Inside Riverside

A Couple Questions for Frank Robles

Frank Robles wants to be Riverside County's Sheriff - but he doesn't want answer any tough questions during the campaign.

Riverside County's mainstream media (The Press-Enterprise, the Desert Sun, and the Californian) are content on giving Frank Robles a pass on tough questions since Robles is incessantly spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on full page advertisements in their papers, even though print is dead.

So once again dear readers, it is up to Inside Riverside to ask the questions that the dying print media won't.

1.  Why Is Los Angeles County Businessman Leo McIntryre Bankrolling Frank Robles' Campaign?

Frank Robles has received $200,000 from the Southern California Braiding Company located in Bell, California . While its not unheard of for large contributions to come into these types of campaigns, seldom do such large infusions of cash come from sources outside of the County, as we have reported on twice.

The most logical reason for Leo McIntrye to be giving Frank Robles all of this money is that he expects something in return.  But what is that something?  Is it a no-bid county contract that Robles could dole out were he the Sheriff?  What exactly does McIntrye's Southern California Braiding Company do?

Was Leo McIntrye a member of Bob Doyle's old Executive Council that had badges and/or concealed weapons permits that they were not capable?  If so, is McIntyre backing Robles to bring back the Executive Council so that he and other contributors can get badges or gun permits again?

Is Frank Robles blackmailing Leo McIntyre?  There is a rumor in Sheriff's Department that Frank Robles (and possibly Bob Doyle) did a huge favor of some kind for Leo McIntryre when McIntyre's wife passed away.  We have no information that can confirm or deny this, but if there is any truth to it, is is possible that McIntrye is supportig Robles (and supported Doyle) to buy their silence? Hopefully, that's not the case, but still it's a question that truly needs to be examined, if only to be dismissed as untrue.  

2.  Will Frank Robles Open His Personnel Files for the Public?

When Stan Sniff became the Sheriff of Riverside County after Bob Doyle resigned in disgrace, Sniff did a bold thing:  He opened his Personnel File for public inspection.  The same dying newspapers that have been bought off by Robles' advertising binge, jumped at the opportunity to review Sniff's confidential file.  

What did they find when looking at Stan Sniff's Personnel File?  Nada. Zip. Zero.  

Stan Sniff had an exemplary service record and had been terminated by Doyle for no cause whatsoever. Doyle had again lied to the public saying he had reason to let Sniff go. The truth turned out that Doyle had felt threatened by Sniff as Sniff had become overly concerned about the corruption of the Doyle regime. To rectify the problem, Sniff was considering running for Sheriff so Doyle got rid of him.

Frank Robles now needs to do that same and demonstrate that he has the character and qualifications it takes to be Sheriff. Robles needs open up his Personnel File not only at the Riverside Sheriff's Department, but also from when he was the Police Chief of Desert Hot Springs.

Since Robles wants to be Sheriff, the public has the right to know what kind of a cop Robles was. We need to know what history of discipline exists or does not exist when Robles was with the Sheriff's Department. After all, Robles suddenly retired when Sniff became Sheriff, just like all of Bob Doyle's other egomaniacal cronies.  Why was that?

And what happened at Desert Hot Springs? We know Robles mismanaged the DHS' Police Department to the point of implosion, and the Sheriff's Department had to come take over the Department.  But Robles was also fired during his time there and mysteriously rehired. There are also old newspaper reports that Frank Robles threatened city officials when he did not get his budget requests.

Specifically, Robles was accused of threatening former Desert Hot Springs City Manager Duane Gassaway and former City Councilmember Daniel Been. These are very serious allegations and need to be investigated and reported. The first step is having Frank Robles waive his confidentiality rights that he once enjoyed as a peace officer and allow the public to review his Personnel Files.

These are very serious questions that Frank Robles as a candidate for Sheriff should have no problem answering.  Unfortunately, both he and the main stream media are silent on these topics.

While law enforcement operations often must be handled in secrecy to protect the lives of cops and the integrity of the investigation, the Office of Sheriff is an elected position.  There needs to be a large degree of transparency from the person who wants that job.

From the current Sheriff, Stan Sniff, the people have that.  From Frank Robles there has yet to be a hint of openness or transparency. That's a shame dear readers, because the voters should be allowed to examine the records of both Sniff and Robles and make an informed decision.

The only reason Frank Robles has to hide from answering these questions is that he would lose some political capital or credibility as a candidate if he were to honestly answer them. Hopefully he will.

Lackluster Challengers Take On County Elected Officials

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters released a list of candidates in the various races throughout Riverside County for the June Election.  Only one word comes to mind dear readers:  Yawn.

2nd District County Supervisor John Tavaglione is being challenged by Herb Higgins, a former Norco City Councilmember.  Higgins has not raised any money and does not have a campaign organization from what anyone can tell.  Tavaglione on other hand has locked up the key endorsements of his district and has over $400,000 in the bank.  That's hardly a contest.  Tavaglione's next four years are quite secure.

5th District Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, despite being the target of a half-hearted recall last year, is running unopposed.

Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff is being challenged by his former Chief Deputy Frank Robles.  Robles is relying on the financial assistance of Los Angles County businessman Leo McIntrye.  Sniff, like Tavaglione, has picked up all of the major endorsements and has his deputies and their gigantic Political Action Committee in his corner.  Robles' failure to mount a takeover of the Riverside Sheriffs' Association last year pretty much doomed his campaign.

Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco is being challenged by Judge Paul Zellerbach. While this is being billed in the main stream media as the clash of the titans, in reality that's far from the truth. Pacheco too has all of the major endorsements for his race and has close to $500,000 on hand to Zellerbach's $0.00.  

Zellerbach came out swinging at Pacheco in his announcement claiming that under Pacheco, the District Attorney's office has been losing more than half of the cases it prosecutes.  Zellerbach's statistics were debunked last week by the Press Enterprise in an article that showed Pacheco's DA's office gets convictions of about 95% of the defendants it prosecutes.  It's going to be next to impossible to argue with those results, especially after the very newspaper that hates Pacheco has already outed Zellerbach for his exaggerations.

The only race really worth watching this spring is probably the one that will go down in the desert.

4th District County Supervisor John Benoit, who was appointed to the Board of Supervisors by Governor Schwarzenegger after the resignation and death of Roy Wilson, faces retired Palm Springs Police Chief Gary Jeandron.  Benoit is an experienced and hard edged campaigner with close to $300,000 in the bank and all of the endorsements one needs to get elected in eastern Riverside County, except one very important one.

The Riverside Sheriffs' Association is backing Jeandron.  This endorsement so outraged Benoit that he retaliated against them by cutting the pay of the Probation Officers the RSA represents and imposed furloughs on them.  The RSA didn't take it lying down and is now running radio advertisements in the desert informing the public of Benoit's role in cutting law enforcement since joining the Board of Supervisors.

Benoit is also being hobbled by his affiliation with developers Steve Holgate and Robert Osborne who have been indicted in the San Jacinto corruption case.  Benoit was forced to give $10,000 to charity that came from their tainted contributions.  And a few weeks ago a Sacramento political consultant had his office raided by Riverside County District Attorneys investigators.  The consultant was doing work for Holgate on behalf of Benoit in the 2008 Republican Primary Election.

While it is unknown how much money RSA will give Jeandron in his battle against Benoit, Jeandron is already running his own radio advertisements.  This is probably a good indication that he's had a major infusion of cash since announcing his candidacy.

Despite all of this, the odds are still in Benoit's favor.  He's been in office for over a decade, has a professional team with him, and never misses an opportunity to be in the media.  

We'll keep tabs on things for you as always, but leave you with one final thought:  In a county with over 2 million people, isn't there a better list of challengers out there?

Who Is Frank Robles' Sugar Daddy?

The latest round of campaign finance disclosures are out and wannabe Sheriff Frank Robles has only $12,474.03 left in his bank account.  

That's not enough to run a successful campaign for countywide office in Riverside County, so Robles' campaign is effectively already over.  Or is it?

The big news contained in Frank Robles' disclosure is the fact that he raised $110,693.00 last year. That's quite impressive for a failed police chief and political nitwit.  

But what's most intriguing about that money raised is that $100,000 of it came from a single source:  You guessed it dear readers, Southern California Braiding Company, Inc.

As we previously reported, Southern California Braiding Company is owned by Leo McIntyre.  McIntrye's contributions to Frank Robles make up more than 90% of all the money Robles has raised. 

It remains a mystery why a Los Angeles County based business and its Los Angeles County based owner have taken such a strong interest in electing Frank Robles as Riverside County Sheriff.  But the words "bought and paid for" do come to mind here.

The pervasive rumor around the County is that when Frank Robles ran the Coroners Office he met Leo McIntrye when McIntryre's wife died.  The two allegedly formed a friendship then that resulted in McIntryre making big monetary contributions to Robles' 1994 campaign for Sheriff and to Bob Doyle's campaigns as well.

If that's the case, then something is fishy.  Did Frank Robles do something inappropriate when he was at the Coroner's Office?  Is there a case there that should be re-opened and examined by the District Attorney or the Attorney General?  We honestly don't know what the real motivation for McIntyre is here.

Robles hasn't talked about the subject and no one in the dying traditional media is looking into the matter.  Which shouldn't surprise us at all.  After all, the Press-Enterprise got the nickname the Press-Enquirer from us because it spent more time sensationalizing gossip while covering over important facts in the interest of promoting its political agenda.

Hopefully someone will come forward and tell us just why Leo McIntyre is Frank Robles' sugar daddy. Until then dear readers, we will just have to keep digging into this story and the mysterious past interconnections of Frank Robles and Leo McIntyre.

A Brief History of Frank Robles

Former disgraced Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle seems to have hatched a plan for revenge.  He's working hard to remove his successor, Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff from office in 2010.

With the  failure of former Undersheriff Neil Lingle to win a seat on the Palm Desert City Council last November, and the unimpressive resume of his one time heir apparent Mike Andrews, Bob Doyle has been forced to scrape the bottom of the barrell to come up with a candidate against Sheriff Sniff.

And that candidate that the ol' Royal Doyle has dug out of the muck of Riverside County's good old boys club is Frank Robles.  

