"I'm
glad [Forseth] told us. That will need to be looked at."
-Raul Villanueva
Mayor Pro Tem
-Raul Villanueva
Mayor Pro Tem
By
Hannah Esqueda
A
former reserve officer with the Parlier police leveled several accusations
against the department and Chief David Cerda during the Jan. 15 City Council
meeting.
Matt Forseth said he was fired in early December in retaliation for speaking out against the misconduct of several other officers in the department.
Cerda said that Forseth was not retaliated against but would not say why he was fired since it is a personnel issue.
“The police department doesn’t condone or tolerate any type of police misconduct,” Cerda said. “All matters are addressed and not ignored.”
Matt Forseth said he was fired in early December in retaliation for speaking out against the misconduct of several other officers in the department.
Cerda said that Forseth was not retaliated against but would not say why he was fired since it is a personnel issue.
“The police department doesn’t condone or tolerate any type of police misconduct,” Cerda said. “All matters are addressed and not ignored.”
Forseth
addressed the council during the public comments portion of the meeting and
said that he and several other officers had brought their concerns before
Interim City Manager Anthony B. Lopez in late November.
When Lopez allegedly failed to respond to their information, Forseth said they met again on Dec. 12. Shortly after that meeting, Forseth said he was fired.
“I was searching for a reason, ‘Why? What did I do? What policy did I violate?’ “ Forseth said.
He said he believes he was fired in retaliation for speaking against a sergeant with the department who was his supervisor.
Calls to the city manager’s office for comment were not immediately returned.
While he would not name the sergeant, Forseth did pass out photos to the council members showing what he said was inappropriate behavior on the part of a Parlier police sergeant.
Forseth said the pictures showed the sergeant drunk in public, displaying his personal service weapon while drunk in a bar and urinating in public while naked.
In an interview, Mayor Armando Lopez confirmed that those scenes were depicted in the pictures Forseth passed to council members during the meeting. But Lopez, would not comment on whether he recognized the subject in the photos as being a member of the Parlier Police Department.
“I don’t want to say anything until we know what is OK legally,” he said.
But, he did say that the matter was a serious one and that the council would treat it as such.
In an interview, Mayor Pro Tem Raul Villanueva agreed.
“I’m glad [Forseth] told us,” he said. “That will need to be looked at.”
Before coming to Parlier, Forseth said he was an officer with the Fresno Police Department for nine years.
“Unfortunately, I made a poor ethical decision during my time there and was terminated due to having a relationship with a female,” he said. “I am very humble and very embarrassed to admit it, but we all make mistakes.”
Jaime Rios, spokesmanfor the Fresno Police Department confirmed that Forseth had worked there.
Forseth said he was hired in 2012 by the Parlier Police Department as a contract reserve officer, meaning he worked 40 hours a week with no medical benefits. He said that he became increasingly concerned with some of the conduct of his fellow officers and began speaking out in the fall of 2013.
“I was the key witness in a [investigation] of a sergeant who was recently terminated for his misconduct. I was concerned about retaliation as a result of that,” he said.
Forseth said the sergeant he testified against is not the one who he is the subject of the photos he gave to the City Council.
Forseth said he and five other officers plan to take legal action against the city of Parlier and Cerda. He would not name the other officers included in the pending lawsuit.
“They’re still employed there and are afraid of retaliation,” he said.
Forseth said he is working with a lawyer based out of Los Angeles and expects to file the lawsuit in a month.
When Lopez allegedly failed to respond to their information, Forseth said they met again on Dec. 12. Shortly after that meeting, Forseth said he was fired.
“I was searching for a reason, ‘Why? What did I do? What policy did I violate?’ “ Forseth said.
He said he believes he was fired in retaliation for speaking against a sergeant with the department who was his supervisor.
Calls to the city manager’s office for comment were not immediately returned.
While he would not name the sergeant, Forseth did pass out photos to the council members showing what he said was inappropriate behavior on the part of a Parlier police sergeant.
Forseth said the pictures showed the sergeant drunk in public, displaying his personal service weapon while drunk in a bar and urinating in public while naked.
In an interview, Mayor Armando Lopez confirmed that those scenes were depicted in the pictures Forseth passed to council members during the meeting. But Lopez, would not comment on whether he recognized the subject in the photos as being a member of the Parlier Police Department.
“I don’t want to say anything until we know what is OK legally,” he said.
But, he did say that the matter was a serious one and that the council would treat it as such.
In an interview, Mayor Pro Tem Raul Villanueva agreed.
“I’m glad [Forseth] told us,” he said. “That will need to be looked at.”
Before coming to Parlier, Forseth said he was an officer with the Fresno Police Department for nine years.
“Unfortunately, I made a poor ethical decision during my time there and was terminated due to having a relationship with a female,” he said. “I am very humble and very embarrassed to admit it, but we all make mistakes.”
Jaime Rios, spokesmanfor the Fresno Police Department confirmed that Forseth had worked there.
Forseth said he was hired in 2012 by the Parlier Police Department as a contract reserve officer, meaning he worked 40 hours a week with no medical benefits. He said that he became increasingly concerned with some of the conduct of his fellow officers and began speaking out in the fall of 2013.
“I was the key witness in a [investigation] of a sergeant who was recently terminated for his misconduct. I was concerned about retaliation as a result of that,” he said.
Forseth said the sergeant he testified against is not the one who he is the subject of the photos he gave to the City Council.
Forseth said he and five other officers plan to take legal action against the city of Parlier and Cerda. He would not name the other officers included in the pending lawsuit.
“They’re still employed there and are afraid of retaliation,” he said.
Forseth said he is working with a lawyer based out of Los Angeles and expects to file the lawsuit in a month.
