Sanford Labor News

The below letter is being sent today to the City Manager of Sanford. The FOP is battling the administration of the Sanford Police and the Chief for the right to collectively bargain and represent our members. The continual interference and harassment directed to our FOP members is unacceptable.

In additional news, the Melbourne Police Chief who caused so much grief for the FOP members is officially on sick leave until his retirement is announced. Hopefully, his replacement will have much more respect for his officers and will work with the FOP to secure their rights and benefits.

April 2, 2010

Thomas J. George
City Manager
City of Sanford
300 N. Park Ave
Sanford, Fl. 32771

Re: Sanford Police Department

Dear Mr. George,

Once again it has become necessary for the Florida State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of the disgusting and thoroughly out of control conduct of Chief Tooley, Captain Hargrett, and the Command Staff of the Sanford Police Department.

By way of review, Chief Tooley and his staff have systematically targeted my members, my elected Board, and my membership by direct, indirect, and intentional acts that disgust both common decency and all that Law Enforcement should be about. In my prior letters, I have beseeched you to remove certain members of the Chiefs Command Staff, Investigators that have targeted my members (basis of a current ULP), my members through false statements and misconduct on duty (additional current ULP), and now racist attacks (the ULP we are now filing) against FOP. members.

To date, you and you alone have been successful to a limited extent in reining in Chief Tooley. I acknowledge that you managed to remove several members of his staff that were targeting my members, but much like the proverbial Dutchman the dyke is leaking and the FOP is running out of fingers to plug Chief Tooley’s actions. I have been informed that Chief Tooley and Captain Hargrett have “removed the gloves” in an effort to destroy the legal and properly elected Labor Union. These statements in and of themselves are the subject of a further ULP that will be filed.

Mr. George, as you are aware the conduct of your Command Staff will adversely affect any and all future discipline imposed on my membership. Additionally, your Command Staff by its decisions clearly establishes bad faith which will be used against it in promotions, hiring, and all future litigation. To that end I am enclosing a scanned copy of an affidavit filed by Police Sergeant Arthur Barnes.

Sergeant Barnes is the son, of a son, of a Sanford resident. Said another way Sgt. Barnes is a third generation resident of Sanford. He is all that we aspire to have in union members and after 20 plus years with the Sanford Police Department he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He is an active member of the union and yes he is Black. The fact that I have to point that out DISGUSTS me and should cause you SHAME as the City Manager. Sergeant Barnes was brought in by Captain Hargrett under a lawful order and harassed because of his ethnicity. Your Captain then threatened my Sergeant and informed him that “I’ll make it a point to see you later Barnes.” This all stems from the fact that Sgt. Barnes is a member of the FOP, and Captain Hargrett is attempting to unsuccessfully create a wedge based upon race.

Mr. George as disgusting as this is, I have been informed by a number of members of my Department, be they White, Black, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity that Captain Hargrett has arranged a meeting of “BLACKS ONLY” (Hagrett’s words not mine) to address how they are going to fix this problem. I have also been informed that at least one elected official will be attending and that Chief Tooley is both aware and has approved this meeting.

I am absolutely stupefied. A group of Middle School students, figuring out how to organize the sale of Cookies would realize this is wrong, but not Chief Tooley. The time has come for you to take action. Chief Tooley has in my opinion orchestrated these events, undermined the current bargaining agreement, harassed my members, empowered Captain Hargrett in his disgusting conduct and shamed your Police Department. Sgt. Barnes is all that this Department should be aspiring to accomplish yet after 23 years of service his is afraid, threatened, and like the majority of my union disgusted at the thought of going to work as part of the organized abomination your Command Staff has orchestrated.

Mr. George, everything that I have told you in my communiqué’s has been true. You have verified them, attempted to correct them, and yet the situation gets worse. There are two names that keep reoccurring. Tooley and Hargrett. My members are afraid, and you must act. Chief Tooley is correct, the Gloves are off. The FOP will defend our members who continue to provide excellent service in pitiful surroundings. Will you?

As I have said in every communiqué, and as you have yet to do, should you desire to speak with me about this or any of the other unconscionable acts committed by your Police Command Staff I will meet with you.

Very truly yours,



John D. Fry, Esq.
General Counsel
Florida State Lodge
Fraternal Order of Police

Bladerunner, can you not see the writing on the wall? FOP is finished here. It's long overdue for PBA and luckily, the process is underway. Why oh why can't you see when you're not wanted and give it up?

PBA is a bunch of incompetent boobs and we'd be dumber than they are if we joined them. Don't let D'Anthony and his buddy-buddy friendship with PBA prez Vince Champion sway you into doing something stupid. The only people that are going to make out if PBA comes to town are D'Anthony and Champion...the rest of us will get screwed. Vote NO to the PBA!

In case you all were thinking that Vince Champion actually cares about using member's dues money and the staff at the Coastal Florida PBA that that money pays for to actually represent and support those members, think again. That scumbag Vince is continuing to use Coastal Florida PBA staff to help him in his campaign for the state house.

Vince had Coastal Florida PBA Office Manager Carroll Scanlon notarize his financial disclosure form for him that the had to file with the Florida Division of Elections. Check for yourself by going to:

http://doe.dos.state.fl.us/PublicRecord ... ount=50435

Click on the financial disclosure link and you'll pull up a PDF file copy of Vince's financial disclosure form. Other than showing his bloated salary coming from CFPBA, Florida PBA and NAGE, and the fact that he's almost upside down on his home mortgage, the second page shows Vince's signature and Scanlon's notary stamp and signature.

Let this be a lesson to you...Don't vote for the PBA!!! Vince is only using the PBA, and the membership dues to further his own interests!

Bladerunner, can you not see the writing on the wall? FOP is finished here. It's long overdue for PBA and luckily, the process is underway. Why oh why can't you see when you're not wanted and give it up?

Well Vince Champion has been proven to be a loser yet again. He and his little buddy D'Anthony Shamar tried to get Sanford PD away from FOP. Didn't happen and it wasn't even close: 92-12 in favor of FOP. I guess FOP wasn't finished there after all Bladerunner!

Good job Vince, not only are you losing the bargaining units you used to have, you can't supplant FOP or IUPA in the ones that they have. I guess the Sanford guys must have heard about how you couldn't even hold onto your own former unit Vince. Can't blame them for not wanting to be associated with a loser like you and the Coastal Florida Pathetic Benevolent Association.

See for yourself folks: CFPBA v. City of Sanford v. FOP, PERC case no: EL-2010-044.