Reports coming out of the Burbank police station today are that a 60-year-old domestic violence suspect hung himself over the weekend while in the holding pen of the Burbank jail.
Witnesses say that he apparently used the cord from a telephone in order to commit the deed.
Question: aren’t these guys being monitored all the time? It would take some minutes to get rid of yourself in this ugly and awkward a fashion.
Reports are also that Eric Rosoff was on duty and in charge of the area when this occurred. No one’s pointing the finger at him as to blame, but who was watching the store?
Aren’t all domestic violence suspects placed on 48-hour suicide watch? This has been a bad last week for BPD f’ups.
The city also has not released this info to the news media as yet. Probably trying to figure out how to spin it…
48 hour suicide watch?
Okay, make it 72. I’m trying to save Rosoff some effort.
“Aren’t all domestic violence suspects placed on 48-hour suicide watch? This has been a bad last week for BPD f’ups.”
“Okay, make it 72. I’m trying to save Rosoff some effort.”
Why? Are DV suspects more prone to suicide over say..a 15 yr old that has just been arrested in Mom and Dads car for his / her first time ever?
I STILL want to know where you get the expertise to make snap judgments on policy you have probably never seen in writing.
IF the possibility of suicide existed then a 5150 hold would have been placed. Perhaps this person never expressed a thing and just did it? Blind side to all involved and they will have to deal with the surviving family that will no doubt sue
The man came in with slit wrists
Where do you get your screwed up information? Last week it was “innocent guy minding his own business while driving safely, shot in the back by BPD.” This week it’s “aren’t all domestic violence suspects placed on 48 hour suicide watch?”
Do you do any fact-checking Semichorus? What moron are you sleeping with that feeds you this bogus stuff? I forgot…you don’t have any journalism standards…You are a comedian or a blogger or something….
Maybe they should start a suicide watch routine now, don’t you think? Silly me to think so.
Or at least check in every once in a while– instead of letting the other SUSPECTS discover the bad news in the holding cells?
And the guy up on Barham wasn’t innocent, he just didn’t deserve to be shot and killed by Burbank police instead of getting a trial.
I will ask again…who KILLED?
Who was shot IN THE BACK?
I don’t recall anyone killed or shot in the back. Did I miss something that was reported? Please clarify.
They tried to shoot and kill him– that’s the point, and that’s why they fired.
So now you know someone else’s intention Semi? WOW! You’re pretty good. I beg to differ. Seems like they shot to stop him. Had they shot to kill they would have shot many more rounds. Like 46 times like the Sheriff’s do.
I log in to see the blast of shit you constantly provide even to those you seem to support.
If I did not have a life I too could sit around and blog all day! I could accuse (without evidence or proof)
The shot(s) fired were to stop the threat, not kill.
Get a life
Uh, I think the paper has picked up on this. Wrong again, Semi.
Uh, yeah, about an hour after I beat them to it, and about 8 hours after I first heard the story and checked it out.
They didn’t post their article until after I did…. there was an embargo on it most the day.
Help me help you semi…
You had 8 hours to “check it out” before posting and still had the wrong guy as the watch commander on duty?
I’ve addressed it before semi, you can be so much better than this. I refuse to give in to the widely held premise that you are to Rodriguez what Goebbels was to Hitler.
But you have to make it easier for me to hold on.
If you are saying you took 8 hours to check something out and still got the headline wrong, the reader has no option but to think the error was intentional, your sources are bad, or at the very least your “checking out” abilities can use some work.
Whatever the case, if they can’t trust the headline, how can they trust anything that follows?
Unfortunately the mistake also serves to detract from the much more important issues surrounding a tragic event, make your source(s) unreliable, and play right into the desire of some to label you the “propaganda minister.”
Believe me or don’t, I’m on your side. I think you’re wrong most of the time, but you do stimulate converstation on important issues and I like discussions on important issues.
The rest of the name calling and such is just a dog and pony show. Such is the path of a blog.
