Open Letter to Tony Wilkins

I sent this email to Denise Turner and Tony Wilkins on 1/31/13 at 9;47am.  It is a public record.  Because I have not gotten any type of response, I am reaching out the old fashioned way.  I am going to write a local elected official.


I sent the following email to Denise and copied you last week.
 From ben holder benhwinstonsalem@aol.comhide
 To denise.turner denise.turner@greensboro-nc.gov, tony tony@tonywilkins.com

"In your official response to Charles Cherry's complaint regarding the Dwight Crotts YouTube audio, you claim that Crotts was speaking to members of professional standards.

I have learned that answer you gave in June 2012 in an IFYI is totally wrong. Will you correct yourself?"

Guess what? I got nothing. What I am asking her to do is defend HER statements made in an IFYI. However, I get nothing? Not one word. Why? Why can't a citizen receive a response from the $175,000 per year city manager?

 Here is the history of this issue. This history was built on public records request.   No law suits, no secrets, no bull.

 March 17, 2012: Charles Cherry files a complaint against the city for violating 160A-168 Personal Privacy. He mentions a recording on YouTube. This is not anything new, the city and the public have been aware of Cherry's claim.

 June 4, 2012:  City responds. "Regarding your complaint against Assistant Chief of Police Crotts for disclosing your personnel to another officer, no investigation has been conducted. Assistant Chief Crotts was authorized to discuss personnel information with members of the Professional Standards Division as part of a personnel investigation as a supervisory member of the Greensboro Police Department. Therefore, your complaint is without merit and needs no further action. The city will not respond any further to this action."

 After reading what the city said about this issue, I researched this as much as I could. I read his complaint and learned of a video on YouTube.  I watched the video.  I know the voice of DK Crotts and quickly learned of another. That voice was Charles Isom. He is the officer that is not too happy about having to write a report by the next day.  That's Charles Isom. I knew Charles Isom had never been a part of Professional Standards.

Once I figured this out, I emailed Denise and simply asked her the following question.

 Me: "Who was it that told you that Crotts was talking to  Professional Standards Personnel in the infamous youtube video?"

 Never heard from Denise. However, I continued to email Denise along with several other city leaders and finally got a response from Ken Miller.

 From: ben holder [mailto:benhwinstonsalem@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 8:35
 To: Turner Roth, Denise; Vaughan, Nancy; Perkins, Robbie (Mayor); Miller, Ken

 Me: Who was it that told you that Crotts was talking to  Professional Standards Personnel in the infamous youtube video?


 Miller: I am unsure if this question is directed at me, Ms. Turner-Roth, or someone else.  My understanding is that the conversation was inadvertently recorded in PSD subsequent to a recorded interview when the recorder was not turned off after that interview.  The information became part of the official internal investigation record as a result and was made public by one or more of the accused officers, who were given copies of the official investigation and materials to represent themselves at their respective hearings.

 All parties know what the infamous YouTube Video involving DK Crotts is.  However, nobody has ever answered my June 7, 2012 question. I asked the city manager a question regarding who told her that Crotts was speaking to members of professional standards? No answer.

The city refuses to further comment on their IFYI that was sent to global media.  It is also linked up weekly at Ed Cone's. I would say that makes it open for discussion.

There are several public records available that contradict the city's official response to the DK Crotts complaint.

 Public records show that on 8/5/2010 a recording involving DK Crotts, Charles Isom and Joe Smith was inadvertently recorded.

 Public records show Charles Cherry made an official complaint centered around this.

 Public records show the city referred to this inadvertent recording in a June 2012 IFYI.

The record clearly shows the city claimed Crotts was speaking to professional standards. Unfortunately, the record also shows that DK Crotts is not speaking to members of Professional Standards. That is why I asked Denise in June where she got her information from.

 This is really not that complex, law restricted or top secret. The city's public response to a complaint filed against them is inaccurate. It's false. It's not true. That bothers me because it's a symptom of a much bigger problem. As an elected official, you can either resolve it or become a part of it.