Fargo PD Lt. suicide 3/11/14
- Thread starter rwo978
- Start date
7d9_z28
New Member
crescentstar69
Member
I was a bit 'spacey' all afternoon yesterday, which is why I didn't post any text with the articles. Still am really... I didn't sleep worth a shit last night, up about every hour. Mind racing....
Anyone involved in LEO in the area knew Jeff, he was one of the 'faces' of FPD. That mustache was his feature. [Broken External Image]:http://forums.elitearchery.com/images/smilies/smiley_moustache.gif
The 'on duty' aspect I discovered just on the news last night at 2200, that point had previously gone un-reported. I can't imagine going to an additional officer request to an unk known problem and finding that.... I'm beyond words.
As mentioned, I knew Jeff.... everyone knew Jeff. He was the Training Sgt, involved with the hiring process, back in 2001-2003 when I first started putting in papers. He was involved each of the 3 times I tested with FPD. When I finally got the offer from them in 2005, coincidentally the same week I got the offer from WFPD, he was almost 'let down' that I chose WFPD over FPD... All that work down the porcelain.
As Chief Ternes alluded to... yesterday was hard, today and the following days will be just as tough, if not tougher...
Prayers to the Skuza family, the FPD family, and the local LEO family.
Anyone involved in LEO in the area knew Jeff, he was one of the 'faces' of FPD. That mustache was his feature. [Broken External Image]:http://forums.elitearchery.com/images/smilies/smiley_moustache.gif
The 'on duty' aspect I discovered just on the news last night at 2200, that point had previously gone un-reported. I can't imagine going to an additional officer request to an unk known problem and finding that.... I'm beyond words.
As mentioned, I knew Jeff.... everyone knew Jeff. He was the Training Sgt, involved with the hiring process, back in 2001-2003 when I first started putting in papers. He was involved each of the 3 times I tested with FPD. When I finally got the offer from them in 2005, coincidentally the same week I got the offer from WFPD, he was almost 'let down' that I chose WFPD over FPD... All that work down the porcelain.
As Chief Ternes alluded to... yesterday was hard, today and the following days will be just as tough, if not tougher...
Prayers to the Skuza family, the FPD family, and the local LEO family.
CrownVic97
Member
I was incorrect in the information in my #4 post. It was reported by the media that Jeff was on duty. He was not, he had been on administrative leave due to an internal investigation.
Internal probe recommended Fargo police lieutenant be fired two days before his suicide | WDAY | Fargo, ND
Internal probe recommended Fargo police lieutenant be fired two days before his suicide | WDAY | Fargo, ND
RyanZ71
Member
That does not seem like enough to push someone over the edge, so I have to suspect there may have been other things in play, perhaps in his personal life, however, that is none of my business. May he find the peace in heaven that he was not able to find in life. Godspeed.
From the Minneapolis Star tribune this morning:
Fargo cop who killed himself was on verge of being fired | Star Tribune
Condolences to all involved.
Clarence
Fargo cop who killed himself was on verge of being fired | Star Tribune
Condolences to all involved.
Clarence
Here's my 'strictly independent' thoughts and observations, and do not reflect the opinions of anyone but myself.
This is probably a case of 'the perfect storm'. Jeff, I'd heard, was a perfectionist. It could have been that any blemish on his record would have been unacceptable in his mind.
Then, there's this, as of June 2013.
Fargo ex-cops claim the environment at work is "toxic" | WDAY | Fargo, ND
I can't get the longer article to show, but it was a cover story for the Forum last year. If you have a 'toxic' environment with strong handed, overbearing punishments for seeming menial mistakes......... that we ALL make...... fallibleness is a quality ALL humans possess...... That MAY make someone try to 'cover up' something otherwise seen as fairly petty. In no way am I condoning this, just an observation. But, if we're at the point where we fear the street, and we fear admin....... it makes good cops just shut down, in ROD mode, just trying to get thru the shift.