All I’m asking is that you be a touch more responsible and try to maintain the voice of a concerned commentator. Make the path of this blog a forum for important commentary
Otherwise you come off like sounding like the ring master and the site is nothing more than a circus.
Thanks for not blocking me
Never said Rosoff was the watch commander.
And BTW, can you please provide the specific BMC provision that allows the city council to use an MOU to modify the Civil Service protections for employees?
Oh, and also Gannon– you seem to be knowledgeable about the legalities– do you have a reference for when the city council severed all of the police officers from the Civil Service, with an MOU or whatever? Because they did not do it in February of 2009.
Apparently, some Burbank cops are going around thinking that they’re not Civil Service anymore. When did this happen?
Thanks for asking
By mou officers only lost their opportunity to appeal discipline, they were not severed from the csb system
I could be wrong and I’m not a lawyer, but it looks like the authority to do this is in BMC 2-1-521
You might (probably) will have a different interpretation, but it says an mou ratified by council reso can establish different employment terms, conditions, positions, benefits, or
procedures than those provided in the BMC article dealing with the csb.
The questions are why did they do that? and why did it take two years to sign the contract? The rest of the fluff got in the way of the real question.
The silver lining is that if there really are any officers worried about it, they can rest assured they are still civil service employees, they just can’t appeal discipline to the csb any longer.
As always, I’ll be interested in reading about how wrong I am..
Thanks for not blocking me
Yeah, 2-1-521 says they can change the rules, but the problem is, they didn’t change them. All they did was just agree to the original BPOA MOU from the year before.
What they should have done is re-write the specific code– I think it was 2-1-516. Just amend it so that the MOU didn’t conflict with express city law any more. They have that right under 2-1-521– that’s what it gives them, and they always had it anyway even if that BMC didn’t exist. Instead, they made the changeover in a really sloppy way.
You’re right that the main point is, why did they change the disciplinary appeals process in the first place? I don’t think it was wise.
I understand the feeling that the old CSB just rubber stamped decisions, but the city wanted the change badly and that should have raised warning flags in the BPOA. They weren’t looking out for their people, and then– reportedly– they told employees that the changeover had already kicked in when it hadn’t yet.
Bill Gannon knows what he is talking about
Trying not to sound “silly”, the LEADER post appeared after 8pm.
Semi’s appeared about 6pm.
The LEADER quotes Sgt Q. not a Watch Commander.
Could it be that there is a communication problem when certain folks have the duty, but not when others are on watch?
Semi wasn’t wrong, but rather something is.
I sat on the story for awhile. I wanted to make sure there was some reason why the city wasn’t releasing it– relatives, that kind of thing. The guy could have been easily identified.
Quesada is the PR guy these days. Reports what he is diven
Semi, you really do provide entertainment for a lot of us and that’s about the only reason I read your blog anymore. Do you have any idea what’s involved in putting someone on formal suicide watch?
First, you need a valid reason (i.e. Statements or actions made by the individual or a witness that heard him make threats to harm himself.) Simply being arrested for domestic violence doesn’t cut it. It’s never been a standard as to putting someone on suicide watch and I doubt it ever will. I would think a drunk driver who just killed someone would be more apt to commit suicide than a D.V. suspect but we never used to put them on suicide watch either barring additional reasons to.
Second, you need watch commander approval from L.A. County Jail in order to transport them to the psych ward. Telling the W.C. down there that you arrested a guy for D.V. isn’t a valid reason and it would likely be denied.
Three, the Burbank jail doesn’t have “suicide watch” despite what you might think. We follow the same state guidelines in Title 15 (I think that’s the correct title number) that every other municipal jail in the state of California must follow.
And lastly, these suicides have occured in Burbank, LA County jail, LAPD’s jail and many others in the past and they will continue to happen in the future. Short of hiring one jailer to each inmate, it’s going to happen. When you have a jail that can accomodate over 70 prisoners (Burbank’s capacity) and 2, maybe 3, jailers working on any given shift there is no possible way to keep any eye on every inmate every minute of the day. Not with officers or detectives bring in multiple custodies at a time and the jailers trying to process them all.
