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Vallejo, CA - At the original request of the City Attorney and supported by the Mayor and Council, the City of Vallejo has initiated an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged improper disposal of police records by City employee(s).
The City Manager's Office assigned the selection of a Certified Workplace Investigator to the Labor Relations Officer in the Human Resources Department. After extensive interviews with various Certified Workplace Investigators to rule out any conflicts of interest (including any perceived conflicts of interest), the City selected legal firm Van Dermyden Makus to begin conducting an investigation. Importantly, the selected firm has not conducted any investigations for the City in the past and is well-qualified given the firm’s experience and expertise in conducting impartial investigations.
Additionally, the City Manager’s Office retained Boucher Law, PC, whose sole function is ensuring all investigation documentation and records are readily available and accessible to the outside investigator. The firm will also serve as the City's legal advisor in this investigation. Typically, this role would be handled by the City Attorney's office. However, to avoid any perceptions of bias, in this case, an outside firm is utilized with the support of the City Attorney. Specifically, the attorneys assigned from Boucher Law, PC who were selected to advise the Council, have nearly four decades of combined legal experience. This experience includes serving as City Attorney and General Counsel for other municipalities and public agencies and possessing extensive labor and employment law experience.
After the investigation was launched, Council Members were informed and will be kept abreast of the investigation as it unfolds.
"Due to the nature of this being an ongoing investigation, there isn't too much we can talk about publicly at this point," said Assistant City Manager Terrance Davis. "It's important that we protect the integrity of the process and avoid any unintended consequences or interference. As with all investigations, if there are policy, training, or criminal issues discovered during the course of the investigation, remedial actions will be addressed, as appropriate."
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