LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Accountability was prime of thoughts for Mesquite residents following the firing of their metropolis supervisor. The previous police chief, who advocated for termination, was requested to be held to the identical commonplace of accountability.
A couple of minutes after the vote to fireside Mesquite Metropolis Supervisor Edward “Owen” Dickie, 8 Information Now requested former Mesquite Police Chief Maquade Chesley reply questions concerning his firing. Chesley requested particularly what he can be requested, and upon studying it must do with the town’s investigation into him, he declined to be interviewed.
8 Information Now requested Chesley be held to the identical commonplace Dickie was held to, particularly answering questions from the media—which Dickie beforehand agreed to following self-admitted, racially insensitive remarks.
In response, Chesley accepted the 8 Information Now request for an on-camera interview.
8NN: Particularly, what we’re thinking about is about final month, there was a gathering that the town council had the place they revealed 4 pages of an over 100-page investigation. It was an inner investigation report. We wish a few solutions to that, and out of your opinion. Once more, we’re asking in your opinion on this. There have been just a few accusations on there that had been surprising, one among which was that you simply had threatened to chop the throat of a police officer if he made feedback that led to your termination. Was that true?
Chesley: No.
8NN: Are you able to give any context to why that may have been within the investigation?
Chesley: -shrugs and shakes head-
8NN: There have been components in an investigation that put- that there have been issues like taking away officers’ keys, taking away bank cards, taking away sure skills for these law enforcement officials that had been members of the MPOA. Did you do something like that?
Chesley: No. So, what it was, was the 2 deputy chiefs had been demoted to lieutenant and that call was made by way of myself, the Metropolis Supervisor Edward “Owen” Dickie, and the town legal professional. These two deputy chiefs, after they had been demoted, the captains that had been promoted, they facilitated the motion of their places of work. From what I used to be advised, they needed to maneuver places of work as a part of their demotion.
8 Information Now requested that former Mesquite Police Chief Maquade Chesley reply questions concerning his firing. (KLAS)
8NN: Did you ever return again to the police division after you had been fired?
Chesley: No.
8MM: By no means returned to the property?
Chesley: No.
8NN: One other factor on the investigation was there have been issues in there having to do with scoring. There was testing for promotions that was in there as nicely. There was remarks about eraser marks on the testing scores for these officers, and accusations of officers being—primarily—maligned from being promoted, alleging in that doc that you simply had been part of tampering with these scores. Is there any fact to that?
Chesley: There’s completely no fact with that. Anybody that is ran a division is aware of the chief stays out of all these promotional testings. What occurs is that goes by way of HR. It goes by way of the [sic] promotional workers. I do not see the scores till the tip. I am not- I do not grade the scores. I do not contact the scores. My solely involvement in that’s, HR offers me a doc saying these are the folks that scored the best, and I’ve a possibility to decide on out of the highest three based on our Mesquite metropolis coverage or our police division coverage. So, the truth that any accusation saying that I’ve “altered scores,” I did not even have entry to these paperwork to change them, it is fully false, 100% inaccurate. The folks that examined landed the place they landed, pretty, so far as any info I’ve. And I promoted the highest individual each time.
8NN: There was one thing else in there having to do with- there was a number of displays. That is the place we’re getting this info from that investigation. One other one of many displays was there was an officer who mentioned that he had made a criticism or was going to make a criticism at that time, the investigation alleges that you simply needed to file felony prices to primarily make it possible for that criticism did not come to gentle. Is there any fact to that accusation?
Chesley: Completely false, and that is the issue is when somebody conducts an investigation that has no background in police work, they do not perceive the way it works. So anytime an officer is underneath misconduct or investigation, if that arises to a felony factor or, you understand, a criminal offense, it is our obligation as executives within the police division to inform or communicate with the district legal professional or individual that may prosecute that crime. It protects the town. It protects me as a police chief, in the truth that should you by no means need to be accused of sweeping one thing underneath the rug, so if an officer is accused of committing a felony act that should go to the district legal professional if it reaches that degree of felony, or it must go to the town prosecutor or one other metropolis to take a look at the allegations and choose if I used to be a felony act earlier than.
8NN: Yet another query concerning the investigation. I do not need to malign this level. There’s something in there that claims once more that you simply threatened to chop law enforcement officials’ throats-
Chesley: No.
8NN: So, I need to ensure I get a strong reply to this-
Chesley: Yeah.
8NN: Did you ever threaten any of your law enforcement officials?
Chesley: By no means, completely not.
8NN: Why is that within the investigation report?
Chesley: Effectively, I feel there was folks that needed me out as police chief, they usually had been throwing any accusations they might to attempt to get me out. And the one individual that ever threatened anybody or mentioned “I’ll cut your throat” is Edward Owen Dickie. He advised me in a gathering with the town supervisor with the town legal professional, and with the HR director, he advised me, “If you ever cut somebody’s throat. I’ll cut your throat.” And that is the one time that I heard that.
8NN: Onto the MPOA. There’s accusations about union busting, about hiring pals, not primarily based upon folks that got here by way of the academy, however who you had gone into the academy with. Is there any fact to these accusations?
Chesley: Hiring is not one thing the police chief simply steps in and does. I do not decide who we’ll rent or not going to rent. Folks apply. They undergo the method. In the event that they go the processes we’re hiring them. We have been quick on the Mesquite Police Division for years, and a part of my place is to if we’ve got a emptiness and if individuals wish to develop into a police officer in Mesquite, I speak to individuals and hope that good candidates will come and work for us.
8NN: That is actually the tip of our questions. The one factor I’ll ask left is, we’re right here moments after Owen Dickie has been fired, and what’s your response about that?
Chesley: You realize, I feel it is all about account of accountability. And quite a lot of occasions when somebody does one thing flawed, they attempt to put it on another person they usually that is what I feel occurred on this scenario, is he mentioned these issues that had been very offensive to anyone, and offensive to this neighborhood, and offensive to the cultures inside this neighborhood, and finally, he made these choices to say what he mentioned that is on no one else. Nobody pressured him to say these issues, and he mentioned it on a number of events.
8NN: Final query, holding you to the identical commonplace, have you ever ever used the “N” phrase?
Chesley: No.
8NN: I respect it, Thanks.
Chesley: Thanks.
After the on-camera interview, Chesley advised 8 Information Now he needed to maneuver on from the accusations for the sake of his household and their well-being, noting he was pursuing work elsewhere.
There’s not less than one lawsuit in opposition to the Metropolis of Mesquite ongoing, which was filed by Chesley.