Why don’t you ask to take a jail tour on a busy Friday or Saturday night, ask questions and see how busy those people get when you’ve got prisoners constantly coming in throughout the night. That way, at least you’ll be somewhat informed as to what the jail environment is like before you go off typing your misinformed non-sense.
Remember Semi, it’s better to have people think you’re an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
How long had the guy been dead? It takes a while to kill yourself with a telephone cord.
I don’t buy this explanation that it’s impossible to monitor prisoners. In fact, I’ll bet that cell area has TV cameras, right?
If so, then what happened– somebody disable them again?
Operating or not, there are no cameras that look directly into the jail cells or holding cells unless they’ve installed them since I left the department. The CCTV in the jail only covers the common areas. I imagine they didn’t put cameras in the cells when they built the building due to privacy issue for the male and female prisoners. Again Semi, your credibility goes down. Where do you get your information anyways? Seriously, take a tour of the jail. Get informed.
“It takes a while to kill yourself with a telephone cord.”
No, seconds if done the right way by design or mistake.
Every Cop current or past has seen someone that wanted to do nothing more than call out for help but “got it right on the first try”
I personally cried right then and there only to continue later.
The Burbank Police Building:
Surveliance cameras disabled inside the building.
Offices broken into inside the Police Building.
File cabinets broken into within the building.
Walls and pictures vandalized within the building.
A man commits suicide within the building.
Whats wrong when people and things are not even safe inside the Police Building ?
How could any of this happen in a Police Station ?
Evidence or proof of this statement?
Roger Rocket has pink panties on.
I have no evidence or proof of that but it could be true.
Prove YOUR statement first, then prove me wrong.
And BTW Roger…
The Feds came in with subpoenas and warrants,
cease orders. This is all “dog bites man” news
Semi,
When are you going to get your facts straight? You and your loyal following (Roger Rocket, Dumb Nuts, Dixie Flyer, Outflank, etc…) are really losing your credibility. I will point out exactly what I am talking about.
You are blaming Rosoff for this suicide. Well, let the facts be known: The suicide was reported around 5 pm. Rosoff’s watch did not start until 5:40 pm. So what is your explanation now? Did Rosoff’s magical powers cause this man to kill himself.
The ironic thing is that your buddy Rodriguez, had he been a good police officer would have been that supervisor working that watch. We all know what happened to Rodriguez didn’t we?
Just another one of your lies that is struck down. I am sure you won’t retract anything because you don’t play that game. So continue that imfamous circle jerk with you and your buddies. Continue with your misleading and false reporting. You and your friends do a great job it.
While many of the officers are “Top Shelf” this guy Leonidas proves that there is a major problem with some in the PD.
Would you be confident in your right to a fair trial if this guy worte your arrest report?
I feel sad for all the people Leo arrested. To bad they don’t have Brady Letters for cops who blog.
Which brings up a good question. If Detective Dyrness is the “Intel Detective” in charge of monitoring the blogs for patterns of subversive behavior, then who is monitoring him and his friends posting on this blog?
I never blamed Rosoff for the suicide. Several people said that he was around when it happened. And I mentioned him specifically because of past problems in that jail with him being around.
No one’s accusing him of being responsible. But what kind of operation is going on down there? How long had the guy been dead at 5 in the morning, without anyone checking?
Does it realy matter who was on or off duty ? What kind of security do they have in the Burbank jail if people can end their life there and what else goes on there that we don’t hear about. Sounds like a don’t ask don’t tell policy there.
People are always killing themselves in jails. When the cops know a person is suicidal, they put him on a suicide watch. If a person wants to kill themselves, they are going to do it. If this guy was on suicide watch and he killed himself at BPD, then there is an issue.
Do any of you know if the BPD keeps suicidal people in the jail? If BPD does not keep them, where do they go?
