Public Inquiry [Citizen]

[Skye Thale]

1. CONTACT INFORMATION

• Full Name: Skye Thale
  Phone Number: 3515858
  E-Mail Address:
  Position in Institution (If Applicable):

2. REQUEST INFORMATION

• Detailed information of your request:
  • 1. Why have the LSPD not issued a suspension to any officer in just over 3 months? (Last one being 25th July 2024 according to your public notice board) Whereas before you were issuing suspensions multiple times a week.
    
    2. Due to no suspensions/punishments being issued, what is happening when officers are violating your policies as apparently suspensions are not something you do now, what punishment are they now getting instead and how does that correct their behaviour?
    
    3. What are you doing to stop officers from violating the San Andreas Constitutional Rights found on the government website? As currently I've been informed from different sources that we cannot do anything if you violate our rights and if so, why do we have rights - isn't your job to uphold the constitution?
    
    4. Are the LSPD held accountable for violating citizen's rights, and if not, why would they not be held accountable?
    
    5. What steps must we take to press charges against an officer who may violate our rights? (Please do not respond with IA to this, I am asking for a legal process to press charges against LSPD officers, not to make a IA that is all inhouse and untrusted.)

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

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• Re: Public Inquiry (Citizen)
  
  Thank you for taking the time out of your day to make this inquiry into our Department.
  
  To answer your first point, the LSPD always endeavors to deal with any situation that arises, in this case disciplinary measures, wit proportionate and appropriate responses. This may range from something from something minor like an admonishment to something more serious such as a suspension, demotion or even termination. We've not suspended anyone, because no one has met the threshold to be suspended from active duty since that period. There have been occasions where officer's behavior has had to be corrected and has been, but no repeat offences and no serious offences have occurred between then and now I'm pleased to say.
  
  To answer your second point, it was largely answered in the first point. As and when an Officer violates our policy to the degree where a suspension is the best course of action, they will receive one. That may happen tomorrow, next week, next month or we might not see another Officer suspended until 2025.
  
  To answer the third point, our policies and procedures have been meticulously created and maintained over the years, even pre-dating the constitution but are very much in alignment with the Constitution. Our primary job is to protect and serve the citizens of San Andreas. We're a law enforcement organisation so our duty and role is to protect the citizens of Los Santos and to serve as law enforcement upholding the penal code. Regarding your civic rights, you would be better taking that up with the San Andreas State Government.
  
  To answer your fourth point, we take our jobs seriously and work closely with the San Andreas State Government to ensure our enforcement of the law is beyond reproach.
  
  To answer your fifth point, with all due respect, if you do wish to place faith in our Internal Affairs Division to perform it's role in regulating our Officers then why would you exactly ask all these questions in a public setting? I do not appreciate your baseless insinuations about our Internal Affairs processes and by extension our Department. Our Internal Affairs investigators are some of the most experienced and diligent law enforcement specialists in the State and they take their jobs extremely seriously.
  
  It is not an enviable position to investigate those people you work in close proximity with, but our Internal Affairs does a fantastic job of remaining impartial and acting on the facts of the matter, rather than opinion. If you wish to complain about an officer, you can go through our Internal Affairs. If you wish to contest a charge, you can go to the Judicial Branch and plead your case.
  
  Thank you for taking the time to inquire about our policies, I hope you have a pleasant weekend and that whatever your misgivings are about the LSPD, that you continue to place your faith and trust in us to keep you safe.

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• Respectfully,
  Assistant Chief Dezzy Bala
  Director, Office of Support Services
  Los Santos Police Department

[Skye Thale]

So you are saying in the last 3 months, ALL your officers have been up to a standard that does not warrant any suspensions? This seems very unlikely and statistically speaking, does not make sense at all.

Then why are rights being violated on the daily with nothing happening? No prosecution for right violations have ever occurred in the history of San Andreas, even with multiple attempts, does that not seem odd to you?. In my opinion this seems like a one sided justice system that you are supporting.

Saying untrusted is my personal opinion and not offensive at all as it's freedom of speech and your sudden outburst of passive aggressive snarky comments shows how you respond to the public when they have genuine questions. Is this the normal approach to responding to citizens you swore to protect?

"Why would you exactly ask all these questions in a public setting?" Because I have the right to? Just you asking this shows you have a defence up with these questions I've asked, I wonder why, not very professional at all I must say.

I'm a private citizen who has freedom of speech, you're a peace officer who is a public servant - you act as if you are above us. And yes this is MY personal opinion once again, don't attack me for it again like you just did.

The response to my questions all seem to avoid the real points.

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

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• Re: Public Inquiry (Citizen)
  
  I'm saying that in the last three months, all of our officers have been up to a standard that has not warranted any suspensions. If any of them had committed offences that warranted a suspension (or worse) then they would have received the appropriate disciplinary action. There has been no change in how we enforce our own internal policies.
  
  I agree that to someone that does not work for the Los Santos Police Department, such statistics seem out of place but respectfully, you are not in possession of the facts so you can only go off what you see.
  
  We're a law enforcement agency, we don't decide what is a person's right or not. We just enforce the penal code and work with what the San Andreas State Government gives us. My personal opinion on this subject is not relevant to your inquiry.
  
  You had genuine questions and then you made an assumption about the Internal Affairs Division of the LSPD in your final paragraph. I was not rude to you. I simply queried why you would ask for answers to your questions when you have already formed a baseless, negative opinion about our objectivity in how we handle complaints.
  
  You have the right to ask questions but regrettably you already seemed to have decided which answers you will accept before you'd been replied to. While you have the right to ask, I've been kind enough to answer your questions but incorrect assumptions about our Internal Affairs processes do not really serve.
  
