Radzilowski threatens to sue investigator

[News]

BPD Chief Michael Radzilowski is threatening to sue PI Brittingham who questioned why the chief accessed his confidential information at the behest of Bradenton City Councilman Gene Gallo.

“There’s a culture at the city of Bradenton where city councilmen can use the chief to run tags [illegally],” PI Brittingham said. “That raises concerns.”

Brittingham said the BPD records section balked at his public records request for Radzilowski’s cell phone logs because the chief uses a personal cell phone that is paid for with public monies (a stipend).

Open-government advocate Michael Barfield said: “It doesn’t matter if Radzilowski receives a stipend or not. If Radzilowski uses it for official business, then it’s a public record.”

Attorney Andrea Mogensen said Radzilowski’s threat to sue PI Brittingham is meant to have a chilling effect on Brittingham’s public records requests.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...-investigator-

[Unregistered]

From the bottom of the article:

Radzilowski's bluffing. He has far more to lose in a lawsuit. Running tags at the behest of a citizen, with no probable cause, outside his jurisdiction? Open and shut case.

[snowballing]

How do you spell "snowballing"?

This could have been so simple i.e. take your administrative lumps for wrongfully running the tag -- and then it's over.

But instead...

Razz can't remember who called him and asked him to run the tag... but the councilman already admitted telling Razz the tag number. Oops, Razz is caught in a lie, which makes him look bad.

Now Razz drags a sergeant into the fray by ordering him to remove the complainant from the station... so the sergeant forcibly grabs the complainant, which could amount to criminal battery, if the complainant follows-up on it. So then Razz justifies it by claiming that the complainant was "disorderly" (a criminal charge). Ok chief, where is the criminal report? Or will a criminal report be written late to cover your tracks?

Now a threat to sue the complainant for asking for a public records request, which makes it look like Razz has a hard-on for the complainant.

This just keeps getting deeper. It could have been so simple, if Razz had just taken his administrative lumps in the beginning, but now...

[Unregistered]

Chief Razz loves to threaten lawsuit, because his wife is an attorney, so he does not incur legal fees and thinks that is his way of shutting people down! He got away with threatening last Deputy Chief of BPD with criminal charges, and when he got called out publicly his first response is I'm going to sue him, the words "sue" and "lying" are prominent in his limited vernacular mind. "YOUR FIRED" NEEDS TO COME NEXT!

[Unregistered]

What is does not say in the story is that the PI has an extensive history for making false statements - check out his court record and his firing as a LEO in Zolfo Springs.

Being sued quit a lot.

[Unregistered]

Anybody actually read the alleged false complaint the PI submitted?

I know I can't sue because of a false complaint against me because of money but if the guy filed a false complaint we need the Chief to stand up to people like that who come in here and lie on us.

Don't we want him to do that and reserve judgement until all the facts are out?

If this guy has a history of writing false statements as posted above then I say go get him and sue.

[Unregistered]

Chief Razz loves to threaten lawsuit, because his wife is an attorney, so he does not incur legal fees and thinks that is his way of shutting people down! He got away with threatening last Deputy Chief of BPD with criminal charges, and when he got called out publicly his first response is I'm going to sue him, the words "sue" and "lying" are prominent in his limited vernacular mind. "YOUR FIRED" NEEDS TO COME NEXT!

He is not going to sue anyone, if he said that he is an idiot! He better retain counsel for himself here. FDLE should go back and see how many tags and other police data bases he has abused. Sad thing is, he was a good chief for a long time. Merriman was a POS and he promoted him and now the worm has turned. Merriman will stay gone and the chief might be right behind him. Wow! he and Depino and Merriman can draw unemployment together.

[Unregistered]

Anybody actually read the alleged false complaint the PI submitted?

Razz illegally ran the guys information in DHSMV. What's false about that? You're an idiot.

[Unregistered]

Also the Chief showed up the PIs home...Stalker Alert!

[Unregistered]

Also the Chief showed up the PIs home...Stalker Alert!

The PI is a sleaze ball and was a very bad cop and known to commit perjury. How many agencies did he work for and why is a in the private sector. Scumbag comes to mind, but the COP should have been on higher ground and he lied about the tag and who asked him.