed
them all, why?
Chief - Mrs. Garvey I didn't say that I had destroyed them,
I said I didn't have them in my office, and that I intended
to destroy them.
Mrs. Garvey - Would you have any objection, to play those
tapes for the City of Edgewater.
Chief - No objection at all, but I would rather ask the Mayor
if he would direct a question to the men if their morale problem
is the fault of my own.
Mayor - The question to the officers Is the morale problem a
direct result of the Chief of Police?
Officer Kelley - Yes sir, part of them.
Officer Jones - Yes sir.
Officer Westfall - No
Lt. Mc Call - No.
Officer Tillotson - I say whoever's shoulders it falls on, I
say my problems are the lack of equipment and the ability to
do the job completely, which isn't really the Chief's fault.
I don't know if it is in the budgetting, or what, I feel that
I have been handicapped in my job.
Officer Page - I will have to ~gree with Officer Tillotson.
Officer Rickelman - Exactly, word for word.
Officer Realmuto - No comment
Miss Davis - Yes.
Mrs. Garvey - Yes.
At this time the Chief tried to play the tapes for the Council
Chief - This might be one of them that I attempted to erase,
beeause I did intend to destroy them. The men were told that
no one would hear the tapes but you and I. I would just like
to ask the men what their problems are.
10 min.
Chief
Officer Rickelman, what is the problem
Mayor - You may answer if you wish or you may reserve the right
to make no comment.
Officer Rickelman - It seems to me that the basic problem, which
you were asked before, if you would speak out and go and fight
for us. Obviously the Chief is scared for his job, some of the
things that we needed according to our budget $1,000 was what
we had and it would buy nothing. We have to go to the Fire De-
-52-
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Officer Jones - The biggest gripe was favoritism and back stabbing
among the employees.
Chief - Did you talk to Mr. Bryant on the watts list?'
Officer Jones - Yes, one of my most important gripes was the
favoritism of the watts list. I felt that two or three of
the officers were getting mistreated
Chief - Are you satisfied with the watts list that was put up
in June?
Officer Jones - Yes sir.
Lt. Mc Call - Mine is allover with.
Chief - May I ask you if the previous morale problem had anything
to do with me?
Lt. Mc Call - Before, yes, but now no.
Officer Tillotson - As I said, whoever shoulders the responsibility
falls on, but I will say that mostly the equipment that we need
to do our jobs properly.
Chief - Mr. Bryant, when was the last time that I asked you about
the uniforms, and what did you tell me?
20 min. Mr. Bryant - Most of the discussion concerning uniforms; the
biggest problem was in the area of the dispatchers. The fact
that the uniforms that were purchased before I came to the
City did not fit the dispatchers.
Chief - This has been corrected?
Mayor - On the uniforms, I believe.
Chief - Mr. Bryant, I asked you, with one of the dispatchers
in there at the time, am I going to be able to promise these
people uniforms before the next budget? You said definitely.
Where are the uniforms, Mr. Bryant, and how many times have
I talked to you about it?
Mr. Bryant - We have talked about it several times and it boils
down to thepriority with the money available to spend that we
have to spend.
Chief - That is true, I am being blamed for the morale problem
on uniforms of something that I have no control of.
Chief - Officer Westfall do you feel that the morale problem
was my fault?
Officer Westfall - I believe that some of it may have been.
The meeting did have the air to it that something may have
been manufactured. Again with all due respect, I feel that
as long as there is ample amount of courtesy and respect given
it is always returned.I have noticed that there has been no
Councilman or even the Chief talk to me on any of these issues.
I feel that certain issues should be brought out in certain
places and any questions about any other officer I reserve the
right to keep the comments to myself. As far as the meetings,
I felt that somebody was being put on the spot with all the
questions were pointed directly at the Chief.
Councilman Sikes - Officer Westfall have you or any of the
other patrolmen been told not to talk to any of the Councilmen.
25 min.
Officer Westfall - I certainly couldn't answer for any other
patrolman, but I will answer for myself. In the way I do
things, if it was concerned with the Police Department, my
first concern would be with the Police Department. If you
have a question directly for me in regards to different things,
-54-
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...,
Mr. Gross - Mr. Lodico you said before that if anyone disobeyed
you they were fired, is that correct?
