The SEARCH for TRUTH, THE GRANGER MEMO, plus, TOUCHDOWN, PPD OFFICER SOURCE, SCORES FOR WE THE PEOPLE in STEROIDsGATE
BY DAN VALENTI
ADD 2, April 18, 2011: A call is placed.
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE) — We can share this brief update. The Planet called Chief Wynn this afternoon. His secretary did not pick up nor did the chief, so the call kicked into voice mail. I left the message that if Chief Michael Wynn wants to correct any misstatements of facts or help The Planet improve the accuracy of what we are sharing on SteroidsGate and its tributary issues, we would love to get this information.
The issue is transparency, for the police and The Planet as well. We are not hiding anything nor trying to “uncover” anything. We are simply responding to information from various sources that is coming our way. The sources are real. The information they provide is, also. We don’t claim it is the entire story. We don’t favor any agenda other than the truth.
The truth does not fear the light. It welcomes the light and retreats from the darkness. The Boring Broadsheet will not present the truth, as is its first responsibility as a source of mainstream journalism, and they can live with their conscience and declining circulation. We can live with our conscience and our growing circulation.
The Planet has no dog in this fight. We simply go where the evidence leads us. If SteroidsGate begins and ends with one police officer and one state trooper, no one will be more grateful than us. We do remind our readers that there are at least two investigation ongoing, one local by a law enforcement agency not the PPD that Chief Wynn has not identified, and by the feds connected with the Postal Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
ADD 1, April 18, 2011: Memo on the Loose
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, APRIL, 18, 2011) — Let The Planet be clear. We have not solicited sources from the PPD other than official calls, mostly to Chief Wynn. Our informants are coming to us. We are about free speech and sharing of information and opinion, checked out as best we can. This is cyberjournalism. While it undergoes the vetting of print (as The Planet conducts it, anyhow), cyberspace is more of a frontier and badlands. That is the delicate balance that makes this medium so dynamic.
FROM CAPT. DAVID GRANGER
Typically I would not comment in a department e-mail regarding what is posted on Blogs or in the paper, but the person or persons behind the various unauthorized releases of information, particularly to Valenti, deserve comment and the officers of this department deserve to have their command staff defend them.First when someone tells the truth it is never an issue or a problem, no matter if the truth is good or bad for the individual or the department. I have always supported what is fair, right and proper and encourage any member of the department to do the same. If you lie, falsify reports and act improperly you get what is deemed appropriate punishment by the Chief, the City Labor Attorney and the appointing authority. The record of discipline (which has been reviewed by Civil Service) has been fair and consistent over the years and I support this.
But I will never support half truths, distorted facts, made up lies and personal vendettas against individuals and character assassination, particularly when they come from a fellow worker(s) and are portrayed in the manner they have been on Valenti’s blog. (fortunately not many intelligent people read or associate themselves for long with a blog as malicious and self serving as his)
It is unfortunate that officers make mistakes and engage in improper behavior at times but officers are human beings and just like all human beings they make mistakes and engage in improper behavior at times. This is not an excuse but the reality of the world we live in. Society is imperfect at times, officers come from society, so therefore officers will be imperfect at times.
The real problem is the behavior that this person or persons are engaging in doesn’t just affect the officer or officers written about, it affects their entire family and the families of all officers. I single out and concentrate on the sworn members of the department because each unauthorized internal release of information has been directed at sworn officers and has been used to paint all officers with the same brush.
Officer Touchdown Scores
Good week,everyone. The sun is shining on The Planet, but doesn’t it always? It is the one place in the known universe where one does not have to light a match to see the sun.
It was a busy week and weekend, with the yardwork getting done, the flora and fauna abloom, and sources within the Pittsfield Police Department speaking up and out. Sources aren’t using names, but they are giving information in secret meetings help in vacant parking garages. Don’t you like the “All the Presiden’ts Men” touch?
