#2 A call for a Grand Jury investigation of the Atheron POA

Thank you Bob.

I do not want to reveal my identity. However I did want to share my experience with the readers of this forum.

I was accused of a crime by Atherton. The fact pattern is quite similar to Mr. Buckheit's case. The nature of the crime was very serious, the charge in and of itself was prejudicial to my defense.

The Atherton Police Department withheld information from the DA that exonerated me.

When I confronted the DA with the very information that was being withheld by the PD, the DA's hand was forced. It had to decline prosecution. But it did not decline prosecution until more than 4 months after I provided evidence of my innocence.

What is worse, I found out after the fact that a police report on my arrest had been falsified by the PD.

I filed a criminal complaint with the DA over the falsification of a police report. The DA ignored my complaint.

I firmbly believe that my bitter experience with the Atherton PD and with the San Mateo County DA is not an isolated incident but it is just another incident in a pattern of behavior that is, in a word corrupt.

I am outraged at how I was treated. I am even more outraged that an incident like Buckheit's could be so public with so few people seeming to care.

I am old and I am retired, without a golden parachute. I admire Buckheit for the very public battle he is waging with the DA. Jon Buckheit has the means to defend himself against the ruthless, the powerful and the corrupt.

I do not. I must resort to anonymymity to preserve me meagre resources.

Either Wagstaffe prosecutes the two complaints of police falsification (one submitted by Atherton's former finance director John Johns and one submitted by Jon Buckhiet), or Wagstaffe faces a grand jury investigation. That's how it should be.

Listen to what Wagstaffe said on the Alex Jones Show

"If a police officer in our county or some other county does something like that, where they've gone beyond something that is necessary for the job, well then it can be a crime and we're not going to say you get special treatment because you are a because of the position you are in."

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Listen to the segment between 3:29 and 3:47.

Wagstaffe was speaking in reference to the TSA pat downs.

This is grandstanding on Wagstaffe's part. This is a smokescreen.

This is precisely why Wagstaffe should be investigated by the DA. He has said publicly that police officers are not above the law. However his actions have been inconsistent with his stated policy.

It is time to hold Wagstaffe accountable for his actions.

Abuse of prosecutorial discretion and racial bias are the norm in the lily white office of the San Mateo County DA.

The DA botched a high profile murder case because of racism. Troy Henderson's prosection was racially motivated.

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This isn't sniping, it isn't backstabbing, it is calling a spade a spade.

Get it all out in the open. Let's have a thorough and impartial investigation of Wagstaffe.

This is what Steve Wagstaffe has to say about people making false claims as victims of the gas explosion in Daly City:

“We view them as vermin,”

[We're deleting this part. I don't see any proof of racism.]

What does Steve Wagstaffe have to say about white police officers in Atherton who falsify a police report in violation of one's civil rights?

We do not know because Wagstaffe has remained silent on the Buckheit case.

What does Steve Wagstaffe have to say about his prejudice (er. use of prosecutorial discretion)?

[Avoid accusations of racism without proof.]

We do not know. [Portion deleted.]

Time for Checks and Balance in San Mateo County.

Single point data base of all criminal complaints submitted no matter where they are reported. Local Police Department, Sheriff's Department, or the District Attorney's Office.

Currently the District Attorney's Office does not keep records of criminal complaints brought to them. If Ivan Grosshouser or Steve Wagstaffe determine your case is closed at the initial meeting say against some of their personal friends, or political assets.....to bad for you.

No second opinion to see if Ivan was wrong, made a mistake, misunderstood the allegations etc.

[If you want to criticize a public official fine, but don't use this forum to raise questions of whether someone is a racist.]

[Post removed. Please don't use Town Square to accuse people of wrongdoing. If you want to call on a public official to take action, fine. ]

Thank you Almanac News for letting this thread stay up. There is no way that I would write this, with my position in the legal community of San Mateo County if I had to register.

I am glad to see the dirt that was swept under the rug and kept there for so long come oTut for everyone to see.