Councilman Lodico - The first time I might not, but the second
time I would.
Mr. Gross - Mr. Lodico said that he would fire someone who was
subordinate the second time, Mr. Bryant said that for ten months
he has tolerated Mr. Katez's subordination, I say that the man
on trial is there...
At this time it was hard to understand the tape because of Mr.
Gross's yelling into the microphone.
Mr. Gross was asked several times to be seated.
Mr. Clinton - The Chief's accused of not fighting for the police
Department. Now, back in the winter time when all of these
policemen were running around without jackets, did the Chief
ask to have jackets bought for the Police Department?
Mayor - Yes he did.
Mr. Clinton - Was the Chief told to check Army Navy, Pennys,
Wards, Sears, and allover the place?
Mayor - Yes.
25 min.
Mr. Clinton - I went to Orlando with the Chief, he got one
and then everyone got real nice jackets. Also, one time he
asked for some tires for the police cars, the Council says
no, not the Council, somebody said no, you can get some more
millage out of these by swapping them around,this same night,
one of the policemen was driving the car and he had a blowout.
There has been time after time that you have made a statement,
I have made the statement, and Mr. Bevel probably made the
statement, "Hey, here's George, he's going to be asking for
something else again." Right? He is always asking for stuff
for this Police Department.
Mayor - That is right.
Mr. Clinton - So what he is being accused of, all of these
policemen were not at these meetings. This man has fought, and asked
and begged for stuff for the Police Department.
Mayor - Yes, he has, on occassion he has. One time he has requested
more personnel, and since 1972 it has gone from three people to nine.
'Tape 8
Side B
Mr. Nichols - What other departments was this decay of morale
spreading to?
Mr. Bryant - The personnel department.
Mr. Nichols - Because I worked in the Street Department and I didn't
know anything was going on.
Councilman Lodico - I've heard things here tonight that I have
never heard, the Chief never told us anything, Mr. Clinton didn't
tell us anything.
Mayor If you recall a few meetings ago I made the state-
ment; when it was brought out by Mr. Dietz and yourself, that I
was not to become involved in it, it was the City Manager's re-
sponsibility, and at that time, I believe that I mentioned to you
that it was my intention that after the meeting that I was going
to make a full report to the Council as to what was discussed and
what action was being taken, and a copy of the memo and answers
to the complaints would be furnished also. However that never
materialized.
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"wII
then I would have had to reserve the right to remain on the
ground that I have given.
Chief - In answer to this question, I did make the remark that
it should come through me and if we can't settle it we will go
to the Council. Now this happened a year ago, and Mr. Bryant
is bringing this out again.
Chief - Officer Page would you say that the morale problem
is all because of the Chief of Police?
Officer Page - I dont know Chief.
Chief - That is all of the officers, most of the problem is
not off on me, as the signs were broughtout that it was en-
gineered by Mr. Bryant, and it will come out later.
Tape 8
Side A
Chief - Miss Davis, do you feel like the moral problem is on
the Chief of Police?
Miss Davis - Yes sir
Chief - In what way?
Miss Davis - In every way. I would like to read the list
that came out of the July, 1974 meeting.
Chief - I don't think that is needed.
Councilman Dietz - These points that you are bringing out
now are pertaining to the present time or to the past?
Miss Davis - Some of the are still existing and a few of them
have been eliminated.
Councilman Dietz - I would like to hear all of them, but please
state which ones still exist.
Mayor - Now, are these your complaints, or complaints that came
out of the meeting?
Miss Davis - They came out of the meeting.
We were all instructed to make a list of our grievances and
that we would be heard by the City Council after the council
meeting was over. Officer Westfall had nothing to do with
the list, he sat with the Chief. These were the feelings
of allof us present at the meeting, in reference to the Chief:
The Chief creates constant confusion among our men and dispatchers.
He tries to keep everyone in the department hating each other.
He threatens us not to discuss anything with the Councilor
Sue Blackwell.
He blames everything that we don't get on the Council, saying
that they won't pay for it.
The main thing is that he won't ask for it.