A quick look at Frank Robles' past shows that he could not have been on the short list of candidates to challenge Sheriff Stan Sniff, but rather every other viable candidate passed up the chance to run, for reasons we will get to later in this article.

So who is Frank Robles, the man that Bob Doyle wants to be Sheriff?

Frank Robles is the disgraced former Police Chief of Desert Hot Springs.  Robles lost that job when crime, drugs and gangs became so rampant in DHS that the City Council voted to disband its police department and contract with the Riverside Sheriffs Department for law enforcement services.

Robles came over to the Riverside Sheriffs Department as part of the deal, and brought with him another DHS cop, Neil Lingle.  Rumor has it that Robles promoted Lingle at DHS just so Lingle could come in as a supervisor in the Sheriff's Department.  This is the move that later put Lingle within one vote of becoming Sheriff when Doyle mysteriously resigned less than one year into his new four year term.  Thankfully, that one vote went to Stan Sniff.

In 1994, Frank Robles ran for Riverside County Sheriff and was soundly defeated.  According to those in the know, Robles had support from a couple of political power brokers in Orange County:  Don Haidl and George Jaramillo.   Haidl and Jaramillo were knee deep in the scandal that brought down Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona who was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in federal prison.

Our sources tell us that Frank Robles introduced Haidl and Jaramillo to Bob Doyle, and Robles even helped Doyle establish the campaign contributions for badges and gun permit program that led to the downfall and resignation of Bob Doyle.  

We understand dear readers, that while serving in the capacity of Assistant Sheriff, Frank Robles was interviewed by federal agents regarding his relationship with Don Haidl and George Jaramillo.   If this is true, it validates our theory that Doyle left office fearing that the Carona investigation was an investigation into Doyle's own abuse of power and unethical fundraising practices.

After Stan Sniff was appointed Sheriff by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Robles retired, obviously knowing that his questionable ways would not fit into the restored ethical environment that Sheriff Sniff would be bringing back to the Sheriff's Department.

Robles announced his candidacy a few weeks ago with several costly news paper advertisements and the launching of a flashy website.  Campaign finance reports are not available yet, so Robles contributors are as of yet unknown.

The word we are hearing dear readers is that Robles' campaign is being bankrolled by those contributors who had badges given to them by the Royal Doyle, but had them recalled by Sniff.  If this is true, the only reason these people would be stepping up to fund Robles' campaign is if they expect to get either their badges or unearned gun permits back, or both.  That's illegal, isn't it?

Either way, Robles is going to have a tough time taking out Sheriff Stan Sniff.

Sniff has done an amazing job rebuilding ties to the community, restoring trust with those that believe Doyle and his cronies violated their trust, and raising morale amongst the rank and file deputies.  With the deputies firmly in Sniff's corner, and all the money that that brings to the race, Robles would need to raise a million dollars to beat Sniff next June.  

To raise that kind of money Frank Robles will have to sell more badges to rich donors and more promotions to unqualified Doyle cronies in the Sheriff's Department than one can imagine.  That's not likely to happen.  Frank Robles would probably have to sell his soul to to Devil to prevail against Sniff.  

But as this quick look at Frank Robles' career shows, maybe that happened years ago when the gangs and the drug dealers were overrunning Desert Hot Springs and Frank Robles did nothing to stop it.

What A Difference a Year Makes at the Riverside Sheriffs Department

Happy December Dear Readers!  We here at Inside Riverside hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Going through readers comments we found some questions from a reader by the handle of "oldfart#1" that we thought you might find very interesting and thought provoking about some of the goings on at the Riverside Sheriff's Department.

Oldfart#1 writes:

Can anyone confirm or deny that: 1. Capt. DiMaggio got the axe for attempting to hack into Valerie Hill's computer. 2. Federal agents raided the home of a Lt. last week. 3. Sheriff Sniff is weeding out everyone who got promoted after they made a hefty donation to Doyle's re-election campaign.

Here's what we do know and what we don't at this time.

1. Captain DiMaggio has been terminated by the Riverside Sheriff''s Department. The reason is as of yet unknown to most. Being that DiMaggio was a member of LEMU (the Law Enforcement Management Unit) he could not be fired without cause. So whenever Sheriff Stan Sniff made the decision to fire DiMaggio he had to do it for a very legitimate and lawful reason. If that didn't happen, then Riverside County would be exposed to a great deal of liability and DiMaggio could petition to get his job back. Sheriff Sniff, ever the stickler for details and integrity, probably had the proper reasons to give DiMaggio the boot.

On the other hand, Sniff also gave a pink slip to Chief Randy Throne, Esquire, around the same time. Throne as many of you know was a member of disgraced former Sheriff Bob Doyle's inner circle. Rumor has it he attempted to get demoted to Captain where he would have union and civil service protections after Sniff was sworn into the office. Sniff did not grant the demotion request and kept Throne at the rank of Chief Deputy, where he would be an At Will employee who could be relieved of duty for any reason or no reason at all.  

Throne allegedly was terminated for circulating defamatory information about Sheriff Sniff that undermined the Chain of Command within the Sheriff's Department. Sniff, a retired Army Colonel, is not one that would likely take insubordination or subversion of the Chain of Command lightly. If Throne did what many allege he was to do, it makes you wonder dear reader if he may have been trying to get fired so he could practice law full time.

