A Tracy police employee claims he was wrongly relieved of his duties after commenting on a Facebook thread where threats were made about social justice activist Shaun King.
ACROSS THE STATE WILL NOW THATEMPLOYEE IS FIGHTING TO CLEARHIS NAME.FOX FORTY'S KRISTI GROSSHAS MORE ON THAT DEVELOPINGSTORY.DOCKING BASE CRIMINALDEFENSE ATTORNEY JOHN ALLENSAWYER IS REPRESENTING BILLYDISHMAN A PART-TIMEPROFESSIONAL STANDARDSINVESTIGATOR TRACY POLICE WHOIS NOW ON LEAVE WITHOUT PAY SOYOU'RE SAYS DISHMAN WASDISMISSED FROM HIS DUTIESAFTER COMMENTING ON A FACEBOOKTHREAD THAT THREAD INCLUDEDTHREATS FROM OTHERS AGAINSTSOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST SHAUNKING THERE WAS ABSOLUTELYHORRIBLE SOME OF THE COMMENTSTHAT ARE ON THERE.MISTER KING HAS EVERYRIGHT.
TO BE UPSET AND TODEMAND THAT THERE'S ANINVESTIGATION BUT SAWYER SAYSDISHMAN SINGLE COMMENT THATREAD LET'S GET IT GOING.
I'MIN WAS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT INAN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY KEANETHE FULL THREAD WAS NEVERSHOWN HE SAYS DISHMAN WASREPLYING TO ANOTHER USERSCOMMENTS ABOUT PUTTINGTOGETHER A VOLUNTEER TEAM OFRETIRED OFFICERS TOBACCOPOLICE DURING RIOTS, MISTERDISHMAN RESPOND TO THAT ANDSAYS SIGN ME UP.HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHOSHAWN KING WAS THERE'S A LOTOF VERY INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTSABOVE IN THE THREAD.
BUT THEYHAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THISTRADITION, THE FACEBOOK GROUPAND THE ORIGINAL POST HAVESINCE BEEN DELETED HE'S AFAMILY MAN.AND HE DISAVOWS ANYTHINGRELATED TO THE COMMENTS TOREMAIN THERE ARE VIOLENTTHINGS IS NOT ONLYINAPPROPRIATE IT IS IT SAYSVERY POSSIBLY COULD BE LEGALOTHER COMMENTS ON THE POSTHAVE BEEN LINKED TO RETIREDPOLICE OFFICERS FROM LAPD INLONG BEACH POLICE SEVERAL FBIOFFICES ARE INVESTIGATING WEASKED THE FBI FOR AN UPDATEAND THEY TOLD US NO COMMENT ATTHIS TIME, THERE'S NO DOUBTTHAT.HE WISHES HE DIDN'T COMMENTON IT.
THE POINT IS THAT HE.HIS COMMENT WAS THEN TAKEN ANDATTACHED TO OTHER COMMENTSTHAT WERE NOT CONNECTED TOEACH OTHER.
AND MADE IT SOUNDLIKE HE WAS RESPONDING TO AVIOLENT COMMENT WHEN INREALITY THAT WAS NOT TRUE.ACCORDING TO SAWYER EDITIONHAS MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF LAWENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE BETWEENHIS TIME IN TRACY IN WITH SANJOSE PD.WHERE HE RETIRED AS ASERGEANT HE SAYS THE INCIDENTHAS JEOPARDIZED ISHMANLIVELIHOOD IN UPROOTED HISLIFE SAID DEATH THREATS AT HISHOUSE HE'S HAD TO MOVE FROMHIS HOUSE NOW SO YOU'RE ISFIGHTING TO RESTORE DISHMAN TOREPUTATION LIKE HIS LIFE BACKIT'S DIFFICULT TO AN RING ABELL, BUT THAT'S WHAT HE'STRYING TO DO KRISTI GROSS FOX,40 NEWS.A LITTLE MORE ON THE STORYHERE SAWYER CLAIMS DISHMAN WASTREATED UNFAIRLY BY TRACYPOLICE TO IMMEDIATELY PUT HIMON LEAVE THEY SAY WITHOUTBEING ABLE TO EXPLAIN HISCOMMENTS IN A STATEMENT TO FOX40.
A SPOKESPERSON WITH THETRACY POLICE DEPARTMENT SAIDQUOTE CHIEF MILLINGTON HASPROVIDED OUR PART-TIMECIVILIAN EMPLOYEE DUE PROCESSIN THE FORM OF AN OUTSIDEINVESTIGATION INVESTIGATION.TRACY PD ALSO INTENDS TORESPECT OR EMPLOYEES PRIVACY.
Kristi Gross reports