He cuts down the Merit Board and Sue Blackwell.
He cuts down the other officers to other officers.
He gets out of paying overtime pay by saying that the Council
won't accept it and tearing overtime sheets, he has done this
many times.
lie doesn't judge a man by his work, rather by how many favors
he does for him.
He doesn't appreciate his men, doesn't ever/say: Youre doing
a fine job.
Chief
Is she saying that all of these things still exist?
Mayor - Yes, Miss Davis, if you will, while you go along will
you please state whether they still exist or not.
Mis Davis - I'll go back to the overtime, we have time cards now.
The men have been instructed not to punch the time cards when they
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"W1I
work overtime, they are to write it down. In quite a few cases
they are not paid their overtime because of this.
5 min.
Forgets very important things after being reminded many times.
By important things, I mean things like equipment, like some-
thing goes wrong with a tire, we might give him a message quite
a few times before he gets around to it.
Mayor - Does this still exist now?
Miss Davis - Yes.
If you take a problem to him, it gets hashed out to entire
department and you wish you hadn't taken it to him before he
is finished with it, makes the problem worse than originally.
He puts down any type of authority over his job, tries to make
us resent it.
lie tries to get men to spy on one another and bring information
back to him.
lie hates suggestions to improve work, indicating that we are
10 min. trying to run department for him. - Everything was locked up
at one time and if we run out of something over the week end
we were just out. Right now this has improved to some degree.
I suggested that all of these things not be locked up and he
got very angry, and he said if you don't like the way I run
the department, get out.
Paranoid about his job and the Council.
Better self treatment than for the men. - He would ask for things
for himself but the heck with the men.
At one time the sergeant's powers were limited, apparently now
these problems have been solved. He would also ridicule the
sergeant in front of the other men.
We also discussed the need for Federal funding, that he would
look into it, and this was not done.
I feel that there a lot more important things on the list that
was compiled at the last meeting at the mayor's home.
Chief - Mrs. Garvey, do you have the same feelings that Miss Davis
has?
Mrs. Garvey - Yes sir, and Mr. Mayor we have gone to five depart-
mental meetings and have reached nowhere. Mr. Clinton was our
coordinator and he admitted that he didn't know how to handle it.
It was no sense taking any problems anywhere, we were frustrated
we didn't know who to go to. We go to the City Clerk, Connie
Kensey knows it, the Chief says this happened a year ago, sir
I remind you that this goes to when you were made chief, we have
had these problems for three solid years and you know it.
Chief - Mr. Bryant may I ask you a question or do you want to
tell me what you said some weeks ago about the certain ones in
my department?
Mr. Bryant - What are you referring to, Chief?
Chief - I am talking about the childish complaints that Mrs. Garvey
had.
Mr. Bryant - No sir, because it has no relevancy here as far as I
am concerned.
Chief - You did, sir, make that remark.
Mayor - Mr. Bryant if you will read the list of the most recent
meeting and who was present at the meeting also.
Mr. Bryant - Mayor, I don't have the list, I can go over some of
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....,.
15 min.
the thoughts discussed at your home where I was present and with
you to concur the questions that were asked at that time.
The problem came up about chewing out individuals, if you will,
in front of other people in the department. The lack of written
instructions as to what the officers and the members of the
department were supposed to do. The lack of follow up on those
things that the Chief apparently indicated that he was going to
do for this department as a whole. The playing of one person
against another person, if you will. The fact that when things
didn't go in accordance with the way, or he was put on the spot,
if you will, that either the Councilor myself was ridiculed and
the real problem was not brought to the surface. The fact that
we talked about this business of the servicing of automobiles,
which I had directed, if you will, was not being done. The fact
that it was generally agreed upon by members of the department
that the instructions given to one person in one particular in-
stance was one thing and was something else when it was given
to another person. These are the general type questions, Mayor,
do you refute any of the questions that I brought out as what
was brought out at the meeting?
Mayor - No sir, as I remember these were some of the questions
that were brought out by various members of the department, I
might add that there were two members who were not present;
Officer Westfall and Mrs. Garvey.