Then, there's lost credibility. The taser discharge...... not so bad...... the cover up afterwards, bad. All we have anymore is our integrity, and it's getting to the point that just our word is not enough, the courts was videos, recordings..... of everything. Once the truth came out, credibility was shot.
Yeah, he messed up. However, take your licks, resign or get fired, or whatever....... put time between this and the future, at which point, try something else. With his experience, down the road, he could have gone to any podunk town and been the Chief.
Overall, it's just a said chain of events and the perfect storm.
This is probably a case of 'the perfect storm'. Jeff, I'd heard, was a perfectionist. It could have been that any blemish on his record would have been unacceptable in his mind.
Then, there's this, as of June 2013.
Fargo ex-cops claim the environment at work is "toxic" | WDAY | Fargo, ND
I can't get the longer article to show, but it was a cover story for the Forum last year. If you have a 'toxic' environment with strong handed, overbearing punishments for seeming menial mistakes......... that we ALL make...... fallibleness is a quality ALL humans possess...... That MAY make someone try to 'cover up' something otherwise seen as fairly petty. In no way am I condoning this, just an observation. But, if we're at the point where we fear the street, and we fear admin....... it makes good cops just shut down, in ROD mode, just trying to get thru the shift.
Then, there's lost credibility. The taser discharge...... not so bad...... the cover up afterwards, bad. All we have anymore is our integrity, and it's getting to the point that just our word is not enough, the courts was videos, recordings..... of everything. Once the truth came out, credibility was shot.
Yeah, he messed up. However, take your licks, resign or get fired, or whatever....... put time between this and the future, at which point, try something else. With his experience, down the road, he could have gone to any podunk town and been the Chief.
Overall, it's just a said chain of events and the perfect storm.
rwo978 said:
Does not surprise me one bit to hear this. In speaking with both current and former Fargo PD officers, I have NEVER had the impression they liked their agency in the least bit. What this Lt. did was wrong, but fire him? Come on now. 23 years on and you're going to let him go over something like this? Unreal. I've seen countless officers all over ND and MN get away with much more egregious acts than this and walk away with just days off. The chief can call it "high standards", but that's a load of BS. I am yet to meet a chief preaching "high standards" who didn't have some issues themselves.
I've specifically heard of officers with other agencies getting caught up in a seemingly menial brain fart (damaged equipment, what they were doing at a certain location....), but they tried to cover it up. They eventually came clean, were given the option to resign......... fast forward several years, and they're back in as an LEO. While they still have to explain their HUA behavior.... but as I said, it wasn't a PERMANENT career ender.... just a temporary one. This was a much more serious case, but fast FWD a couple years a Jeff could have started in elsewhere, especially out in western ND where they need admin quality people and experienced people.
My main point to the previous post was it's {the job} is getting to a whole new level, the point that we're fighting the street..... and we're fighting the increasing liability conscious admin, ready to throw you under the bus. As I've said time and time again, police work is not black and white, and a lot of the time, it's not pretty. The general public has all these misconceptions of LEOs due to TV, and they're really starting to buy into it, causing admin to buy into it as well. It's really getting to the point that it's not fun anymore. Believe me, I've got my backup plan, but that'll take more school, which I just can't swing right now. Give me time, it'll happen. If I could make the coin I'm making now somewhere else working M-F, 8-5, and not have to deal with all the politics and BS, I'd be out the door.
My main point to the previous post was it's {the job} is getting to a whole new level, the point that we're fighting the street..... and we're fighting the increasing liability conscious admin, ready to throw you under the bus. As I've said time and time again, police work is not black and white, and a lot of the time, it's not pretty. The general public has all these misconceptions of LEOs due to TV, and they're really starting to buy into it, causing admin to buy into it as well. It's really getting to the point that it's not fun anymore. Believe me, I've got my backup plan, but that'll take more school, which I just can't swing right now. Give me time, it'll happen. If I could make the coin I'm making now somewhere else working M-F, 8-5, and not have to deal with all the politics and BS, I'd be out the door.