What does a person even begin to say after the revelations in the November 30, 2006, issue in the Santa Maria Sun about the racist comments of the current Santa Maria Police Chief, Danny Macagni?
The accusations are shocking and take one's breath away. "Wetbacks"? "Niggers"? "Chinks"? Has this man been living under a rock somewhere to think that in this day and age the public would condone and look the oher way when a person of his position speaks this way? How ignorant. How arrogant. How heartless. And really, how stupid.
In the big cities, this kind of behavior would have a police chief fired in 24 hours after the report. The public wouldn't stand for it.
But, oh, yes, the public in Santa Maria didn't hear about the complaints when they were earlier reported to the City Council by the Police Officers Association.
The council members hid behind the screen they used when they forced former Police Chief John Sterling to retire in 2003 -- their standard excuse that only City Manager Tim Ness hires and fires the Police Chief, so it was theoretically out of their hands.
The Sun article states that a third-party examiner was hired to investigate the POA's complaints against Macagni and Ness regarding instances of retaliation and harassment, unfairness in promotions and assignments, discriminatory comments and interference in an ongoing investigation.
When asked by the Sun reporter, Kirsten Flagg, about the city's investigation, Danny Macagni said, "You should stay away from that completely . . . . You have no right to even pry into that."
When asked by Flagg if he had ever made derogatory remarks toward different races, Danny Macagni responded, "You know it's wrong, you know it's absolutely wrong to even ask these questions, because it's none of your business."
Excuse me, Danny, it IS our business. In case you don't remember, you work for us -- the citizens of this town.
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