Investigation of WDFW Enforcement Administration

[bigtex]

From the WSP investigation of Operation CODY:

Sgt. Mullins said regarding the follow up on additional cases on Operation Cody after the media aired their report on September 18, 2012, he did not have concerns,

“Not really.  They're -- the vast majority of those cases were low-level, you know, uh situations where normal people sold things that are illegal and they probably had no idea that it was even illegal and not that some of these people weren't bad people but Todd Vandivert's MO is to dramatize nearly everything and the danger and inherent risk was one of the things that he dramatized.  At one point he claimed that the camera saw a guy standing in the window with a rifle, which I never saw and I don't know that anybody else saw at that residence.  And the officer safety, destruction of evidence mantra that he has brought forward -- when I say he I mean Todd Vandivert -- is to serve his um -- his vendetta if you will against the administration, specifically Mike CENCI.”

I wonder if Mullins felt the same way about Todd when Todd was a field officer in Mullins' detachment and was consistently his most productive officer.......

[CAMPMEAT]

Seems the department just tries to throw Todd under the bus on all claims.  The guys in the department have figured out a way to cover their own a$$s some how.

.....it's called the, GOVERNMENT. They answer to no one. We have zero say in it, even though they work for us..

[ucwarden]

From the WSP investigation of Operation CODY:

Sgt. Mullins said regarding the follow up on additional cases on Operation Cody after the media aired their report on September 18, 2012, he did not have concerns,

“Not really.  They're -- the vast majority of those cases were low-level, you know, uh situations where normal people sold things that are illegal and they probably had no idea that it was even illegal and not that some of these people weren't bad people but Todd Vandivert's MO is to dramatize nearly everything and the danger and inherent risk was one of the things that he dramatized.  At one point he claimed that the camera saw a guy standing in the window with a rifle, which I never saw and I don't know that anybody else saw at that residence.  And the officer safety, destruction of evidence mantra that he has brought forward -- when I say he I mean Todd Vandivert -- is to serve his um -- his vendetta if you will against the administration, specifically Mike CENCI.”

I wonder if Mullins felt the same way about Todd when Todd was a field officer in Mullins' detachment and was consistently his most productive officer.......

That's one of the worst bi-products of this big internal battle; it has caused a major split in the program.  No matter how this comes out, it will be a lot of years before everyone can put these differences and battles behind them.  I have lost a few friends over all of this, but have also found a lot of good people who are finally willing to stand up and say enough is enough.  Now we just have to get the right people to listen and do the right thing.

[Gamblin Guy]

Mullins is a Cenci disciple....

[ucwarden]

Mullins is a Cenci disciple....

Absolutely, as are a few more.  Right now they stand out like sore thumbs, kissing up and defending "the man".

Interesting choice of words; disciple, since in a newspaper interview I think it was Cenci who referred to us (his opposition) as Vandivert and his Disciples.

[Skillet]

Has the Yakima Herald and/or Landers commented on any of the material released to date?

I know there are a few of us who have written letters, submitted comments, contacted politicians, etc., on this issue.  But there are a helluva lot more who haven't. 

CAMPMEAT, I share your disdain for Government  bureaucracy in general, but I don't share your pessimism in this case.  I hope you and everybody else who is disgusted with the current state of affairs do the bare minimum and follow the link to Unsworth's request for input on what the Department should focus on.  The guy won't even realize he failed if he doesn't know how strongly his constituents feel about this issue.  Lawyers can parse words and cite technicalities to make the WSP'S report seem like a non-issue.  But anybody who actually read it knows the real story overall - there is a pattern of deceit and abuse that is rooted in the top echelons of WDFW Enforcement administration.

Follow the link. Tell Unsworth you read it, are not happy with the behavior exhibited, and just will not accept the status quo.  He needs to fix this mess. He didn't create it, but it is his job now to fix it.

People, we must stand on principle here and do the right thing. Let Unsworth know how you feel.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildfuture/

[ucwarden]

Has the Yakima Herald and/or Landers commented on any of the material released to date?

I know there are a few of us who have written letters, submitted comments, contacted politicians, etc., on this issue.  But there are a helluva lot more who haven't. 

CAMPMEAT, I share your disdain for Government  bureaucracy in general, but I don't share your pessimism in this case.  I hope you and everybody else who is disgusted with the current state of affairs do the bare minimum and follow the link to Unsworth's request for input on what the Department should focus on.  The guy won't even realize he failed if he doesn't know how strongly his constituents feel about this issue.  Lawyers can parse words and cite technicalities to make the WSP'S report seem like a non-issue.  But anybody who actually read it knows the real story overall - there is a pattern of deceit and abuse that is rooted in the top echelons of WDFW Enforcement administration.

Follow the link. Tell Unsworth you read it, are not happy with the behavior exhibited, and just will not accept the status quo.  He needs to fix this mess. He didn't create it, but it is his job now to fix it.

People, we must stand on principle here and do the right thing. Let Unsworth know how you feel.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildfuture/

I have spoken to a couple of reporters recently, but not Landers.  I appreciate everything you said, and you are right on the money.  In the next couple of weeks, I will add more and more to the website, until I either get all 6,000 read and have posted the best, or they actually do something in Olympia.
Thanks!

[Gringo31]

They're -- the vast majority of those cases were low-level, you know, uh situations where normal people sold things that are illegal and they probably had no idea that it was even illegal

This is incredible.

[ucwarden]

They're -- the vast majority of those cases were low-level, you know, uh situations where normal people sold things that are illegal and they probably had no idea that it was even illegal

This is incredible.