How do we know who is doing or has done steroids, it could well be some of the people you have mentioned, for all we know. Mandatory testing is the only answer.
Nothing from phony on the radio either. His buddy who praised the task force here made bookoo bucks on overtime, almost his annual salary.Over150g
What in the world is going on when members of our police force are working in other towns and are we paying for it? They are always calling for more people for PPD. And they wonder why the tax payer gets upset. I wonder how many other things are going on that we are not told about. It is things like this that make tax payer not trust Government. I suppose that no one sells drugs on the weekend either.
So Dan Touchdown says that all cops use their cell phones when on road jobs? Come on Dan you want us to believe that a cop told you this? Dan you phony bastard I think your making things up. How unprofessionial!
I am only passing along what a qualified source is saying is the truth. This person is in the department. I’m not saying this person has the entire truth but he or she is concerned enough to be talking. I’m open to hearing where source is factually wrong.
Dan what benifit is it for this “officer” to give you inside info? My guess is if he/she gets caught they are going to be in a bunch of trouble.
You don’t need the quotes. It’s an officer. What benefits? That is for him/her to answer. My guess: Wants to see “the other side” of the stories get told. Maybe, just maybe, a desire to see more truth injected into the discussions.
All it does is make the WHOLE department sound bad ps Im not a cop.
Why? I disagree. It makes helps the department. It shows there is the vast majority of good cops who recent being tainted by a tiny number (we know of one at least but may be a few more) of the other kind. Ever think of that?
every time i see a cop doing road work their on a cell phone….. one way to prove it is get their cell phone records.im sure they would gladly give them to the planet, to prove everyone wrong.
hey duke, maybe these cops talking to dan dont want to be lumped in with a few bad eggs, and maybe they dont like to be told who they can or cant talk to… i know if it was me being told not to talk, i would be singing to the choir.
police are para military. When you want to talk you have to go through the chain of command.
DUKE
Didn’t you read my second add. I placed a call to Chief Wynn. I have gone through command. Any reporter who ONLY goes through channels works for the Boring Broadsheet and will print the sanitized “official” version. That’s not how The Planet’s newsroom operates.
Dan I meant the cop has to go through the chain of command.. PS Today is a holiday. I don’t think the Chief would be working today or his secretary either.
Hadn’t thought of the holiday factor, DD, and that could explain the unavailability. In the Dreaded Private Sector, we have to sing for our supper. Today is not a holiday, and no one from the PPD has returned out call.
Duke, are you one of the drug task force officers effected by this loss of money? Of all the information and portion of Captain Granger’s email, all you get from it was “cops use their cell phones when on road jobs.” It seems kinda like delfection to me.
If I worked for PPD, I would want my upper management to confront these stories and/or rumors, wouldn’t you? I just read on Topix that somebody is starting to name names as the person who originally got caught in this sting. Is it true (it is Topix after all), who knows? But hiding from it won’t make it go away? It just makes it get worse.
You are absolutely right. They are definitely hiding more and everyone keeps digging because we know they are hiding much more
Maybe its the cop who tried to give Oprah a letter awhile back. Same cop who maybe has a hard on for the drug cops who sent his drug dealing son to the slammer? Just wondering.
Dan I am glad that you have put out the information that you have. No one should be afraid of the public reading about what is going on unless they have something to hide. The good and honest personal have nothing to worry about and will continue to have the support of the tax payer. The ones that are not doing the right things while on the job or off should find another line of work.
Agree, Mr. A.
Capt Granger,
How are supposed to believe your statement regarding the information leaked out of the PPD?
