Rohnert Park’s Deal With Cop Involved in Alleged Theft of Humboldt County Cannabis Shields Him and Possibly the City, Says KQED Story

KQED reported late yesterday that a Rohnert Park Police officer, Joseph Huffaker, who agreed to resign after receiving $75,000 may have squelched some efforts by news agencies to investigate his and his department’s alleged involvement in illegally confiscating cannabis from people transporting it through Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

The writer, Sukey Lewis, reports in the article that efforts by her news agency and the Bay Area News Group to gather disciplinary records on Rohnert Park officers under SB1421, the new police transparency law have met with resistance after Huffaker accepted the settlement offer to resign. According to Lewis’ article, Rohnert Park Assistant City Manager Don Schwartz said

…records related to the investigation into Huffaker’s conduct will not be released, despite the city’s effort to fire Huffaker, because the findings of that internal investigation were not “sustained.”

Glen Smith, a lawyer with the San Rafael-based First Amendment Coalition, said the city’s stance indicates a potential “loophole” in the law — officers under investigation for misconduct can resign in order to avoid a “sustained” finding and the disclosures associated with it.

The detailed story on KQED’s website addresses how the new California police transparency law may have the unintended consequence of law enforcement agencies not investigating misconduct by officers because then that may lead to “sustained” findings that have to be released to the public. Whereas, if the findings are not “sustained” then the information can remain concealed. This can protect not only the officer but also the department and the city or county it belongs to.

Earlier:

• Former Undercover Officer Involved in Developing Cannabis Products Accuses Hopland Tribal Police Chief of Theft, Corruption, and Civil Rights Violations
• Outraged: One Man’s Two Month Quest From the FBI to the ATF to Expose What He Says Are Corrupt Police Officers in Mendocino County
• Rohnert Park Police Officers Being Investigated Following Two Incidents Where Humboldt County Cannabis Was Seized Under Suspicious Circumstances
• ‘Highway Robbery’: Drivers Allege Rohnert Park Police Illegally Seized Cannabis, Cash
• What Happened to 800 Pounds of Marijuana Seized by Rohnert Park Police?
• City of Rohnert Park Hires Police Practices Expert to Address Corruption Allegations
• Former Rohnert Park Police Sergeant Faces Credibility Questions as He Testifies in Court This Week
• Rohnert Park Police Officer Accused of Misconduct in Case Involving Pounds of Humboldt County Marijuana Agrees to Resign for $75,000