I see you found a quote from Sgt. Mullins.   I love it when a guy, who had virtually nothing to do with our operation, critiques it.  The funny thing about this quote is that we took every effort possible to make sure we did not pursue those people who didn't know what they were doing was illegal, and absolutely none of our suspects were ignorant of the law; they all knew full well what they were doing was illegal. 

[grundy53]

Mullins makes it sound like ignorance is a legitimate excuse for breaking the law.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

[CAMPMEAT]

Has the Yakima Herald and/or Landers commented on any of the material released to date?

I know there are a few of us who have written letters, submitted comments, contacted politicians, etc., on this issue.  But there are a helluva lot more who haven't. 

CAMPMEAT, I share your disdain for Government  bureaucracy in general, but I don't share your pessimism in this case.  I hope you and everybody else who is disgusted with the current state of affairs do the bare minimum and follow the link to Unsworth's request for input on what the Department should focus on.  The guy won't even realize he failed if he doesn't know how strongly his constituents feel about this issue.  Lawyers can parse words and cite technicalities to make the WSP'S report seem like a non-issue.  But anybody who actually read it knows the real story overall - there is a pattern of deceit and abuse that is rooted in the top echelons of WDFW Enforcement administration.

Follow the link. Tell Unsworth you read it, are not happy with the behavior exhibited, and just will not accept the status quo.  He needs to fix this mess. He didn't create it, but it is his job now to fix it.

People, we must stand on principle here and do the right thing. Let Unsworth know how you feel.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildfuture/

Skillet, I did do my duty. I'm just very tired of all the government crap...plus, there will always be deceit, corruption in ours or anybodies government..

[ucwarden]

Mullins makes it sound like ignorance is a legitimate excuse for breaking the law.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

While we all know that ignorance of the law is no excuse, when we began Operation Cody my partner and I agreed to be very careful to not sweep up anyone who was "ignorant of the law".  Each and every one (100%) of our suspects charged in the operation, were very aware that what they were doing was illegal.  We spoke to all of them about how illegal these transactions were, so Mullins is twisting the facts of an operation, that he knows little about, to suit his and Cenci's needs.   

[ctwiggs1]

Director Unsworth,

First off, I want to congratulate you on your new position as Director of WDFW.  I also want to thank you for taking the position as outdoorsmen and women have waited for some time for a change to take place.

Right now you have a report in front of you from the WSP regarding your enforcement division that is partially already public.  The report details the level of abuse of power that is occurring regularly within the WDFW enforcement upper ranks.  As a lifelong Washington resident and sportsman, I find that this misuse of power is reprehensible at the very least, and puts a negative mark on the WDFW that is not easily removed. 

As a military combat veteran, I can tell you that many of the actions that have now been made public would have resulted in a member of the military being given a bad conduct discharge, but have resulted in promotions for Deputy Director Cenci in particular, but others as well.

There are a few key points that bother me that I think may bother you as well:
1) Why are our game wardens working in a hostile work environment?  These officers are local legends where they live and for good reason - they are required to do a much more dangerous job while retaining and understand more legal issues than most law enforcement.  These officers should not return from this environment to a boss that threatens to "put his boot up their asses" over trivial issues.
2) Why are we allowing officers, especially senior officers to break the law and not receive any form of punishment?  Again, in my military days just a few short years ago, even a lowly speeding ticket resulted in a written counseling session.  While this may seem excessive, the fact of the matter is that law enforcement and military should be held to a higher standard.  How can you possibly enforce a law with any integrity if you're constantly breaking that law yourself?
3) What is most troublesome to read about is putting officers lives in danger.  I can personally dodge a hostile work environment, possibly let go of traffic violations, but this is one non-negotiable issue that needs to be addressed immediately.  Allowing the media to be involved in the search warrant operations that took place for Operation Cody, after multiple agreements and briefings clearly stated "NO MEDIA" is unacceptable and seems to be borderline criminal in itself. 

Director Unsworth, I have full faith that you will take this report seriously and use it (and other information you're likely privy to) to clean up the enforcement division of WDFW.  I and other sportsman are tired of poachers getting away regularly while recreational fishermen are cited constantly for trivial issues (even though most game wardens admit that the fishing regulations are very confusing).  We're tired of hearing about good game wardens being disciplined for non-issues, and we're tired of hearing about the complete lack of integrity in the upper ranks of WDFW.  Our WDFW officers have been converted from Game Wardens to revenue producers, which is unfortunate at best.

You, as a new Director, have the power to change this.  Please do, and soon.

[ipkus]

Some random thoughts after reading through most of this mess over the last week;

- Bjork wasn't doing jack while he was head of enforcement, other than letting Cenci run wild
- Cenci's intentions are in the right place, but a lack of guidance for years combined with his massive ego let him grow into a person who really thinks he's above following the very laws and morals that he so passionately enforces.  Additionally, he has zero actual leadership abilities.  And like others in leadership roles throughout life that don't have the skills, they simply have a handful of puppydog butt sniffing types that they promote and coddle simply because of their allegiance
- It is completely obvious who the butt sniffers are
- Unsworth should immediately request a refund for the department commissioned 'investigation', what an absolute waste of money
- Any of you who think Phil Anderson did anything positive for either recreational fishing or hunting during his term as director need to seek help
- The corruption/cronyism within WDFW enforcement is Chicago/Illinois politics bad.  The only way to fix it is with a hammer
- I have a huge amount of empathy for most of the WDFW LEO's who are stuck in this mess; that became a game warden for the right reasons, following their passion, and are having to operate under this administration.

 

[Curly]

Ctwiggs, if you haven't sent that letter yet, you might edit the part where you call Cenci "Deputy Director". He is Deputy Chief or DC Cenci.