2. Inside Riverside can not confirm or deny that a Lieutenant of the Sheriff's Department had his/her house raided by the FBI week. Unless the Feds have someone they are working with that is leaking information to the press (as in the later days of the Royal Doyle's reign of terror) they typically do not comment on their investigations, leaving those of us in the media to guess and theorize as to their methods and motives.

3. All of Bob Doyle's inner circle have been purged from the higher echelons of the Riverside Sheriff's Department. That huge sigh you hear dear readers is the collective relief of Riverside County's law abiding public as they relax and rejoice in the fact that those who are responsible for enforcing the law in Riverside County are no longer the same scoundrels that many believe flaunted the laws they were entrusted to enforce.

Here's the roundup on the Royal Doyle, his Jesters, and where they all landed:

The Royal Doyle resigned as Sheriff in disgrace in 2007 to take a backwater position on the state parole board. It's a place where he can do little harm, but it makes his late 2006 face lift of little value before the cameras, but maybe the inmates think he's a sharp looking chap when the come before him.

Neil Lingle got his rear end handed to him in the Palm Desert City Council election. Although he had the support of Jim "How Many Ribs Can You Break In A Motel Room" Ferguson, it was not enough for him to overcome the powerful accomplishments of incumbents Dick Kelly, Bob Spiegel, and Cindy Finerty (even in an anti-incumbent year). Perhaps if the Toys R Us shootout had happened before the Election, Lingle might have had a prayer, but fortunately this senseless act of violence occurred three weeks too late for Lingle.

Mike "The Anointed" Andrews has had little anointing since Doyle left him high and dry. Andrews allegedly quit when the Board of Supervisors wisely appointed Sniff as Doyle's replacement, but then according to County gossip, Doyle had Andrews get the resignation letter back so Doyle could fire him. As a fired Assistant Sheriff Andrews could collect a healthy severance that he could not get if he called it quits. In hindsight, it was a foolish move because how does Andrews get a job with another law enforcement agency. When they ask why he was fired from RSO, it probably doesn't look good for him to try and say "I wasn't fired. Bobby and I were just gaming the system." So it appears Andrews has taken an early and permanent retirement.

Tom "Where Did These Medals Come From" Freeman, the political guru that brought Doyle to the pinnacle of power, then gave him most (if not all) of the bad advice that led to the cash-for-badges scandal and the No Confidence vote by the Riverside Sheriffs Association in 2006 is still lurking in the shadows of Riverside County government at the mercy and blessing of Riverside County Supervisor Roy "The Professor" Wilson.  

After stepping in a waste basket while moving the Royal Doyle's personal belongings off of the Second Floor of the Sheriff's Administration Center, Freeman was hospitalized, but recovered to take a job at Riverside County's version of Devil's Island --- the Economic Development Agency. He is currently the head of EDA's Press Information Office. Freeman has rubbed a lot of people wrong there in the last year, and is rumored to be on a very, very, very short leash. His boss probably doesn't want Freeman to do for her any of the career favors that Freeman did for Doyle over at the RSO. Wilson may be the only reason Freeman is still employed.

Throne was the last of the holdovers, but now as you read above, that oversight appears to have been corrected. The darkness that hung over the Riverside Sheriffs Department since January 2003 has been eliminated and the pure disinfecting power of natural sunlight is shining through the doors and windows.

If you have any credible information about any of these exciting and interesting items, dear readers, please post them in the comments. We will review, probe, and publish those which we deem legitimate and of interest to the news starved population of Riverside County.

Bye Bye Bobby Bye Bye!

Just when we thought that the Royal Doyle couldn't surprise us anymore, he has!

Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle who announced his resignation last month has decided that he just doesn't want to stick around any longer than he has to.  Doyle has reportedly phoned in to County Supervisor John Tavaglione that he wants out of his job today.   The Board of Supervisors will now have take action to move up the appointment of Sheriff-Designate Stan Sniff from October 12 to the earliest possible date.

Then again should this surprise anyone?  After all, Doyle's been phoning in for the job for at least the last year if not longer. 

Doyle leaves the Riverside Sheriff's Department with very little stature in the community and a personal legacy of disgrace. 

Bob Doyle will always be remembered as the Sheriff who drove the RSO into the ground, gave honorary badges to his campaign contributors, lost the support of his deputies in his re-election campaign, took no legitimate action to stop the early release of criminals from the county jails, refused to work with the District Attorney, seldom came to work, is alleged to promote individuals based on the size of their contributions to his campaign, fired a potential political opponent without cause, did not require those closest to him to keep proper time cards, and valued loyalty over competency.

With a legacy like that, is it any wonder that the Board of Supervisors rejected Doyle's hatchet man, Undersheriff Neil Lingle, as his replacement in office?

Good riddance Bob Doyle.  Inside Riverside will miss having you to kick around, but we feel much more comfortable with someone like Stan Sniff who actually gives a damn about the job and the people of Riverside County at the helm of the Sheriff's Department.

