Border-crossing journalism from the Sacramento Valley
Scott Ruppel, a former police sergeant involved in two fatal shootings and facing an assault charge for an alleged on-duty choking incident, worked many thousands of hours of overtime during his nearly 20 years at Chico PD.
One year, Ruppel logged more than 700 overtime hours, becoming not only the highest-compensated employee in the city’s largest department but among the top five employees in total compensation in all of Chico municipal government.
Tyler Rushing
The parents of Tyler Rushing, who died after being shot by a private security guard and a Chico police sergeant last summer, have filed a claim against the city for damages in excess of $25,000.
The claim, received by the city Jan. 17, was obtained by ChicoSol through a state Public Records Act request. As of last week, the city had not responded to the claim, said Dani Rogers, deputy city clerk.
Six days after the Rushing filing, on Jan. 23, relatives of Desmond Phillips brought suit against the city in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento for unspecified damages. The lawsuit was filed by the office of prominent civil rights attorney John L. Burris of Oakland. Phillips, a 25-year-old black man in mental crisis, was shot 11 times by two officers on March 17, 2017, in his own living room after his father called for medical aid.
Sherri Quammen holds a protest sign calling for justice for three victims of shootings by Chico police officers.
Police Chief Mike O’Brien — lauding the use of body-worn cameras by his patrol officers — says cameras will also soon be attached to the blue uniforms of Chico PD’s 13 sergeants.
As first reported here by ChicoSol, Chico Police Department patrol officers began sporting the body cameras last April, a couple of weeks after two policemen shot and killed Desmond Phillips, a young black man in mental crisis.
O’Brien said that after 10½ months of use, he would give the camera experience a “very favorable” evaluation.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey announced today that he has filed a civil lawsuit against the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) over last year’s Oroville Dam calamity that forced the evacuation of 180,000 residents downstream.
Ramsey’s complaint against DWR was filed in Butte County Superior Court. It seeks damages of between $34 billion and $51 billion, or $10 for each of the between 3.4 billion and 5.1 billion pounds of material that the suit says were discharged into the Feather River during the crisis.
Several hundred people filled the Chico Women’s Club on Jan. 27 for The People’s Candidate Town Hall, where four candidates running for the seat of Rep. Doug LaMalfa participated in a forum. Ali Meders-Knight, a member of the Mechoopda tribe, opened the forum, calling for “ethical treatment of the environment” and reminding the audience that indigenous tribes maintained the region’s ecosystem successfully for thousands of years.
Lewis Elbinger, a Green Party candidate, said we should combine "indigenous wisdom" with the best modern technology. Protecting the Dreamers, he said, is a "no-brainer" and Trump supporters who feel threatened should be engaged in dialogue. Check out his Facebook page here.
Audrey Denney, a Democrat, said police violence is a “problem of impunity" and officers should be prosecuted in cases of fatal shootings. She also said she would eliminate federal crop subsidies and work for a “farm policy that makes sense for all farmers.” Check out her website here.
Marty Walters, a Democrat, responded to a question about police violence by noting that the federal government doesn’t regulate local law enforcement agencies. But she added that through training programs the “culture of policing can be changed.” Her website can be viewed here.
Jessica Holcombe, a Democrat, said she’s a “huge advocate of Medicare for all,” adding, “We’re the only developed nation that doesn’t provide some form of universal health care for its citizens.” Eliminating the role of private insurance companies could lead to substantial savings, she said. Her website is here. Slideshow photos by Karen Laslo, reporting by Leslie Layton.
