12-23-2010, 09:38 PM
No rules, no standards, no charges. Berkley and Almeda degree holders "wrongly tied" to SRU.
Hey Washington, you have state patrols with no rules and no standards, you give guys raises for fake degrees, you pay them not to work for ten months during the investigation, your admins bad mouth them in the press to cover their own incompetence, and now you are going to end up paying them to go away. More of your tax dollars down the drain. Maybe Zurlini could look into this and write a book.
Hey Washington, you have state patrols with no rules and no standards, you give guys raises for fake degrees, you pay them not to work for ten months during the investigation, your admins bad mouth them in the press to cover their own incompetence, and now you are going to end up paying them to go away. More of your tax dollars down the drain. Maybe Zurlini could look into this and write a book.
Quote:Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Troopers busted with suspect diplomas sue state
Five troopers suspended without pay for 3-10 days claim they were defamed
By LEVI PULKKINEN
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
Five state troopers investigated and disciplined for using bogus college diplomas to gain pay raises have sued the state, claiming they were defamed.
Filing a lawsuit earlier this month in King County Superior Court, the State Patrol troopers claim their reputations were stained in 2008 when the patrol released details of a probe into allegations that they had obtained bunk college degrees to gain pay raises.
In the suit, the troopers -- Bryan Ensley, Daniel Mann, Gabriel Olson, Dennis Tardiff and Spike Unruh -- each claim to hold degrees from Internet-based colleges that award credit based on "life experience."
Niether [sic] school is accredited by any body recognized by the federal Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the two organizations on which the patrol now relies to determine if a degree is valid.
The patrol launched an audit of personnel records in May 2008 after it came to light that a Spokane diploma mill selling counterfeit degrees and transcripts counted dozens of government workers among its customers. None of the troopers involved in the suit was a client of the diploma mill; each had, instead, obtained a degree online.
In 2008, nine troopers suspected of using degrees from unaccredited colleges were placed on paid leave while the allegations were investigated by the patrol. No charges were filed and, according to the lawsuit, each of the five troopers who has now sued was briefly suspended without pay.
Speaking Wednesday, State Patrol spokesman Bob Calkins defended the department's actions against the troopers.
"This matter was thoroughly investigated, carefully considered and we think the discipline was appropriate," Calkin said.
Troopers received a 4 percent pay increase for holding a bachelor's degree and an additional 2 percent raise for a master's degree, providing a financial incentive to participate in the programs.
According to the lawsuit, Mann had been receiving educational incentive pay since 1999, when he obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Berkley -- an online institution unaffiliated with the University of California at Berkeley.
The other four troopers involved in the suit received their degrees from Almeda University -- another online university that, for a fee, also awards degrees based on an applicant's life experience -- and began drawing additional pay in 2006, attorney Aaron D. Bigby told the court.
Bigby, of the Seattle law firm Northcraft, Bigby & Biggs, argued in the civil complaint that the State Patrol had no rules for judging whether a university was properly accredited until after the investigation was launched in 2008.
Bigby recounted a July 2008 e-mail purportedly sent by a State Patrol captain investigating the troopers' educational backgrounds. The captain, Bigby told the court, noted that the State Patrol had "no real standard in place regarding what type of accreditation" is required.
Writing the court, Bigby said his clients were placed on paid administrative leave for 10 months while the patrol conducted a criminal investigation. No charges were filed and, after an initial move by the patrol to fire the deputies, the troopers were suspended for three to 10 days without pay.
Now, the troopers contend they were defamed by their employer in statements to the media after the investigation was made public. Writing the court, Bigby also claimed the patrol wrongly tied his clients to the Spokane diploma mill, which was the subject of criminal prosecution.
"Unlike the Spokane diploma mill, Almeda University and the University of Berkley operators have not been convicted of counterfeiting for their operations," Bigby told the court. "By implying a link between (the troopers) and the Spokane diploma mill, the (State Patrol) has placed the plaintiffs in a false light."
Bigby also faulted the patrol for releasing the names, personnel files and photos of his clients to reporters following a public records request.
Claiming his clients have suffered "severe emotional distress," Bigby asserted the troopers are owed payment for the harm done to their reputations, their mental anguish and invasions of their privacy.
The State Patrol has not yet responded to the suit with the court.