I don’t know why I bother but here it goes….
You are going to rue the day you hired Rodney Monroe. Or, if you are under the delusion that City Manager Curt Walton gives you cover, you are going to rue the day you let Walton hire Monroe.
The warning signs were there with the VCU degree flap. And I say that as I guy who defended Monroe’s initial moves to shake-up CMPD to get more feet on the beat and his challenges to Peter Gilchrist to do his damn job. But there were also nearly immediate moves by Monroe disband the police reserve unit and place hand-picked insiders at the police academy. This brings us to the arrest of former CMPD officer Marcus Jackson on serial sexual assault charges.
Monroe has been running as fast as possible away from Jackson, even claiming that he had nothing to do with Jackson’s September 2008 hiring even though Monroe took charge of CMPD several months before that. More astonishing is that our supine local press have not challenged that — nor followed up WSOC’s report that Jackson was suspended by CMPD prior to his arrest. Even WSOC appears to have been cowed — by Rob Tufano? — into not pursuing the matter.
Now come claims that Jackson’s September suspension was originally for 15 days — but reduced to two days by — Rodney Monroe. Then we have claims that Jackson was suspended a second time in November, immediately prior to his alleged stalking and attacks on a woman in Charlotte. Some CMPD officers supposedly wanted Jackson fired in November, Rodney Monroe did not.
Now add all this to Monroe’s lavish spending on travel, parties, cars, uniforms, office remodeling, and ask yourself what possible oversight is Curt Walton and Charlotte city council exercising over the CMPD chief?
Bonus Observation: Mayor Foxx, please. You are much too smart to stand behind this guy. Seriously. Get out in front of this while you still can.
