Anaheim Watchdog Files Complaint Against Police Chief For Misleading Statements on KKK Rally
Duane Roberts, former Anaheim city council candidate and longtime activist, is calling for an investigation into the conduct of police chief Raul Quezada following the bloody Ku Klux Klan melee in February. The watchdog took the opportunity to hand deliver his written complaint to city manager Paul Emery during Tuesday's council meeting. Roberts outlines statements Quezada made about his department's response to the planned KKK rally to the Anaheim city council, Public Safety Board and general public that contradict internal police emails.
"I believe Quezada has breached the public trust, undermined his credibility as Police Chief, and brought the Anaheim Police Department and the officers who work for it into disrepute by disseminating false information about what transpired at Pearson Park on February 27th," Roberts writes in the six-page complaint.
At issue is Quezada's comments that suggested the Klan communicated an arrival time of 1:30 p.m. that weekend only to pull up to the park closer to 11:30 a.m. Police emails show that Klansman Charles Donner communicated with the department the day before saying that they'd have their "White Lives Do Matter" rally from 12-2 p.m. and that it would take place at the west side of the park on Harbor Boulevard.
The Klan didn't show up closer to 11:30 a.m., but came a few minutes after noon, just like they said they would. They parked their black SUV at the southwest corner and began unloading signs and flags. The rally turned violent soon after with no uniformed police officers present to keep the peace.
But why did Quezada peddle the fuzzy timeline contradicted by his own department's communications? "I'm of the opinion Quezada's statements were a form of 'damage control,'" Roberts writes. "By falsely arguing the KKK unexpectedly showed up at Pearson Park, Quezada can say that his officers didn't have enough time to take measures to keep them separate from counter-protesters; that the violence was therefore unavoidable and nothing could be done to stop it."
More than just misinformation, the crux of the complaint is that Quezada is a city employee who violated "Workplace Conduct" guidelines. Administrative Regulation 285 states that employees "shall conduct themselves at all times in such a manner as to build public trust and credibility, and to reflect favorably upon themselves, the Department in which they work, and the City of Anaheim. Conduct which brings the City into disrepute in unacceptable and a violation of this Policy."
Since the OC Weekly and Roberts' own articles and blog posts detailed the contradiction between Quezada's statements and his officers' emails, the department has been mum. They've not taken any opportunity to address the allegations directly. Similarly, when presented at council with the information by Roberts, the mayor and council members did not publicly direct city staff to look into the claims. But with the complaint filed, the issue can no longer be administratively ignored.
"If [Quezada] is not willing to behave in an honest and ethical manner in his capacity as Anaheim's top cop, he should step aside and let someone else do his job," Roberts concludes.
The next meeting of the Anaheim Public Safety Board is scheduled for April 28th, two days after the next city council meeting.