Fox used to be the butt of a favorite joke around the office that in San Mateo County the tail did indeed wag the dog.

The fact of the matter is that Fox was so busy networking with his buddies all over the state that he didn't have a clue as to what was going on in his office.

What this means is that the current chaos, dysfunction, and distruct that exists in the DA's office is a condition that Waggs can't blame on the old regime.

A management audit of the DA's office is long overdue and Wagstaffe should be run out of dodge for the way he has ruined a once proud office.

Nobody cares about racism in San Mateo County. But what they do care about is money.

Steve Wagstaffe wastes alot of it. That's reason enough to examine his office. He deliberately inflates the workload of his office by exaggerting the severity of crimes.

He also spends far too much time prosecuting petty crimes, crimes that other California counties have established far more efficient ways of dealing with.

Do you really think making repeated postings to a community newspaper message forum is going to promote change you seek?

Does it concern you that you come across as paranoid and delusional?

Do the conspiracy theories you propose have a meaningful conclusion or are subsequent investigations required to explore other possibilities?

What justifies using tax dollars to investigate claims which have basis only in your speculation?

What crime(s) did YOU commit which led to your involvement with the DA's Office

What was it about that experience which leads you to treat the organization with such suspicion?

Are these problems unique to the San Mateo County DA or common in all DA Offices?

The attitude displayed by the most recent post is why I got out of law enforcement.

The post presumes those complaining about the DA are guilty of a crime.

That's the thing most wrong about the philosophy of those who come in contact with the DA's office in San Mateo County, it is guilty until proven innocent.

What is worst is that once the DA gets involved in a case it becomes invested in the outcome.

As Buckheit's experience shows, the DA will ignore crimes committed by police to justify an arrest that should neve have taken place.

This isn't paranoia, this is a legitimte concern.

More like guilty until proven innocent and then you're still guilty since you [Portion deleted. No evidence for this accusation.]

Wagstaffe's biggest problem is morale in his office. There is a sense that he's lost any concept of justice and that he is obsessed with numbers.

His win at all costs attitude is why he's being sued in federal court right now.

Deputy DA Lisa Coburn completely ignored an officer's admission of a falsified police report. How many lies have resulted in innocent men and women going to jail?

We are about to find out.

This is why Wagstaffe is running scared, his closet and all its skeletons are about to be revealed.

The federal civil rights case is a nightmare for Wagstaffe, it will be his Waterloo.

I used to work for Atherton. Some of these posts go too far but there is definitely a problem Question Man. A police officer ripped a door off its hinges in an angry rage. They just hung it back up. The former chief lunged at a resident who was complaining about mountain lions. He had to be held back by Jim Robinson who used to be the manager.

Neither of these two men were prosecuted. Yet I have read about the DA prosecuting people for doing a lot less.

I agree with you, I am sure these types of issues happen everywhere. Just don't get the idea that the Atherton police is like a Stepford wives type of place. It's not.

Listen to the words coming out of the DAs mouth especially as concerns prosecuting police who go beyond allowable actions.
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In San Mateo County, money buys justice.

Wagstaffe and the Atherton POA are tight for one reason.

It's the connections the Atherton POA picks up along with the mail for the residents on vacation that Wagstaffe drools over.

He wants to be tight so that people like Glenn Nielsen will introduce Waggs to people like Merv Morris and DiDi Fisher.

Wagstaffe is a politician and hopes the POA can come through as a conduit for donations.

The one good thing about Wagstaffe is that he's dependable.

Just don't try and give him money directly. You need to channel it through the right POA on the Peninsula.

[Post removed. Don't use Town Square to accuse people of illegal conduct.]

Several comments on this thread have been removed because they made serious accusations with no evidence. But the Almanac is interested in hearing from people with evidence or reasonable suspicion of criminal wrongdoing or unethical behavior. Please contact me directly at rbatti@AlmanacNews.com or 854-2690, ext. 211, with information. I'm especially interested in hearing from "concerned" and anyone else with knowledge of specific incidents of concern. Thanks.