Mr. Bryant - All of what has been discussed for the last hour
is what I speak to in this memorandum to the City Council con-
cerning morale. I think that it amounts to personal feelings
with respect to whatever someone is doing, and I submit that
members of the department and I might add that the majority
of the department feels that a morale problem did exist and
still does exist.
Mr. Woods - I think as you poled the officers as they got up
to speak, it seemed that the main problem of morale was the
disappointment with the City Council not to allow them the
proper equipment to do their job.
Mayor - One of the issues as I understand it was the fact that
the Chief did not confront the City Council in the manner in
which some of the officers felt they should in order to achieve
the goal for the equipment and so forth.
Chief - Mr. Bryant, did you not tell me that I was not to go to
the Council for anything, that I had to go through you first?
Mr. Bryant - That is basically true, yes.
City Council should go through me.
All requests to the
Chief - Have been to you on equipment and things like that for
my Police Department?
20 min.
Mr. Bryant - That is right, and these items were brought up at
budget time, if you will, all of the items that you submitted
and because of necessary budget cuts some of these items were
cut out. From time to time I have submitted whatever you have
given to me to the Council for their consideration.
Chief - Did you also put in there on the fire extinguishers that
I was told to take care of this at the City yard a couple of
months ago?
Mr. Bryant - That is right, and that has been placed on the budget.
I do not consider that a factor in morale.
Mr. Gross - I would like to put this in a statement form,
Mayor - No sir, a statement will not be allowed, you must have
a question on the item.
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Mr. Gross - May I ask Mr. Bryant why he didn't tell the Council
for ten months?
Mayor - No sir, you are out of order, it must be a question
concerning morale.
Mr. Walter Gross - I have a statement to make...
Mayor - No sir, you are out of order.
Mr. John Gross - Mr. Mayor.......
Mayor - I will have to ask the Deputy Sheriff to escort Mr. John
Gross from the building, please. There will be no more disturbance
in this meeting, if you have a question to ask about morale I will
be glad to recognize you.
Mr. Walter Gross - I stood out in front of this building a week
ago Tuesday, Mrs. Woodard, my wife and I. Councilman Lodico came
out and in front of the three of us, now I have never known Chief
Katez before except that I knew he was the Police Chief, but when
Mr. Lodico got done telling us a story how two years ago he was
going to sue Chief Katez for slander, he had a grudge against him
and ..
Mayor - You are out of order, you must have a question.
Mr. Gross - I just wanted to ask if he will refrain from voting
on any decision which is made here?
1'1ayor - He can not do so, State Law requires he must vote yes
or no.
Mrs. Katez - One of the complaints was about the men running out
of materials, Chief Katez has always been available by phone to
get any equipment. My question is how can he be responsible for
not getting money from the Council, to provide uniforms, tires,
and such? These things must be approved by the Council.
Chief - Let's go back to the spotlight for the automobiles..
The City Auto fixes them I think the men, well let me ask
Mr. Kelley, how many days did we send one car back out to
the City yard with spotlight trouble?
Officer Kelley- Three, that I remember.
they didn't have the parts.
They kept saying that
Chief - Therefore, I am being blamed for something that was done
at the City yard, that couldn't be fixed.
Mrs. Woodard - At the beginning of the meeting Mr. Sikes offered
Chief Katez to be paid in full up until he retires, is that right?
Mayor - That is correct?
Mrs. Woodard - Did you have a meeting about this?
he was prejudged, and I want this clarified.
It seems like
5 min.
Councilman Sikes - I have over several months been contacted by
several patrolmen, and so I called George up Friday morning after
I talked with our attorney to see if I would be out of order
talking to George, so I did talk to him and his attorney this
evening, right before this meeting, and they indicated that they
would like for me to do this, present this proposal. None of the
other Councilmen had any knowledge of it whatsoever. If it had
been accepted the meeting would have recessed. I made it in the
form of a motion and we voted on it before the Chief turned it
down.
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.,
Mrs. Woodard - All right you just made a statement here that you
made a poll.
Councilman Sikes - No I did not make a poll.
Mrs. Woodard - I have here I have talked to some of the officers
in here about their morale problems, now I am not going to ask
questions, may I make a statement?
Mayor - No, it has to be a question on the item.
