Sue Hubbard is a really good sport who has supported Chico Taxpayers and been a regular at our meetings. But, we don’t always agree on everything – that’s not a prerequisite for me, although, I’ve been feeling the cool back of the hand lately over my opinions.
So, I thought I should run Sue’s letter. I wish I had thought to run one Stephanie Taber had in the paper last week but now can’t find it. These gals have their right to their opinion, and they’ve been great supporters of the CTA, so I want to give them a chance to share. Thanks Sue!
Chico Enterprise-Record
I urge Police Chief Kirk Trostle and the Chico City Council to remove Council member Randall Stone from his position on the Police Advisory Board immediately. He clearly violated section 219.11 (a) (b) and (c) of the Chico Police Department Policy Manual regarding the Police Community Advisory Board. This section deals with confidentiality matters relating to personnel issues. According to this section, Stone has violated laws of the state of California and the city of Chico, as well as various labor contracts.
Also, by making his accusations public, Stone violated the due process right of a sworn police officer. This action has tainted the entire police department and put the officer and his family in danger. At the very least, Stone used poor judgment. At most, he may have committed defamation of character. His handling of this matter was unprofessional and unacceptable. Therefore, he must not be allowed to continue on an advisory board that seeks to improve relations between the community and law enforcement.
— Sue Hubbard, Chico
UPDATE:
Sue, I wish you had done some research before you wrote your letter. From expertlaw.com
What Are Defamation, Libel and Slander?
Generally speaking, defamation is the issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes that person to suffer harm. Slander involves the making of defamatory statements by a transitory (non-fixed) representation, usually an oral (spoken) representation. Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspaper.
Typically, the elements of a cause of action for defamation include:
- A false and defamatory statement concerning another;
- The unprivileged publication of the statement to a third party (that is, somebody other than the person defamed by the statement);
- If the defamatory matter is of public concern, fault amounting at least to negligence on the part of the publisher; and
- Damage to the plaintiff.
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