During his very revealing interview with Wayne Powers on WBT yesterday, CMPD spokesman Rob Tufano let slip that he had seen Marcus Jackson’s personnel file.

Why?

Tufano is does not supervise officers, does not work in HR, or Internal Affairs. On what authority does he get to see what even the elected members of Charlotte city council cannot see — supposedly — without violating state law? If the answer is so that Tufano might do his job by answering questions about the file, that does not wash either, not after his performance yesterday.

He sidestepped the vital questions of how many times Jackson was suspended and if Jackson was recommended for termination by anyone at CMPD prior to his Dec. 30th arrest. There is simply no public purpose served by allowing a press flack to rummage through a supposedly sacrosanct civil service document if they refuse to answer questions about that document.

Tufano threw up such a blizzard of misdirection and non-sequiturs that Powers did not even get to ask if any suspension of Jackson was reduced or relaxed and, if so, by whom. Add that to the list of still outstanding questions in this matter.

Tufano did strive to convey that the one time he knew about Jackson being suspended involved a very minor infraction, on the level of speeding. But recall the initial WSOC-TV reporting on this matter which, citing unnamed CMPD sources, said that Jackson was suspended for lying about the speed of a vehicle on a police report. Lying on a police report and speeding are two different things most non-interested parties would agree.

But once again, the truth and facts of the matter are in the personnel file. Which Rob Tufano has seen. But not city council. You can vote for city council. You cannot vote for Rob Tufano.

Welcome to 21st century Charlotte.

Bonus Observation: Do listen to the entire Powers-Tufano interview, which begins about half-way into this hour-long Podcast.