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Friday, July 30, 2010 |
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Allegations against chief revealed
Published March 16, 2008
SEGUIN — Seguin City Manager Doug Faseler on Friday released six pages of documents that reveal why he’s placed his police chief on paid leave — and is considering firing him.
The documents were a four-page March 11 letter to Collazo outlining the allegations several officers made against him, an e-mail to Operations Captain Mike Rosas that does the same and a subsequent March 14 letter to Collazo’s attorney that lists additional allegations.
They were released late Friday in response to requests filed under the Texas Public Information Act.
Faseler did not comment on the papers or the specific allegations in them except to acknowledge he was aware of them.
“I’m duly bound to investigate these things when allegations are brought to my attention,” Faseler said. “I don’t think anyone would want it any other way.”
In the four-page letter to Collazo outlining the claims, Faseler names several officers who made statements during the city investigation and alleges Collazo violated city policies of personal conduct, granted special treatment to some members of the community and to certain officers and allowed an employee to conduct his side job on city time.
In a subsequent March 14 letter to Collazo’s attorney additional allegations are listed.
One alleges that Collazo used the “N-word” when referring to how some officers maintained the cleanliness and appearance of their patrol cars, saying words to the effect of, “We’re not going to live like a bunch of n------.”
He also is alleged to have had ordered officers to get tickets and citations dismissed, and reportedly repeatedly ordered that one person’s parking tickets be “voided.”
Most of the allegations contain graphic language that includes sexual content and similar racial slurs directed at ethnic and sociological groups or backgrounds.
Collazo, Faseler alleged, has referred to one female officer as an “Amazon Lesbian” in front of other officers and members of the public, and has introduced one of his male officers to members of the public as a homosexual — referring to him as being “gay.” In the same allegation, Collazo even referred to himself in the same fashion.
Collazo, who is of Puerto Rican descent, reportedly referred to the same officer by his Mexican heritage, joking, “Be careful — he’s a Mexicano, so don’t leave your stuff around, or he’ll steal it.”
He has made the same joke about Puerto Ricans.
Collazo has also allegedly referred to female employees by derogatory terms including “slut,” and several others.
There are allegations Collazo denied certain training to two officers, saying they were “too old.”
Faseler then details allegations that involve Collazo’s interaction with his subordinates.
“The sworn statements indicate that you routinely make threatening statements to employees along the lines of, ‘I can destroy you,’ ‘I’ll ruin you,’ ‘Your career will be over,’ ‘I’ll blackball you,’ and ‘I’ve already chosen your replacement’s replacement,” Faseler told Collazo. “You refer to your employees as ‘stupid,’ and as ‘stupid mother------s.’ Your behavior has created an atmosphere of constant apprehension, humiliation and degradation.”
In terms of granting special treatment to employees or the public, many involve situations in which Collazo allegedly intervened to have traffic or parking tickets dismissed. But others involve other situations.
In one, Collazo allegedly pressured an officer into signing a “non-prosecution” affidavit involving a resident who allegedly committed criminal mischief, which is the intentional damaging of another person’s property.
“Another officer, who has sworn that you clearly implied that failure to sign a non-prosecution affidavit would jeopardize (the officer’s) advancement within the SPD, witnessed this exchange,” Faseler wrote.
In another, he allegedly interfered with the apprehension of a local man sought on federal charges.
“You are alleged to have interfered with the apprehension of (the resident) by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on a warrant for federal charges,” Faseler wrote. “You ... ordered (an officer) to ‘call off’ the federal authorities that were enroute and to have (the resident) released from custody.”
After two officers allegedly got in a fight, Collazo allegedly told one of the officers involved he would not pursue a charge against the other of assault of a peace officer.
The injured officer filed a worker’s compensation claim in connection with the incident, Faseler wrote.
In another incident, Collazo is alleged to have told a former SPD detective who had gotten a suspect to confess to an assault to get the arrest warrant recalled so the man would not be arrested.
In the final allegation of favoritism involving a member of the public, Faseler writes of a police officer who walked up to the driver’s door of a vehicle during a traffic stop to have the driver hand him a cell phone.
“Over the phone you allegedly told the officer that the driver ‘did not need a ticket,’” Faseler wrote.
Another allegation involves a SPD employee reportedly granted special privilege to “conduct private business on city time.”
“(The employee) is believed to have used, with your knowledge, city vehicles, equipment or facilities to conduct his private construction business,” Faseler wrote, “which includes building a residence for your mother-in-law.”
“If true, your behavior constitutes severe violations of the policies stated ... and has had a serious negative impact on the discipline, morale and wellbeing of SPD employees,” Faseler wrote. “Therefore, I am considering terminating your employment. In the meantime, I am placing you on administrative suspension, with pay, effective immediately.”
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