I think Semi placing blame on Rosoff is wrong.
Don’t forget a person is not free to do what they want in a jail, if they are then the cops guarding the jail are not doing their job.
It’s a cop out to say people are always doing suicide or anything else in jail. The fact of the matter is you are contained and watched and restricted if the jail is run correctly.
So what else do prisoners do in the Burbank jail that they should not be able to do ? Any tunnels being built ?
I agree– the city has a potential liability here. Hope the guy’s family has a good lawyer.
Of course, the city apologists will just blame everyone else, and then act like this was a normal event, and that we’re all idiots to even mention the act.
BTW, I get an odd kick out of the fact that it was another INMATE who made the discovery, when he tried to use the phone! Jeeesh….
Yes, let’s hope the family has an excellent lawyer so they can take more of your tax dollars that you contribute to the city. Great idea!
Whose fault is that?
Semi,
Did you know people pay to be in jails like BPD rather than county? It’s full time with no early out. Get 90, do 90. Look it up
Why would criminals in jail have their own telephone in their cell ?
What else do they have in their cells ? A personal big screen and a toaster over along with a fully stocked refrigerator ?
JANE: There are phone in the cells because the ACLU requires there to be. The prisoner has to call people collect, but they have to have a right to call an attorney if need be. Remember, the ACLU dictates a lot of the rules that police departments and prisons have to abide by.
Seems after tonight’s Council meeting the ONLY place there are pay phones that work are inside the BPD. Must be the profit motive fr0m a prisoners right to one phone call, as long as it’s collect.
So Masked, are you saying the BPD is collecting profit from the pay phones in the jail? Do you have proof to back this up or are you just talking out of your ass?
Isn’t that a given? This has been the case in many cities. It’s quite controversial.
The city makes a hefty profit off the pay phones in the cell. Those phones can only be used for collect phone calls and the city gets a check off each and every phone.
The money is suppose to be used for inmate benifits lol but follow the money and find out what they spend it on and claim it’s inmate benifits.
Rodney, how do you define a “hefty” profit? Can you tell me exactly how much the city makes off these pay phones in the jail?
Yes– but all police departments do this nowadays, not just Burbank. It’s quite a controversial practice.
The bigger problem is– when do they ever check the cells?
And I simply do not believe that the “ACLU” prevents security CCTV monitoring. That’s bogus– jailers are allowed to monitor inmates whenever they want to– that’s their friggin’ job–but in Burbank, apparently they don’t.
Doesn’t the receiving party pay the cost of a collect call?
Retired,
Of course they make money, if you listened to Gary last night he talked about the profit from his phone at the bar. But with more cellphones he removed it because it was easier to lend them his cell phone than to maintain the pay phone and the profit dried up. But in jail you pay big collect call fees the City does nothing for free.
Bric last night went way to far telling exactly why the city has removed the pay phones. It is all about profit and not about public safety and he let that out.
Think about it your kid is at a park and needs help. The city provides no phone because there is no profit in doing so. Your kid dies because he can not call for help.
This is the real Burbank mentality right here.
I’m not saying they do or do not make profit. I was simply asking for proof. Seems a lot of people on here spout off a bunch of stuff with no proof to back it up. And if they do make a profit off the phones, I’d like to know if that profit exceeds the cost of feeding, caring, and housing the inmates in the jail.
I don’t know about you but I prefer a jail pay for itself or subsidize itself rather than my tax dollars. As a taxpayer, I see nothing wrong with profits from the pay phones going towards off setting costs of maintaining the jail.
The Man came in with slit wrists and was picked up a couple weeks before and sent to the Mental Hospital for Eval.
Well, that’s even more reason for the Burbank jailers to leave him unattended and unchecked for so long.
Nevermind.
It was a good thing the cops arrested him. Maybe they prevented one of the murder suicide cases. Stop blaming the cops. If he wanted to kill himself, so be it. The guy sounds like a loser anyways. I am glad his family is safe.