Mrs. Woodard - Mr. Kelley, I would like to ask you, if you were
Chief, would you give me your statement of what you wo~ld be if
you were Mr. Katez right now? This is pertaining to his state-
ment of the paranoia of the Council.
Officer Kelley - In the first place, there is no way I would be
Chief in this City.
Chief - Why, Officer Kelley?
Officer Kelley - Because I wouldn't want to go through what you
have had to go through with the City Council.
#22 - Mayor Severance read the charge in full.
Mr. Bryant - This is really a conclusion of all the previous
21 items listed here and I think to get into it in detail would
be starting allover from scratch right down the line again.
Mayor - I think that we have covered all of those items.
Mr. Bryant - I think that we have, and I think that they speak
for themselves and the records will show that this is a fact.
Mayor Severance read the conclusion of the memorandum which was
submitted by City Manager Bryant.
Mr. Woods - No matter how the votes go, if you vote against
Chief Katez, he is not a criminal, I don't feel the man needs
to be personally escorted over under police guard to remove
his belongings, at least give the man the courtesy, if it is
necessary, of going over there say with one of the Council
members.
Mayor- I would concur with that. At this time we will enter-
tain the Council's pleasure on the matters that have been dis-
cussed this eyening?
Mr. Woods - I have a number of petitions that were at my office
10 min. signed by various citizens of Edgewater, also they are petitions
that were taken around, and we would like to present them to the
Council.
Mayor - I would have to ask Mr. Weaver for some assistance as to
whether or not action can be taken in regard to the petitions,
or must they be placed on the workshop.
Mayor Severance read the wording of the petitions.
Mr. Weaver - Obviously the petitions were turned over to the
Council to correct their decision, we have not had time to re-
view the petitions in regard to the signatures, you haven't had
a motion to determine whether it is necessary to recognize the
petitions at this time.
Mayor - At this time I will ask what is the desire of the Council
in regard to the charges against the Chief of Police of the City
of Edgewater.
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Councilman Sikes made a motion that the offer be extended to
Mr. Katez to resign, being seconded by Councilman Dietz.
Mrs. Murphy - I wonder if the whole morale problem could be
based on misconception, don't these police officers and these
dispatchers realize that the people of this community respect
them and their Chief? I hope that they realize that they do
have a good image and the Chief has a good image. I think
the problem is the shortage of money and I wonder if they
realize that is the basic problem?
Upon roll call vote said motion CARRIED.
Mayor - Now, Chief, would you accept the motion and recommendation
made by the Council?
Chief - Could you give me say until 10:00 in the morning to make
that decision?
Mayor - No, I am afraid that we have to end this thing tonight
and not have it come up again.
Chief - The answer is NO.
Councilman Dietz made a motion that the Chief be dismissed as
per the recommendation of the City Manager, with the exception
of the escorting him to his office, being seconded by Councilman
Lodico.
Chief - I , of course everybody knew it, Mr. Dietz knew it the
other night, when he tried to shake hands with me, I refused,
he made the remark that" You better shake my hand, you have
a hearing coming up Wednesday" I knew I was prejudged, I
could have gone on and accepted this, but I was my own man
and just because, I didn't kiss every time the City Manager
bent over this is what.. he came here with this in mind, and
Mr. Lodico.. I want to ask Mrs. Murphy, I hate to put you in
this, but what were you told by Mr. Lodico when the City
Manager was hired?
Mrs. Murphy - We asked Mr. Lodico why he had hired a City
Manager when the people had in effect shown that they didn't
want a City Manager, before we ever met Mr. Bryant, you under-
stand. We just asked him why he voted for a City Manager, and
Mr. Lodico said something to the effect that he was anxious to
have a City Manager so that he could keep his eye on the Chief.
Mr. Woods - I would like to challenge Mr. Lodico to remove him-
self from the Council from voting.
Councilman Lodico - I have talked to several of these people
years ago, about the morale, we know, and if you put that
Chief back in there tonight you are going to have a worse morale
problem that you ever had. I say that these people who are working
with the Chief would be miserable, you have put these people on the
spot by answering questions directly to the Chief.
