July 31, 2012 05:22 PM UTC

Milking The Clock With Jared Wright

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Grand Junction Sentinel’s Paul Shockley has the latest update on the trouble that’s sprung up around Jared Wright, recently ex-Fruita patrol officer and GOP candidate for outgoing Rep. Laura Bradford’s HD-54 seat. The full story of Wright’s recent departure from the ranks of the Fruita Police Department is starting to emerge, and it’s both good and bad for him:

In a four-page memo dated July 5, Angelo advised City Manager Clint Kinney that he was firing Wright.

Wright did not sign a memo from Angelo advising of the Brady issue. The memo included Angelo’s handwritten notes, “Chose to resign 7-13-12.”

“Based on my review of this investigation, I find Officer Wright was not truthful why he was not at work 7 a.m. on June 14th and gave more than one reason why he wasn’t and what he was doing prior to responding to court at 8:15 a.m.,” Angelo wrote in summary of the probe.

“A dishonest officer has no credibility with the public, his peers, or in court and therefore, cannot function as an officer,” a formal complaint against Wright reads, later adding, “Wright said he didn’t intend to be dishonest or to defraud the city.”

According to the records, the internal investigation started June 6 after a fellow Fruita police officer, whose name was redacted in records provided by the city, told a supervisor that Wright should be fired for “stealing,” claiming Wright radios “in service and sits at his home for up to an hour.” [Pols emphasis]

So first of all, let’s be realistic: this is a better story for Wright than something really bad like planting drugs or taking bribes, and until yesterday, it wasn’t precisely known what the allegations against him were. It’s perfectly fair to say this could have been much worse.

Based on everything stated in Shockley’s story today, including Wright’s own rather vague explanation, it looks to us like the original complaint pertained to Wright clocking in for work from home, then sitting around until having to appear somewhere–in this case a court appointment.

Modern technology does allow people to work from home, but only if your boss approves. If not, depending on the circumstances but generally speaking, you are a flake employee.

The bigger problem appears to be that Wright was not honest with his supervisor as to his couchly whereabouts on one or more of these occasions. Like Chief Mark Angelo said, “A dishonest officer has no credibility with the public, his peers, or in court.” Wright claims in response that the discrepancies were simply the result of his “not having a perfect photographic memory.” This is not a very good, maybe even a Clintonesque, response to a serious allegation as a law enforcement officer. We’ll be interested in seeing what effect it has on challenges filed against cases involving Wright. Whatever happens, it’s the age-old truth in law and politics.

The cover up is worse than the crime.

HD-54’s consolation prize: they don’t let legislators vote from home…