Justice Prevails in Sheriff's Appointment

Well dear readers, remember you saw it here first.  Neil Lingle's appointment was dead on arrival at the Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday.  The petty politics and pure thuggery of the Doyle regime had left too many people beaten down and bruised, and finally those people spoke out.  Reminds you off South Africa after Nelson Mandella was freed, doesn't it? 

Paramount amongst those who spoke up was Assistant Sheriff Valerie Hill who told the Board she was forced to agree to retire in the next year in exchange for her promotion.  In criminal matters we're pretty sure that practice is known as extortion.

The Sergeants, Lieutenants, and Captains of the Sheriff's Department also deserve a tip of the hat for standing up for what was right and not giving in to the pressures above.  Because of these brave law enforcement professionals, Neil Lingle will soon go into retirement with Bob Doyle, while Stan Sniff will come out of retirement to serve as the next Sheriff of Riverside County.  That's poetic justice.

Supervisors John Tavaglione, Marion Ashley, and Jeff Stone deserve the highest compliments for seeing through Neil Lingle and his vain attempts to distance himself from the Royal Doyle.  They saw it for the sham that it was and voted to do the right thing:  use this unusual opportunity before them to restore honor and integrity to the highest leadership post in the Sheriff's Department by appointing Colonel Stan Sniff to the post.

Supervisors Bob Buster and Roy Wilson should be ashamed of themselves for voting against Sniff, especially when it was obvious there were not enough votes to give the job to Lingle.  Instead of voting for unity and healing in the Sheriff's Department, they voted to continue the division. 

How they could support Lingle after all the information and testimony they received about the unethical and possibly illegal ways Doyle and Lingle were running the RSO is unclear.  Both will have to answer the voters of their separate districts on this topic.  They'll probably say that over 70% of the voters put Doyle and office and his wishes should have been granted to appoint Lingle in his place.   The problem with that argument is that Neil Lingle could never withstand the scrutiny of the election process.  Head to head against Stan Sniff he probably would have had his head handed to him just like he did yesterday.

On a regretful note dear readers, its too bad we don't have footage from the seats in the back of the Supervisors Chambers to show you the look of childish outrage on Neil Lingle's face when he stormed out yesterday afternoon to probably throw a tantrum.  We postulate that he most likely called up someone from the K-9 unit just so he could have someone's dog to kick after the verbal beating he took at the Board meeting.

The Riverside Public Utility should keep an eye on the power usage of the Sheriff's Office so that the County Government Center doesn't find itself in the midst of a rolling blackout.  The kilowatt usage is likely to increase in the next few weeks as shredders are brought in and plugged into every socket to get rid of any information that could be used in a criminal investigation.

Congratulations to Colonel Stan Sniff, our new sheriff.  We've been pulling for you for quite a while and believe you are the right person for the job.  You have been vindicated good sir.  We trust that you won't let us down when it comes to getting the Sheriff's Department back on track.  We'll be keeping an eye on things so that our readers know you delivered on the promises you made yesterday.

And just in case you're keeping score, dear readers it's Inside Riverside 2, Press Enquirer 0.

We predicted that Doyle would not serve a full term in office and that Neil Lingle would not receive the appointment to replace the Royal Doyle.  The Press Enterprise backed the Neil and Bob Show until the bitter end and the credibility of this once reliable newspaper has suffered once again.   If they don't get their act together at the PE it won't be long until the Pennysaver becomes their biggest competitor.

The Bell Tolls for Neil Lingle

It truly is an exciting time in Riverside County these days, as we've watched the political demise of Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle and are about to witness the downfall of Doyle's handpicked successor, his Undersheriff Neil Lingle.

Sorry we haven't posted anything in the last few days.  Things have been absolutely crazy on the 2nd Floor of Sheriff's Administration and you don't know who you can or can't trust these days.   But that will hopefully soon be over in the next few days following the Board of Supervisors rejection of Neil Lingle as the Interim Sheriff.

Inside Riverside has learned that Neil Lingle's application is dead on arrival at tomorrow's meeting.  While all appearances will be made for the Supervisors to appear open minded and interested in continuing the Doyle regime, too much has happened in the last two weeks for them to make the appointment.  The chief cause of the Supervisors disenchantment with Lingle is the anonymous memo on Riverside Sheriff's Association letterhead that implicates Supervisors Tavaglione, Ashley, and Stone as being corrupt.   

While the media and Bob Doyle are stating their concerns about the memo, while legally protecting themselves saying it could be a hoax, the members of the Board of Supervisors do believe the memo is fraudulent.  They also believe Neil Lingle was involved in its creation and its circulation.   In an attempt to distance himself from this latest scandal, Lingle allegedly told one County Supervisor that he believed Bob Doyle was the author of the memo.  And we thought loyalty was more important than competency in the Royal Doyle's Sheriff's Department.

Beyond the memo, the members of the Board of Supervisors have been peppered with letters, faxes, emails, and phone calls from individual members of the Sheriffs Department from the low rank of patrol deputy to the high rank of assistant sheriff letting them in on many of the dirty little secrets that have been hidden during Doyle's reign of terror.   All of the information provided to the Supervisors will become public information after tomorrows hearing, so if they appoint Lingle despite the baggage he carries in from the Doyle Regime, they will each have to answer to the voters of their districts come the next election about why they would appoint a person with such tremendous baggage as Sheriff. 

