Atherton: Investigator says complaints against officers 'unfounded'

[This and a responding post removed; personal attacks violate terms of use.]

The citizens of Atherton deserve to have these issues investigated by an impartial individual who does not have strong personal and professional links to the police profession. Peterson may well be a highly competent individual but just imagine how much better we would all feel if this report had come from someone like a retired judge.

During his two hour interview with me, Mr. Peterson confided in me that he himself had been accused of a crime.

Mr. Peterson provided little information on the nature or circumstances of the criminal complaint that had been lodged against him. However he gave me the distinct impression that the allegation was serious and that it happened while he was a uniformed officer.

I also got the distinct impression that Mr. Peterson, by making this revelation, intended to make me feel as though he understood how I felt about having been falsely accused of a crime by the Atherton Police Department in retaliation for legitimate concerns I had raised over the Department's use of public funds.

Mr. Peterson's disclosure did not reassure me however. On the contrary I became very suspicious about his ability to conduct an impartial investigation.

Regrettably my fears were realized. Mr. Peterson failed to conduct a thorough and proper investigation. Mr. Peterson investigated only four of the five officers I complained about. Additionally, several of the allegations I made in my citizen's complaint (including two of the most serious) weren't even addressed during the course of his investigation.

I will continue to call for an investigation in response to all of my allegations against all of the officers implicated.

Mr Johns:

you make a strange leap in logic. Peterson may have been falsley accused of a crime so that makes him unfit to conduct an investigation? Do the false accusations made against you make you unfit to be an accountant? Isn't that part of what you are complaining about?

Don't get me wrong, I think this "investigation" is a joke with a predetermined outcome, but one possibly having been falsley accused of a crime in the past has nothing to do with the outcome. The outcome was preordained by the person that hired Peterson.

Menlo Voter

When Mr. Peterson made his disclosure about having been accused of a crime he did so in a way as to indicate that he remained deeply troubled by the experience. The point I am making here is that our current conduct can be influenced by our past experience in ways that are not readily apparent, even to one's self.

To be perfectly honest, I am more inclined to believe that officers accused of misconduct are guilty of such misconduct because of my unfortunate experience with the Atherton PD. It is for that reason I would not be the best candidate to conduct an independent personnel investigation of a police officer.

The point I am trying to make is that the condition that makes me a lousy candidate for conducting an internal affairs investigation is one that affects Mr. Peterson as well. This condition is a lack of objectivity stemming from past experience.

Because Mr. Peterson clearly feels the sting of a false accusation from an aggrieved civilian, he was the poorest possible choice to conduct my investigation or Mr. Buckheit's investigation. That is unless one wanted a pre-ordained outcome in favor of the officers accused.

...hmmmm "...how much better we would all feel if this report had come from someone like a retired judge." Like judge's can't be bought off.... Let's keep $hopping until we get the results we want....at any cost....

One investigation is enough, as long as it's an investigator we select. After all, when a tax paying member of the public is investigated, they get to pick their own investigator too. Oh, wait a sec, scratch that. Chief Peterson's credentials and reputation are impeccable.

Does anybody know the name of the small town that Pete Peterson was the Chief.?

Clayton, CA

So police are being police. Is this news?

Except Atherton "officers" are not police...they are over paid security guards and news paper picker uppers...sad but true