Atwater police release PAL van investigation

Atwater police officials on Monday released details of an investigation into the dismissal of a 14-year Police Department volunteer, who was let go after driving a Police Activities League van that was used to help cadets distribute campaign fliers supporting three candidates.

Jeff Connell was released after the Oct. 4 incident, when a group of eight police cadets spent four hours distributing fliers promoting City Council candidates James Vineyard, Bill Barkman and Mayor Joan Faul. The Police Activities League is a nonprofit managed by Atwater Police Department officials, both of which must remain neutral in political campaigns, according to city officials.

Police cadets are 13- to 17-year-old volunteers who want to learn “what it takes to be a police officer and how to serve the community,” according to Atwater’s website.

The completed investigation is an inconclusive roundup of “he said-she said,” never drawing conclusions about what really happened, but shedding light on a few details. In the report, Atwater police Cpl. William Novetzke interviewed a handful of police officials and volunteers, some of whom shared conflicting stories.

According to the report, the political fliers supporting Vineyard, Barkman and Faul were kept inside the home of police dispatcher Patricia Isham, who’s also the lead adviser of the cadet program. Isham lives with Atwater police Officer Robert Vargas, the executive director of the program.

Isham claims she gave Connell the keys to the PAL van on Saturday, but didn’t give permission to use the vehicle in conjunction with handing out political fliers. However, according to her testimony, Isham was well aware Connell would be picking up the political fliers from her personal residence, even giving her personal keys to Connell.

“Isham told Jeff (Connell) if they (the fliers) weren’t in her car, they would be at her house,” the report stated, adding that witnesses said Connell looked nervous about going into her home and waking up Vargas, who was asleep. Witnesses said Connell said taking the van was “really hush-hush” and he looked “so scared.”

The report said the box of fliers was dropped off at the Police Department by Bob Calaway, former Atwater police chief and treasurer of a political committee that paid for the pamphlets.

Connell said using the PAL van was an idea he and Isham came up with together because their personal vehicles wouldn’t hold all the volunteers; Isham claims it was Connell’s idea and she had no clue the van would be used for this purpose.

When Isham handed Connell the keys Saturday morning, she said she believed he was retrieving something from the van, but didn’t question why he didn’t return for hours.

The incident was broken up four hours later by police Chief Frank Pietro, who told the Merced Sun-Star he was “livid” the program’s van was used for political purposes. All witnesses agreed the cadets and adult volunteers did not wear PAL uniforms or badges.

As a result of the investigation, Pietro told the Sun-Star on Monday that he called Connell to offer him his job back as a PAL volunteer. He said Connell declined, saying “not right now.”

Pietro said the incident also led to a series of changes to the PAL program’s policies and procedures, especially regarding the use of its van. A new sign-in sheet will be introduced requiring drivers to document when they take the vehicle and for how long.

“There really wasn’t any policies for the use of the van and now we’re tightening that up,” Pietro said. “We want to know the reason the van’s being taken out and for how long.”

“The executive director (Vargas) will be notified prior to the use of the van to find out why they are using it and to make sure they are on the insurance,” Pietro said.

Vargas and Isham could not be reached for comment Monday.

This story was originally published November 10, 2014 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Atwater police release PAL van investigation."