If you need any more proof that the end is near for Lingle, just see yesterdays editorial in the Press Enquirer.  They lament that the appointment process has become too political and the Board should request that the Legislature change state law so Riverside County can have a special election.   This is the same paper that less than a month ago endorsed the appointment of Neil Lingle as Sheriff because it would keep politics out of the process.   The change in position is obviously a response to the fact that their guy is going down in flames.

The responsible position that the Press Enquirer should have taken was to editorialize about how a special election would be best to choose the next sheriff and how the County should proceed about it.  Then when the appointment process was announced the so-called paper should have interviewed the applicants and made a responsible endorsement.  But no, they endorsed first without caring who else was in the race.  And now that their choice is on the ropes being pummeled, they want to change the rules.

It really makes you wonder how much Sheriffs Department advertising revenue played into the endorsement making process.   But we shouldn't be too harsh on the good old Press Enquirer.  They did spell our website correctly and traffic has quadrupled since their slash and burn article about the memos on Thursday.  It's just sad that they had to try and tie our site to some right-wing neo-con activist.

But back to our topic, the bell tolling for Neil Lingle and who will be Riverside County's next sheriff.

With Lingle's career about to come to an end, that leaves us with four people that could be appointed to complete the remainder of Doyle's term in office.

Assistant Sheriff Valerie Hill and former Assistant Sheriff Stan Sniff are the two heavy favorites in the race for the appointment.  The Supervisors like and respect both of them and feel they can trust them.   Stan Sniff should have the edge over Hill in the appointment process, as a retired colonel he already has the skills needed to lead and manage a large organization like the Sheriff's Department.  If either Hill or Sniff are appointed, look for the other to become the Undersheriff as Lingle takes the retirement he's been promising us he'd take.

Former Assistant Sheriff John Boyd has also emerged as a strong contender.  While he was an Assistant Sheriff under Doyle, Boyd retired before all the scandals started to hit, so he's an insider who doesn't carry the baggage of Lingle.  But unlike Stan Sniff and Val Hill, there is no proof that Boyd was above the personal games and political manipulations that Doyle and the boys are fond of.

Frankky, there are serious questions about his ethics when he was the Chief Welfare Fraud Investigator.   While there, Boyd allegedly violated federal labor law and convinced his employees to leave their union in exchange for a bigger raise.  However, once they left the RSA, the higher raise for his investigators never materialized.  If that's the case, Boyd is no different than Doyle or Lingle.   Boyd also lacks the leadership abilities to make tough decisions and if appointed would likely keep Lingle, Andrews, and Freeman on board.  So if the Board appoints Boyd they would just be exchanging one form of cancer for another.

Then there's the dark horse candidate, LAPD Lt. Craig Herron.  Little is known about him, which makes him both inviting and dangerous.  Should tomorrows proceedings turn into a circus, look for this man to be appointed Sheriff.  He will be viewed as an agent of change for the County.  What kind of change that will be remains to be seen.  After all, the LAPD usually brings people in to fix its problems, not send its people out to fix other departments.  But if he does become Sheriff there will be one person smiling up on the Supervisors Dais and that's Jeff Stone. 

While the media has been overly focused on an anonymous memo they've missed the fact that Craig Herron is a close personal friend of County Supervisor Jeff Stone.  Once again, the press makes its own case why it needs blogs like Inside Riverside to get the full story out to the people.   

Reading Between the Lines With Bob Doyle

If you ever thought one needed brains to get elected to office, Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle who is resigning from office in disgrace is living proof that intellect is not a prerequisite for public life.  In life many people can accommodate for a lack of "books smarts" with an abundance of "street smarts."  Unfortunately for Doyle he runs short on both as proven by many of his actions these last five years that have defied common sense. 

Take for instance Doyle's announcement last week that he was going to resign because he was going to accept an appointment from the Governator.  The Administration had not announced the appointment and Inside Riverside has learned that when Doyle went public with the news that he was up for the Parole Board job, the Governor's staff actually considered not giving Doyle the appointment since he jumped the gun and wasn't playing by their rules.   Fortunately for the good people of Riverside County, the Governor must have felt their collective pain and figured he'd still appoint the Royal Doyle because he would do less harm to public safety on the Parole Board than he has been causing in our county.

Another example of the Bob Doyle's lack of intellectual muscle is the letter he submitted to Supervisor John Tavaglione that can now be found on Instant Riverside.

Royal Doyle's Letter to Tavaglione

 

What's interesting to us here at Inside Riverside is the stuff that Doyle is saying between the lines to Tavaglione that those at the Board of Supervisors will understand, but the general public won't.  So as a service to you dear readers Inside Riverside will now expound upon the hidden messages of Doyle's letter.  Our annotations are in parenthesis and are what we believe Doyle is really saying to the Board.

Dear Chairman Tavaglione,

During the last 32 years, I have had the privilege to work with the finest men and women in law enforcement anywhere in the world. These are dedicated individuals that work to protect and serve the citizens of Riverside County, and to improve our quality of life.

