Not a Rumor Anymore....Chief is relieved of duty!

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/30 ... -paid-lea/ (http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/30/zephyrhills-police-chief-spokesman-placed-paid-lea/)

What ever happened must have affected someone close to Steve. After all the crap this so called chief has done, and Steve was aware of it, he never cared to check it out. The good men that left, Steve never cared to check it out. All the money this so called chief has cost Zephyrhills residence, Steve never cared to check it out. The illegal crap this so called chief did, Steve never cared to check it out. Now Steve decides he needs to check so called chief out. Steve needs to go along with the so called chief. Maybe this is a beginning to get ZPD straightened out. You cannot straighten out a department when the leader is crooked.

What needs to happen to get things straighten out is all the officers need to stop their high school games and rumors and do the job they came here to do, and citizens who have no idea what really happens inside the walls of the pd need to shut up. I mean come on, if the city or the p.d. is that bad then get the F@#! out !

Well, Well, Well

Like I said before it was coming sooner than he thought and I agree Steve is just as guilty. Well since ol' chefy is being paid to sit on his butt at home it wont be much different from being at the station he can still post on this site and get paid for it, and where is wifey poo shes not sticking up for him today????? All I need to know is... is he able to get to his work computer because if there is an investigation go ahead and check all the inappropriate emails sent around the department before they get deleted..... oh yeah dats right chefy if you are gonna go down go down big huh....... and this time you wont get to bail out early like you did in Sequim you remember the vote of no confidence that was in the works but you skinned out before it was finished its funny how carma will follow you alomst get a vote of no conf up there and you need one down here either way NOBODY HAS CONFIDENCE IN YOU!!!!! Think about grabbing your retirement early before they find out all your secrets...... By the way a word to the wifey I have put up and am still doing my job for the officers WHERES MY DINNER YOU PROMISED???? LOOSER!

Can anyone shed some light about the allegations or provide any more 43 yet?

ZEPHYRHILLS - Police Chief Russell Barnes and an administrative sergeant were placed on paid leave Tuesday night.

City Manager Steve Spina said he made the decision Tuesday afternoon after receiving a resident's complaints involving Barnes and Sgt. Rob Perrault. He declined to discuss the nature of the allegations, but said he had spoken with the resident before.

"This didn't just come in off the street," Spina said. "I had done some preliminary work and double-checked some information given to us."

Spina said he placed Barnes and Perrault, an agency spokesman and internal affairs investigator, on leave so the department's investigation would not be compromised.

"We take these allegations and the investigation seriously," he said, adding he had never led a similar probe.

In a statement, Spina said the investigation likely would take two weeks or less. He said he plans to speak with Barnes about the issue again today.

"It's way too early to comment," said Barnes, who makes $74,090 annually and has been with the department since November 2003. "I was notified about 6:30 Tuesday night, and I haven't had a chance to talk to the city manager about the details yet.

"I'm comfortable with what I think the outcome will be."

While Barnes is on leave, Capt. David Shears will head the department, which has about 40 sworn officers.

Perrault has been with the department since 1999.

"I'm on leave. By rule, I can't comment," he said.

Personnel records indicate that neither Barnes nor Perrault have received major admonishments during their time with the department.

Last year, Barnes received a written reprimand for a procedural violation in purchasing three Ford Crown Victorias for the department. He also admitted to asking the city council to approve the purchase of 34 Tasers when the stun guns were already in police headquarters.

Barnes apologized to the city council, but suffered no punishment.

Barnes also agreed to put a letter of admonishment in his personnel file a few years ago for playing "Asteroids" and other video games on his office computer.

Spina said Barnes' most recent performance evaluation was satisfactory.

Perrault, who was transferred from patrol to detective duty in 2006, was voted the department's officer of the year in 2005. He makes $22.63 an hour.

On his most recent performance evaluation in December, his supervisor, Capt. Rob McKinney, credited Perrault for "excellent overall performance" and his "willingness to take on tasks when no one else is willing."

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or gfox@tampatrib.com.