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Troopers with fake diplomas keep their jobs (WA) http://www.komonews.com/news/67737007.html

Troopers with fake diplomas keep their jobs

Story Published: Oct 30, 2009 at 1:11 PM PDT
Story Updated: Oct 30, 2009 at 2:57 PM PDT
By KOMO Staff

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Eight State Patrol troopers who used fake diplomas to earn pay raises are being allowed to return to their jobs despite an earlier recommendation that they be kicked off the force.

The State Patrol reversed itself Friday and decided to modify a recommendation from August that the troopers be fired.

Washington State Patrol Capt. Jeff DeVere said the eight troopers instead were each given a short suspension of three to 10 days, and that all will be returning to work.

The accused men are Sgt. Robert Brusseau, Sgt. Jason Linn, Trooper Gabriel Olson and Trooper Brian Ensley - all of Vancouver - along with Trooper Dennis Tardiff of Seattle, Sgt. Chris Sweet of Kelso, Trooper Spike Unruh and Trooper Dan Mann of Spokane.

An investigation supported allegations that they had used the bogus diplomas to earn pay raises of up to 4 percent, and termination was recommended for all of them in August.

But in the weeks since then, the employees were interviewed and gave clear information to determine there was no intention from the employees except an error in judgment, DeVere said. As a result the terminations were converted to short suspensions, he said.

DeVere did not say exactly when the troopers will be returning to work, but it's believed that some could be back on the job by early next week.

The State Patrol began investigating after federal agents shut down a diploma mill in Spokane that had awarded thousands of fake diplomas. The agency later said that the troopers did not receive their bogus degrees from the Spokane operation.

Troopers can boost their pay significantly with college diplomas - a 2-percent increase for a two-year degree and a 4-percent hike for a four-year degree.

Earlier this year prosecutors reviewed the findings of a criminal investigation and decided not to file criminal charges against the troopers.

"What wasn't passed around is, 'Hey, this is a good way to defraud our employer.' What was passed around was, 'Hey, this is away that we could qualify, perhaps, for this incentive,'" said Thurston County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jon Tunheim.

Ten troopers and sergeants were originally accused in the case. Two - James Hotaling of Vancouver and John McMillan of Wenatchee - have resigned since.

One of the favored cop quotes seems to be, "In God we trust, all others go though NCIC". Must have went hand in hand with the motto of "Protect and Serve" in this case. Cute thing to say but they have no clue what it means!

PYO, as an educator, you cannot believe the plethora of legitimate-sounding but completely bogus colleges out there, so much so that even guidance counselors at prestigious universities are fooled. I wouldn't fault the cops in this case. I have seen students pay out the nose for what later turned out to be a degree that was completely worthless. They did the assigned course work and then came to our college, only to find out too late that their "college" and course work was neither accredited or accepted by any legitimately accredited college or university. This kind of fraud doesn't even raise to the level of the FBI, even though they said they would hammer these diploma mills and such, it's too much like trying to nail jello to a wall. It always slips away, only to reconstitute somewhere else with a new name and the same scam.

I would recommend Dr. John Bear's Guide to Non-Traditional Degrees as a start for anyone looking for a legitimate and completely accredited program.

With the popularity of the net, it seemse there are many different scams on this line. I've gotten quite a few calls, emails and such from these trying to get their hands on my vet bennies!

IDK how these various PDs work these things, but I'd think there would be a list of acceptable institutes somewhere and even a list of unacceptables!

Cities, counties, Fire and Police departments, banks, construction companies, etc, are at a distinct disadvantage in that most HR people do not know the differences between a legitimate school and a bogus one. Hell, when guidance counselors at REAL colleges can't tell the differences, how can we expect HR personnel to know the difference, without doing what I do in my off time at school and research these individually so I can warn my students? I devote about 5-10 hours a week to this at times and even then, I have not even scratched the surface so an HR director, a chief of police, a factory owner is hardly in a position to be able to tell the phony from the real so how could the cop on the beat, the foreman in the factory or a ditch digger be expected to know the difference without doing what I and others do to ferret these bastards out?

Since the OP is about 2-4 year degrees, I would think a bit of ferreting would not only be in order, but would be the norm! NCIC won't have that info. more than likely, but checking this out could happen! You spend 5-10 per week checking on a boatload of them, they have years to check on one!

Sometimes it's hard to tell which school's are legit and which one's aren't. Several years back one institution advertised in a law enforcement publication stating they had graduates from my own agency and that they were accredited by the State of California. I later found out that anyone who registers with the California Department of Education can legally claim that they are accredited, but that doesn't mean anyone will recognize the degrees they issue. I can go to the State Capitol right now and register 415WMA's College of Reckless Eyeballing and legitimately claim it is accredited by the State of California.

For the degree to be recognized by California law enforcement, every unit eared must have come from an institute that is accredited by a national or regional accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the United States Department of Education. Figuring out which one that agency recognizes can be like going on a scavenger hunt for the average person.

Excellent info. there WMA!

415WMA wrote:

QUOTE:
I can go to the State Capitol right now and register 415WMA's College of Reckless Eyeballing and legitimately claim it is accredited by the State of California.

What courses do you teach there? Advanced Mean-mugging and stink-eye 101?

policeyourown1st wrote:

QUOTE:
415WMA wrote:

QUOTE:
I can go to the State Capitol right now and register 415WMA's College of Reckless Eyeballing and legitimately claim it is accredited by the State of California.

What courses do you teach there? Advanced Mean-mugging and stink-eye 101? :unsure:

As a gesture of kindness, I will turn the school over to you. You may rename it the Policeyourown1st Institute of Reckless Eyeballing, create your own curriculum and award your own non-recognized degrees.

Enjoy!

You can keep it! I don't waste my time with single digit IQs!