(I am especially proud of my hand picked favorites that play on my softball team.  They really are something else.  It 's too bad Richard Kamstra couldn't drink and drive better, he really had a glove on him.  I'm still pissed about whoever bought him those extra shots for after the game.  But Lingle says it was Andrews, and Andrews says it was Lingle, so what am I supposed to do, be pissed at both of them?  And you know Mike and Neil.  How can you stay mad at those lovable bozos?)

In the last five years, I have been honored to work with you, as part of the majority of the Board of Supervisors. (You guys have really helped me stop that Jeff Stone from keeping criminals in jail. Venable never would have protested letting people out of jail early.) You and the majority of the Board have consistently made decisions based on principles, not political expediency. (You guys get what I'm all about.  It's always more valuable to have people around you that are loyal even if they are incompetent.  Like that retired army colonel Stan Sniff.  Had to get rid of him.  He's too smart and was starting to make Andrews feel inferior.  Can't have my protege Mikey feeling inferior now, could I?)

I have been appointed to serve on two commissions by the governor in the past.   (That's right, I'm the big man in the County.)  Last week I was given another opportunity to serve the citizens of this state, as a Commissioner of the State Parole Board.   (Just imagine how many criminals I can let out of state prison early. This early release from jail is going to seem minor league to letting serious felons that are just misunderstood back on to the streets of California.)

I have accepted this position and will retire as Elected Sheriff-Coroner effectively at the close of October 12, 2007. (And I got to tell you JT, that even though I did that commercial for Buster a few years back attacking my deputies for the pension plan they negotiated, it's looking pretty sweet now.  I should be pulling down a bit more than $206,000 each year for my retirement, and that's before COLA increases!  Not bad for government work is it?  With the extra $100,000 for the Parole Board gig, I'll be raking in real money.  Not the real money that you and the majority of the Board earned in the private sector, but don't you got worrying.  Labecca and I will be fine.)

It is only appropriate that I request that the Board of Supervisors appoint my replacement immediately in order to ensure the stability of the services provided by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. (Otherwise who is going keep the overworked deputies of this county in the vise and let them know who is in charge?  Morale is overrated after all.)  I strongly recommend that you appoint Undersheriff Neil Lingle as the Interim Sheriff for the remainder of my term. Neil is educated, dedicated and committed to providing the highest level of professional law enforcement services.

In addition, he has the skill sets needed to do the job.  (No one can brown nose better than Lingle.  Well maybe Tom Freeman, but Lingle almost seems sincere about it.  With Freeman you know it's about him keeping his job.  But that's always a nice sword to hold over that his head.  But back to Lingle.)

He is the most experienced and effective administrator that I can recommend for this position. His nearly three years of experience as the Undersheriff has prepared him well for this responsibility. Neil's selection as the Interim Sheriff will ensure stability and continue the high quality of service provided by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.  (I have complete faith that Neil Lingle will continue to cover up anything that I have done that may be unethical or illegal, like those badges to my campaign contributors.  I got that troublemaker Pacheco trying to explain the law to me now.  Who the hell does he think he is?  I'm the chief law enforcement official of the County.  Not him and I will be until October 12th damn it!  Sorry, JT went off on a tangent there.)

The names of a number of retired, fired and/or other ineffective administrators have been rumored to be currently lobbying the Board for their personal appointment to this position.  (If the Board is looking for ineffective administrators there really is no reason to look far from the second floor.  I've got Neil Lingle, Mike Andrews, and Tom Freeman ready and willing to continue ineffectively running the RSO.  You can't get much more ineffective than those three.  So why search for ineffective and incompetent people outside the agency, when I've got three ready and willing to keep running the Department into the ground?)

It is my hope that you will not allow those with personal agendas such as union heads, colleagues or those seeking to disrupt this organization to prevail.  (That lousy RSA.  You know I almost had them done in, but then the facts came out and the feds saw that the evidence against them was all fabricated, just like the Duke rape thing.  If only the feds had played ball better. I personally blame Grover Trask for passing the buck on that one.  If only he had been willing to get into the mud with me, the perfect case could have manufactured.  But no, Grover had to let a little thing like the law get in the way.  And now McNamara gets re-elected as the head of the association without opposition and I have to leave office early!  Sorry another tangent there.  Let's get back to this Lingle situation.)

I urge you to make this appointment based on principles, not political expediency.  Please pick the best and most qualified person for this job, and do so quickly.  (Scratch the previous sentence about no political expediency.  Like morale, due diligence is overrated.  We've got to move quickly before people realize that Lingle really isn't cut out of the top job.  But that's not what's important.  To paraphrase my favorite president Richard Nixon, it's the coverup that matters.) 

The men and women of this fine organization deserve that. Undersheriff Neil Lingle will serve you well.  (Especially since you'll have him by the short hairs given all his baggage.  We did find the guy in Desert Hot Springs after all, and you know how corrupt that police department is.)

In conclusion, I want to thank you for your support of me during my tenure as the Sheriff-Coroner. I am proud of the progress that we made working together.  (I know that some mistakes were made, not by me of course, but I forgive you and the Board for not giving me another helicopter for personal use.  You guys are only human and not infallible like yours truly.) 

