MY EVERETT NEWS

You can click here to read the arbitrator’s 56 page decision…Everett-EPOA (Meade Decision)-6-9-10
On May 31st, My Everett News obtained the transcripts of the arbitration hearings in the Troy Meade appeal. Officer Meade was fired by Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf for shooting Niles Meservey. Meade filed a response to the firing but the Mayor and new police chief Kathy Atwood upheld Scharf’s decision. The Everett Police Officer’s Association voted to appeal the firing and take it to binding arbitration. The hearings were held back in March of this year. On June 1st arbitrator Janet Gaunt advised My Everett News that she would have no comment about the issuing of her decision as a result of those hearings and other evidence provided to her by the Everett Police Officer’s Association and the City of Everett. On Monday Gaunt’s decision was released to the media by the City of Everett. She upheld Jim Scharf’s decision to fire Troy Meade for his actions on June 10th, 2009 when he shot Niles Meservey behind the Chuckwagon restaurant in Everett. The decision is binding and brings and end to the ordeal that happened almost exactly three years ago. You can also click here to read the entire contents of the arbitrator’s decision.

Everett Police officer Troy Meade loses appeal and his job

Saying the arbitrator’s decision would stand on its own, the City of Everett today released the decision of the arbitrator in the firing of Everett Police Officer Troy Meade. My Everett News has received the entire testimony of the hearing and will be going thru it. For now, here is the conclusion reached by the arbitrator…

Conclusion: Officer Meade shot at a vehicle he believed was reversing in
his direction. Department policy prohibits shooting into a moving vehicle unless
there is no other reasonable means of protecting an officer or third party in
imminent threat of serious injury or death. Officer Meade did have a reasonable
alternative, i.e., protective cover readily available behind an adjacent SUV. By
failing to use that alternative, Meade violated applicable provisions of the EPD’s
Use of Deadly Force Policy and caused a civilian death that could have been
avoided.
I reach this conclusion with regret, because I respect the prior years of good
service that Officer Meade provided to the Department. The citizens of Everett
should as well. For some types of misconduct, Officer Meade’s long record of good
service would make termination too severe. However, there is insufficient reason
to believe that further training or experience would preclude Officer Meade from
using deadly force too precipitously in the future. Termination may seem overly
severe to the Grievant and his supporters, but Mr. Meservey suffered an even
more extreme sanction. The City had just cause to conclude that the Grievant
should no longer have the legal authority to use deadly force as one of its
commissioned officers. The grievance is therefore denied.
Everett Police Officers Association / City of Everett (Troy Meade Grievance)
Arbitrator’s Opinion and Award, p. 53
AWARD
After careful consideration of all oral and written arguments and evidence,
and for the reasons set forth in the foregoing Opinion, it is awarded that:
1. The City did have just cause to terminate Troy Meade. The
grievance is therefore denied.
Dated this 9th day of June, 2012 by
____________________________
Janet L. Gaunt

A date has finally been set for the arbitration hearing for Troy Meade, the Everett Police officer fired for violating Everett Police Department policy in the shooting of Niles Meservey on June 10th, 2009 behind the Chuckwagon restaurant.

On July 1st, 2011 Meade was fired by Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf. That action was upheld by the Mayor of Everett as well as new police chief Kathy Atwood.

On September 8th, 2011 The Everett Police Officer’s Association voted to appeal the firing to binding arbitration.

So why did it take so long to finally agree on date?

First the City of Everett’s attorney and the Everett Police Officer’s Association attorney had to agree on an arbitrator. Then the arbitrator and the attorneys have to compare available dates. After a fair amount of back and forth, a decision is made.

So, from March 14th – 16th, the city and the EPOA will each present their side to the arbitrator. A binding decision will be made. When will that decision be announced? That we don’t know, but when it comes, we’ll bring it to you.

A majority of EPOA's Grievance Committee believes Troy Meade was terminated without just cause

Click here to see the EPOA Meade arbitration letter delivered to City of Everett.

In a letter to Everett mayor Ray Stephanson, the Everett Police Officer’s Association today is asking for an arbitrator to review the firing of Troy Meade. A committee of several members of the Everett Police Officer’s Association has been reviewing the internal investigation and dismissal of Meade. Officer Meade was officially fired by former Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf back on June 22nd. That firing was upheld by new police Chief Kathy Atwood and also the city’s administration. Now an arbitrator will make a binding decision. No word yet on how long that may take.

It looks like Troy Meade and the Everett Police Officer’s Association will be fighting his firing from the Everett Police Department. I don’t have a lot of details but did receive this from the EPOA after asking for comment on his dismissal…
Sir,

A grievance was filed today with the Everett Police Department reference Troy Meade. Once that process runs its course and the “grievance committee” reaches a decision we will be able to make a comment at that time.

The initial grievance goes to the Chief for consideration (15 Days to consider, not including holidays and weekends), if denied it comes back to us. The next step requires the EPOA to submit it to the Mayor for consideration (15 days again), if denied it comes back to us. The grievance committee then reviews all the information (15 days again). If they accept the grievance it goes to the EPOA board and we either accept or deny the decision. If accepted it goes to binding arbitration for a decision.

Thanks

James Collier

EPOA President 2011

I am checking with the City of Everett for their response and the next steps in the process. When I find out, I’ll pass it along.

Will the Everett Police Officer's Association appeal Meade's firing?

The firing of Troy Meade this week by Everett Police Chief Jim Scharf will most likely not be the last we hear of this case. Today the city hand delivered a letter officially firing officer Troy Meade effective tomorrow, July 1st, for unacceptable misconduct. The letter, signed by Jim Scharf and Sharon DeHaan, (the city’s Director of Labor Relations-Human Resources) outlined the basics of the case and gave a multitude of reasons for the firing. (the Herald newspaper has the entire letter in a link on their website, I’ve published the introduction earlier today here). On June 10th, 2009, Meade shot Niles Meservey in the parking lot of the Chuckwagon Restaurant. The Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team conducted an investigation. The Snohomish County Prosecutor charged Meade with second degree murder and first degree manslaughter. In April 2010 Meade was found not guilty by a jury of the criminal charges but the jury did say that Meade failed to prove he acted in self-defense. Earlier this year, the city of Everett paid not only Meade’s court costs but also a civil settlement of $500,000.00 to the family of Niles Meservey as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney fees. Now the City of Everett has fired Meade with Jim Scharf writing, “Nothing in Section 15.4, or within the standards for responsible policing, can justify your fatal shooting of Mr. Meservey on June 10. I so state based on undisputed facts and despite your efforts to rationalize your actions that night.”

It appears the next move in the case is for Meade to do one of three things…(1) accept his firing (2) contest his termination through a grievance or notice of appeal (3) resign before his termination becomes effective tomorrow. It will be interesting to see where this case goes from here. We’ll let you know.