You start out your paragraph with “But I will never support half truths, distorted facts, made up lies and personal vendettas against individuals and character assassination, particularly when they come from a fellow worker(s) and are portrayed in the manner they have been on Valenti’s blog. “ and then you assassinate the character of those that read and or contribute to the blog. “(fortunately not many intelligent people read or associate themselves for long with a blog as malicious and self serving as his)”
You hide behind accusations made by yourself but fail to use the facts to which you drew these conclusions from. Please do enlighten us the unwashed masses of the information and the facts you used, this would allow us the public to see if in fact you do support the use of “ half facts, distorted facts and made up lies”
Another interesting point in your rant is the lack of any obligation either you or any other officer has to the public and its right to be fully informed and how that might assist the public in supporting the mission of the PPD. Are we the public only responsible to foot the bill? Or are we owed the respect of knowing what if anything is going on within the ranks of the PPD I remind you the department has a larger obligation to the public than it does to the brotherhood.
Well said!
Nice point, Joe. Also, try to keep in mind, Capt Granger is the head honcho of internal affairs. I like his “character assasination” line also. If I’m not mistaken, the person who’s “character” he’s referencing is Officer Kirchner. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Officer Kirchner admit to purchasing illegal drugs to Capt Granger in his (Granger’s) internal affairs report? So people, including Dan and all of us, wanting to know if this is a blip on the radar screen or a wide spread problem as some have suggested, is “half facts, distorted facts and made up lies?” Well Capt Granger, as your letter to your fellow bretheren suggests, time to “man up.” We wait with baited……well, open ears.
Sure seems like Capt. Granger is doing all he can to warn his fellow officers on the force not to talk to the evil Dan Valenti, but what is this guy, who is also in charge of PPD’s Internal Affairs Unit, doing actually to root out steroids users still on the force, along with busting their respective suppliers?
Note that Chief Wynn in his press release NEVER announced he was actually going to undertake his own internal investigation, ONLY that the fed probe had uncovered only one of his guys.
Typical lawyer’s trick to misdirect attention and to omit a key point (especially since a lawyer, not the chief, apparently wrote that incredibly misleading press release).
The key point is that PPD appears NOT to be in the midst of its own internal investigation.
That tells one and all that PPD officials and the eerily silent Mayor (silent on this subject of illegal drug use in the department) do not want really to know who is using, who are the sources, nor how deep the problem actually goes.
The public therefore has a right to think the worst because the Mayor himself is doing nothing to make people think otherwise.
You are totally correct. You have been so silent lately?
If “blogs” like this are so insignificant then why even waste your time worrying about it? Looks like what Dan is doing is working and they’re getting scared don’t forget who pays you Mr. Granger…
Scott 7 different people out of 24 blogs! Wow thats significant! NOT
Like I said if it’s so insignificant why are they specifically singling it out and showing concern? Also the amount of people who comment on it has no relation to the site traffic perhaps Dan can post his site traffic info provided by his host company.
SCOTT
You get it. You overmatched opponent does not. We have long learned to laugh at those who says, “No one listens to him” (when I had the talk show”) and “no one reads him” (newspapers and now online). They are projecting their fantasies, wishing no one did. Fact is, we have vast numbers. As you say, if not, “they” wouldn’t have to say a word!
@ G M, did ya see what might be 2011 sto.. of the year?
@vives
vives, Is this AV posting?
2011 story of the year?
Was it The Berkshire Eagle making the determination, or other media outlet?
That stock ya got from moi, the one ya made fun of! How ya been.G M? See your still kicking butt.
@vives,
Are you referring to that dog, BCON? 🙂
The one that did a 1 for 10 reverse stock split and, even with that, is still facing delisting from NASDAQ?
Didn’t buy any BCON, but did buy BP when it tanked.
Now THAT is doing well, thank you!
How and where U been?
So what’s this ‘2011 story of the year’ to which you refer?
@vivies,
How would you like a job interviewing customers at the local gyms and fitness clubs and getting the lowdown on the extent of anabolic steroids use in Pittsfield?
You’d be a natural; who’d lie to vives?
noonebutmaybetovivies? BP. excellent!
Probably, the 2010 Berkshire County story-of-the-year was the scandal involving Angelo Stracuzzi.
Stick around, the 2011 story might be the same.