Please contact me if I can provide any additional information.  (However, I will most likely remain silent so that anything I say to you can't be used against me in court if the US Attorney or the State Attorney General do file charges against me.  Wouldn't want to put you or me in that spot.  Wouldn't be good at all.)

Sincerely,

BOB DOYLE, SHERIFF-CORONER (Master of the Freaking Universe)

Inside Riverside hopes you appreciate the satire above. 

Bob Doyle Says Take This Job and Shove It

Well dear readers, it appears the old preacher man was right.  We are living in the last days.  The last day of Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle.  Can we get a hallelujah and an amen?

Last Wednesday Riverside County's long dark dysfunctional Sheriff's Administration may have finally started to come to a conclusion when Doyle announced his imminent resignation from the office he was sworn into only back in January.   The Royal Doyle it seems is on a short list for an appointment to a statewide position by the Governator.  Rather than finishing out the over three years left in his term, the Royal Doyle has decided to abdicate his self-created crown and resign from office.

In a broadcast email sent out to the entire Sheriff's Department, Doyle wrote the following:

I will be retiring as your Sheriff within the next month.  After 32 years with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, I have accepted an appointment by Governor Schwarzenegger as a Commissioner for the California State Parole Board. I am honored by this appointment and look forward to serving the citizens of California in a new capacity.

Doyle's resignation came as a shock to nearly everyone, except those of us here at Inside Riverside, which had predicted that the Royal Doyle would not complete his term in office. The most surprised by his announcement appear to  be the Doyle's cult of personality, the three amigos of his command staff --- Undersheriff Neil Lingle, Assistant Sheriff Mike Andrews, and taxpayer funded political consultant Tom Freeman.  Word is they were caught completely unaware by the Sheriff's resignation.  Freeman who is in charge of the Public Information Officers was asked by one such PIO what to tell the media, to which he uncharacteristically replied "Whatever the f--k you want."  How's that for class?

The date of Doyle's departure is not yet known, but by his own email his regime will come to an end in less than 30 days, despite the fact that the Governor's office has not announced nor offered the appointment to Doyle.  It makes one wonder why Doyle is in such a hurry to leave office.  As a service to you dear readers, we've been poking around and asking questions and have picked up the following rumors.  Please note, the following possible explanations for Doyle's abrupt resignation are mere speculation.  However, they all contain credible information and should therefore be considered as potentially viable reasons for the Royal Doyle committing modern day political hari-kari.

Top Three Rumors and Speculation Surrounding Bob Doyle's Resignation:

1.  Doyle's Health if Failing. For many months Doyle's health has been an issue.  He has seldom come to work and last year was bed ridden.  Some say it was an inner ear infection, some say he knocked himself unconscious with a tennis racket, and others speculate he was riding in the car with Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Kamstra after a sheriffs softball game, when the drunk Kamstra was involved in a major collision.  If you follow this reasoning Doyle could have sustained major trauma.  Those who believe this theory note the Doyle's plastic surgery in the months following the accident as proof that Doyle was severely injured and needed re constructive surgery. 

2.  Doyle Couldn't Handle the Stress.  Anyone who knows Doyle knows what incredibly thin skin he has.  If you don't like him or criticize his job performance he practically wants to crawl into a dark closet and assume the fetal position for two or three days. Supervisor John Tavaglione in his comments to the Press Enquirer stated that the Royal Doyle implied he couldn't handle "the pressure cooker" of public life any longer.  For Doyle to remain in office would be to invite a heart attack or a stroke. 

3.  Doyle Was Under Investigation.  For many months now there have been those within the Sheriff's Department and in the County Administration that believe Bob Doyle and his administration have been under investigation by either the US Attorney, the State Attorney General, or the District Attorney. 

Inside Riverside even asked if Doyle was under investigation by the Feds for misusing the power of his office to start investigations against his political rivals like County Supervisor Jeff Stone and the powerful RSA Deputies Union.  A federal probe that was likely initiated by Doyle and/or his command staff against the RSA turned out to be a wild goose chase.  It is also rumored that Doyle assigned two detectives to investigate Jeff Stone for no reason whatsoever. 

A few weeks back the Attorney General issued an opinion that the so-called honorary badges that Doyle had been handing out to supporters were illegal.  Doyle had stated that he had recalled the badges.  It is possible that those badges were never collected, which would make Doyle and his cronies part of a cover up of acts that if criminal could still be prosecuted because the statute of limitations would not be an issue.   

Inside Riverside believes that the reason for Doyle's resignation could be a combination of the three.  If Doyle is under investigation the stress would be getting to him, and thus affecting his health.  Should the appointment from the Governor fail to materialize we believe Doyle will still leave office and take a medical retirement allowing him to receive 50% of his retirement without taxes being withheld, just like his predecessor Larry Smith did.

However Doyle leaves office matters not to us here at Inside Riverside.  The only thing that matters is that he is going.  The main tumor that is destroying the Sheriff's Department and the morale of its employees needs to be gone if the RSO is to recover.  However, the other three cancerous growths of Lingle, Andrews, and Freeman must also be cut out and removed from the Second Floor or else the Riverside Sheriff's Department will continue to limp along without the needed leadership that the citizens of Riverside County will want from whoever the next County Sheriff will be.