  I'm sorry that you feel the way that you do, but I'd recommend sharing your frustrations about your civic rights with the San Andreas State Government, as they will be able to speak more to that, than taking it out on us.
  
  Thank you once again for your inquiries, have a pleasant weekend.

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• Respectfully,
  Assistant Chief Dezzy Bala
  Director, Office of Support Services
  Los Santos Police Department

[Skye Thale]

No problem, I see we will just go around in circles here.

One last point though.

You've mentioned multiple times that you, the Los Santos Police Department only "enforce the penal code".
So am I correct in assuming, the Los Santos Police Department has no procedure, training or guidelines on the Constitution that every citizen has, the people you swore to protect? Which in itself means we have no rights. Please do correct me if I am wrong but from what I've read thus far, it seems you have no consideration for the constitution and ONLY the penal code.

Might I ask you for the entire oath that each officer has to swear by when being sworn in as a Officer?

Thank you.

[Dezzy Bala]

Los Santos Police Department "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

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• Re: Public Inquiry (Citizen)
  
  Our Field Training Program is designed to prepare the Officer for the job that they applied for.
  
  Our level of training, either minimal or extensive, does not impact your rights as a citizen. Your civil rights are a separate issue, dictated by a Government entity other than the Los Santos Police Department and it is they, who you should direct your questions to regarding the Constitution and civil rights.
  
  The Los Santos Police Department is committed to working with the San Andreas State Government to uphold not just our internal principles and policies for fair and effective law enforcement, for all our citizens. To my knowledge, they have not raised any concerns about our consideration for the Constitution and we have an open dialogue with the State Government where such a thing can be discussed and acted upon, if necessary.
  
  If you have more questions or you wish to experience the inner most workings of our Department, then I'd invite you to either participate in our Ride Along Program if you are eligible or considering perhaps putting on the uniform by applying to the LSPD and undergoing the very Programs you are querying.
  
  I will not be issuing you with the oath however, as that is not something appropriate for the public.

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• Respectfully,
  Assistant Chief Dezzy Bala
  Director, Office of Support Services
  Los Santos Police Department

[Skye Thale]

"I will not be issuing you with the oath however, as that is not something appropriate for the public."
Don't see how this is classified or not available to the public. The oath you swear to as a public servant is private information? How can you expect us to trust in you to protect us if you can't even tell me the oath you swore by? And you wonder why I called your Internal Affairs process untrusted.

Thanks for proving my point.


The usual oath for sworn in government employees/officers usually consists of:

I, [employee name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution
of the United States and the Constitution of the State of San Andreas against all enemies, foreign
and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States
and the Constitution of the State of San Andreas; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental
reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon
which I am about to enter.

Please do correct me if I am wrong but this is the usual oath you would take or something very similiar, is it not?

[Elena Flores]

Los Santos Police Department "TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE"

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• Re: Public Inquiry [Citizen]
  
  I have taken my time to review the submitted inquiry.
  
  Occurrences wherein an officer of the Los Santos Police Department is suspended, whether past, present, or future, are contextual in nature, and the frequency thereof within a certain period of time cannot be used to statistically measure and draw comparisons to other officers and other periods of time, especially when one such period may feature a lack of published disciplinary action and another features more.
  
  The fact of the matter is that the Los Santos Police Department utilizes a refined disciplinary process and system with a vast majority of actions not being published in a similar nature of suspensions, such as instances where an officer is simply spoken to about a matter or area that needed to see improvement, which is then denoted within their personnel record. A suspension from active duty is the third step of this ladder and is typically reserved for either repeat offenses or offenses where immediate suspension from active duty is warranted or considered necessary.
  
  Implying that no suspensions being published are indicative of no disciplinary actions being taken at all is a broad brush statement, which I cannot help but find is grounded in the intention to spin a narrative. Nevertheless, I will allow you the time and spotlight in this instance, and entertain the idea behind this notion, to put to rest the incorrect and frankly ridiculous implication that officer accountability is not enforced through disciplinary action. In the last 30 days, ~35 entries have been added to personnel records, which, at minimum, is indicative of 35 disciplinary actions, in some cases exceeding this number due to multiple actions being taken at one time. In the last three months, so 90 days, this number exceeds 130 entries.
  
  The Los Santos Police Department has and will continue to uphold its standards and enforce accountability across its employees, and I strenuously reject any notion that appropriate disciplinary measures are not being taken, especially when such accusations are grounded in assumptions based on past numbers of one specific disciplinary action.
  
  Law enforcement officers within the State uphold the Constitution and are disciplined accordingly when found to be in violation of one's Constitutional rights, whether intentional or unintentional. Discipline exists in many forms, both through heavy-handed measures, but also through marks of improvement and continued education. I will not entertain further the attempted redirect through the questioning of the "why" behind the Consitution and rights upon which this very country has been founded, beyond deferring any questions pertaining to the Consitution to the State Government.
  
  The Internal Affairs Division of the Los Santos Police Department works either separately or in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General in instances where the actions of an officer exceed that of general misconduct and are escalated to believed criminal (mis)conduct. As such, while it appears not to be the answer you wish for, it is the current definitive answer to your question.
  
  To that end, with respect to violations of Constitutional rights and hypothetical scenarios, it is entirely dependent on what is permitted as charges set forth by the State of San Andreas Penal Code. For example, whereas false imprisonment may be applicable in scenarios wherein an officer is found to have maliciously and unconstitutionally detained a citizen, an unlawful search is not currently covered by the Penal Code and, to that extent, is enforced with internal discipline.
  
  I will hereby consider this public inquiry answered and concluded. Thank you for your interest.

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• Respectfully,
  
  Chief of Police Elena Flores
  Los Santos Police Department