Political Buzz » Don Ramsdell

Tacoma: State commission rules city committed unfair labor practice when ordering police officers to reimburse pay earned during charity basketball games

Lewis Kamb — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 23:56:24 +0000

A state commission has affirmed its ruling that the City of Tacoma violated collective bargaining rules with Tacoma’s police union when it ordered a dozen officers to repay wages they earned while playing in on-duty basketball games for charity in 2005, 2008 and 2009.

Washington’s Public Employees Relations Commission found the city committed an unfair labor practice because it “sought to negotiate repayment plans directly with employees to repay salary earned while playing the game…”

Such “direct dealing” – when an employer negotiates an action with a represented employee without the union’s knowledge – violates mandatory collective bargaining provisions, the …

Tacoma: Former cop on Citizen Review Panel confronts chief for “lying” about Amber Alert

Lewis Kamb — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:01:38 +0000

The only former police officer on a citizen panel charged with reviewing the Tacoma Police Department’s policies and procedures said Wednesday that she told Police Chief Donald Ramsdell this week that she believes he “lied to the community” about why his department delayed issuing an Amber Alert in the Zina Linnik case.

“I told the chief that I was disappointed in his behavior,” Trisha King Stargel said about the discussion with Ramsdell on Monday.

“I believe he lied to the community. I pointed out that if he had been one of his own police officers lying during an investigation, not …

Tacoma: 6th council member can’t recall being told sleeping cop delayed Zina’s Amber Alert

Lewis Kamb — Sun, 01 May 2011 13:01:18 +0000

Former City Councilwoman Julie Anderson said Saturday she has “absolutely no recollection” of being told two years ago that Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum fell asleep after he’d been asked to issue an Amber Alert when Zina Linnik disappeared in 2007.

She added that if she had heard such information, she would have taken action.

“If I had been made aware that what actually happened — that an officer fell asleep and caused the delay of the Amber Alert, and that that had all been misrepresented in public — I would have acted, yes,” she told me in phone call …

Tacoma police chief reprimanded in Zina case

Adam Lynn — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:13:28 +0000

Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson has reprimanded Police Chief Don Ramsdell for not telling him the department’s spokesman was being paid to be on-call the morning he fell back to sleep instead of issuing an Amber Alert for 12-year-old Zina Linnik.

Anderson also ordered Ramsdell to initiate an internal affairs investigation to determine if spokesman Mark Fulghum violated department policy the morning of July 5, 2007, by taking something to help him sleep. Police department personnel are forbidden from being impaired when on-call, Anderson told The News Tribune this morning. (Click here to see reprimand and related documents.)

Fulghum …

Tacoma City Council: No further discipline, investigation needed in Linnik case

Lewis Kamb — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:36:27 +0000

After a closed door meeting for more than an hour today, Tacoma City Council members stood with their city manager, telling reporters that misleading information from city police officials about the Zina Linnik investigation four years ago has damaged the city’s credibility.

“Whether it was done intentionally or not, public trust was violated,” Mayor Marilyn Strickland said.

“We had a long conversation with the city manager and we made it clear to him that communications need to be better.”

But, speaking on behalf of the council at large, Strickland added the matter has been “thoroughly investigated and vetted,” saying that …

Tacoma: Council to question Anderson today about revelations in Linnik case

Lewis Kamb — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:01:42 +0000

The Tacoma City Council will meet behind closed doors today with City Manager Eric Anderson to discuss recent revelations that Police Chief Don Ramsdell and police department spokesman Mark Fulghum misled the public four years ago about the Zina Linnik investigation.

“Eric Anderson and the Chief have a lot of explaining to do,” Councilman Ryan Mello said Monday. “First and foremost, I want to know why the public was misled and why we, the council, hadn’t heard about it until The News Tribune brought it out.”

Today’s executive session will be the first meeting about the case between the full …