Mr. Weaver - I think that it would be proper for Mr. Woods to
reintroduce the petitions now to the Council, because a motion
is on the floor.
Mr. Woods - The petitions were submitted to show the Council
that there are many residents in the City of Edgewater who are
against firing Chief Katez. I would like to have the Council
consider these petitions at this time.
20 min.
Councilman Dietz - These petitions were signed prior to tonights
hearing, I had no idea how this hearing was going to come out,
nobody did. I heard things tonight that I didnt know about.
I have only been on the Council for about ten months, I didn't
know all of these things were going on. I did not base by feelings
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...
...".,
on petitions or
I have sat here
my decision on.
when they don't
this thing.
anything else, I came here with an open mind,
for eight hours and that is what I have based
I don't know how people can sign petitions
know the facts. Personalities don't enter into
Mr. Woods - I do believe the so called facts that have been
brought out tonight, I believe we have refuted the main
charges against Mr. Katez that have been brought forward
by Mr. Bryant. The big problem seems to be a morale problem
and if I am not mistaken it is a problem that goes back to
the lack of equipment for the Police Department.
Councilman Dietz - One of the facts that has come up is the
morale problem, another thing is insubordination. There are
things here that I lean toward the Chief on, there are things
that I lean toward the City Manager. The one thing that changed
my mind tonight was the morale thing. I don't understand how
you can have nine people working for you and the majority of
them don't believe in you. The point was brought out that
these people blame it on him, I set in on a meeting one day
and these things were not brought out. Had it been brought
out before perhaps we could have worked it out, but we have
never been confided in by the Chief or anybody else about
these problems.
Mr. Woods - Certainly if the man has been generating these
charges for ten months the Council should have become aware
of the morale problem. We were all shocked the other night
when we were handed these charges.
Councilman Dietz - I was too, it came to me as very much a
surprise.
Chief - This morale problem is most of it, if the City Manager
turned up with a morale problem within the City, would you vote
to fire him?
Councilman Dietz - Now we don't have the City Manager on trial,
again, I didn't know about this problem at all. I am suppose
to know what is going on, but I don't. It has been a secret,
and this has got to stop. You haven't controlled your depart-
ment or these people wouldn't get up and testify against you.
Chief - Mr. Dietz, I lost control of that Police Department
when Mr. Bryant came on board. You said that you haven't known
what was going on, I will guarantee you, you will know what is
going on after tonight.
25 min.
Chief - I do want to thank the people who are here tonight for
conducting themselves in an orderly manner. We will rectify
this decision and we will have a town meeting.
Louis Odell - I came here with an open mind also, I still feel
that this is a political football and I think that all of the
people who are here tonight and signed that petition very few
of them would take their names off.
Mr. Opel - Could you men truthfully say that you didn't have
your minds made up before you came h~re tonight? It was made
up before you came here to frame the man.
Mr. Johnson - Mr. Bryant, were you not told to use a hands-off
policy in regards to the Police Department when you came here,
and where do you get the authority to bring these charges against
the Chief?
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...,
Tape 9
Side A
Mayor - You are out of order, Ordinance 889 and Ordinance 912
gives him the supervision and authority to conduct himself as
the supervisor over the Police Department.
Mr. Clinton - This man has a little over three years before he
can retire and you mean to tell me that you are going to take
this man's job. lie is suppose to walk on water according to
this man here. You people have known this man for years and
you have known this man for ten months. The Chief has done a
good job, he has made mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, but
you think about taking his job away from him before you vote.
Councilman Lodico called for the question.
Upon roll call vote said motion CARRIED. Mayor Severance
voting NO.
ADJOURNMENT
-----
Councilman Cairnie made a motion to adjourn, being seconded
by Councilman Lodico. Upon roll call vote said motion CARRIED.
MINUTES TAKEN BY:
Sue Blackwell
Debbie Sigler
Ma YO!}
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Council
ATTEST:
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ity Clerk
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Approved this _~";'=--_day of
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-63-
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.........
..
September 25, 1975
Councilman Sikes made a motion that the tapes of this meetinq
be considered the official minutes and not this typed copy,
being seconded by Councilman Cairnie. Upon roll call vote
said motion CARRIED.
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