Parlier Police Chief: A selfish manager, no vision, not a leader.

There's nothing new about the small towns contracting with the Sheriff for policing. Orange Cove and Mendota did it for many years, and may do it again. Contracting in Fresno County usually occurs when the cities get cash-strapped. As in the big city (Fresno), public safety eats up the majority of the general fund in these small cities. It could very well be the council has been talking with Mims about contracting behind closed doors-many of these small town governments don't worry about the Brown Act in transacting business.

The way of the Parlier Police Department has always been shock and fear to get what they want from their Police Officers and staff. Chief David Cerda will tell you he worked his way up the ranks and earned his position as Chief of Police. But this is far from the truth. Throughout Chief David Cerda’s career with the Parlier Police Department his positions of rank have just been handed to him, regardless if there are others within the department that may have high education, more police training and more experience and ability to manage. Chief David Cerda prior to being Chief obtained his lieutenants position by it being just handed to him. There was no testing, no application process, no opening the position up for potential Sergeants and/or Officers that may have been more qualified for the position or have more law enforcement certifications, or higher education as well as more management experience than Chief David Cerda.

What sparked Chief David Cerda to just be given his rank than earn it was a prior officer and prior sergeant sued the police department for hostile working conditions and unfair treatment with Chief David Cerda being one of the named in the complaint. Law suits of hostile work environment have been common within the Parlier Police Department over the last several years. The City of Parlier has had to pay out thousands of dollars to officers wrongfully treated and found to be true by investigations, not oversee by the Chief of Police. One of the main issues was the former Chief of Police I. Solis was married to the current records supervisor Rosalia Solis. After the law suit and the requirement to be in line with the City's policies that had been ignored for years (And known by all city officials) they created the lieutenants position and just handed it to Chief Cerda. This is so Chief David Cerda could buffer (On paper) between the former Chief Solis and his wife Rosalia Solis. After 6 months of Chief David Cerda being in the acting-lieutenants position he was just rolled into the full-time position confidentially. Again, no posting of the position, no testing just handed over to him. This is the same way Chief David Cerda bragged amongst the officers on how he got his sergeant stripes. That the prior leaders of the Parlier Police Department came out of the office one day and asked a group of officers who wanted to be the next sergeant. Chief David Cerda acknowledges he did and they threw his stripes at him and he was sergeant.

The old school days of giving away rank to the most favorite or most popular has since gone away, I have been told. Until Chief David Cerda came into power. He now just hands rank and special positions to his favorite group of officers, even allowed an officer to test for a sergeant position a week after returning for an administration leave for committing criminal threats against his ex-wife. That officer was promoted and his alleged misconduct was once again just recently shared with the City Council in open forum. This information was shared with the council by a former Parlier Police Officer who alleged he was terminated by Chief David Cerda for speaking out about misconduct with a group of other Parlier Officers with the City Manager. Informing the chain of command of known misconduct is a part of an officer’s oath as well as policy to bring forward. When Chief David Cerda has failed to address the misconduct of his favorite officers and sergeant the group of officers did what policy dictates follow the chain of command. You have the City Manager telling media that he did listen to the officers concerns however did not tell them he would look into the allegations, which he needed to respect the chain of command. But if the Chief of Police is failing to act and\or a part of the misconduct the City Manager is in the chain of command being over the Chief of Police. So now where do the officers turn?

Chief David Cerda says he is and has taken the proper steps and the officers are cleared in an investigation of any misconduct. But that is easy to do when you hire an outside investigator that will give the outcome of the investigation you want. I believe the investigator that was hire was a Mr. TJ Law. I've been in law enforcement for many years and familiar with TJ Law. His career in law enforcement prior to going private was full of misconduct and termination from many agencies he worked for. His life was sullied with personal and work related misconduct, some even criminal. One of the main lines in the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is, “I shall keep private life unsullied as an example to all.” So why would you hire an ex-officer whose career was full of misconduct to investigate police officer misconduct? It’s called hire someone who you can guide the investigation to the outcome as Chief you want.

I feel for the officers of the Parlier Police Department. They are crying for help to the City’s leaders and it appears to be on deaf ears.

Mr. Waterhouse, I can agree that contracting happens when Cities are strapped. However, when a small department goes under and county takes over. Fresno County doesn't even come close to providing the services to the community that the local department did. Fresno County would most likely add one deputy to the area to cover the city. When on a weekend night shift it takes at minimum 4-5 officer to hold the lid on the city's gang population to keep the citizens safe. When county had taken over many years ago it was a 45 min or long for a deputy to show up on a call. The town went to hell in a hand basket. The city since then has grown, along with its gang population. The Parlier beat officers have done their best to contain these issues and for the short staffing they have done a good job. If county takes over again the citizens of this community will suffer greatly as well as the gang related violent crimes with skyrocket. I am sure Fresno County Sheriffs would do their best but they are not set up to patrol municipalities and tend to the day to day community needs. So the city will suffer.

As well in your prior article comment you referred to Parlier as a 3rd world country and I agreed with you some what. But within that '3rd world country' there are good hard working people that deserve better, and although it may get referred to as a '3rd world country,' it not. It is a city within the United States of America that is governed by rule and law of the nation, not a group of people who think they can do what every they want. Soon or later the rule and law violations catches up to them. As well, the city 'Bosses' may violate the Brown Act but I don't see Sheriff Mims violating the law and lowering herself and her standards for a simple city bid. She honest and upright and follows the laws of this country.

Your hilarious.......you think you can hide behind the internet and we won't see you. Your writing style gives you away everytime. Your not smart enough to hide behind the internet. You give away all kinds of details only LE officers from that department would know. Only a lurch like you would cry so much because now you want to be chief. You want someone to just hand you over the reins and let you run things. Every word out of your mouth is a lie. Deceipt lives under your finger nails. Your delusional, and hideouos. Just put down your badge and walk away. You disgrace the profession, your scum, and nothing good will ever come to you. You have never built anything, your just a destructive, lying, cheating, stealing cry baby. All this hate you display makes you a target. Christopher Dorner went on rants like this. Really all this ranting is just your manifesto in a really shitty disguise. The powers that be pay attention to those things nowadays. That's why your being watched you clown. Start taking care of your body, you look like your on drugs and you might drop dead at any moment. Your also mad because nobody respects you, your funny lookin, ugly, and afraid of your own shadow. Maybe your mother dropped you on your face at birth.

First, Mims sure didn't worry about the law when she had every locker at the Selma substation searched. She got a severe spanking over that situation. Something about the 4th Amendment and the Peace Officers Bill of Rights. She's no paragon of legal rectitude.

Secondly, I don't think the County worries a whole lot about Brown Act violations by the small town councils. It's not the county that's in difficulty if they get caught at it.

Thirdly, I see a disgruntled current or former employee behind these posts criticizing the current chief. Sounds like the council told you to bug off with your complaints. I do suggest that you send a complaint to the county civil grand jury. The paperwork can be found on the Superior Court website under the Jury tab.

Parlier city government has always had a problems wanting to control and make recessions for thier officials. It's small town politics that hinder thier own problems. However hiring a Chief of Police should be more of a deliberate action and vetting the most experienced and educated people. Thesechiefs should bequalified as law enforcement officers, executive managers in administration and personnel. You just don't pick someone because he lives in the community. Really?