By Juan Montoya
The dust hasn't cleared on the San Benito Recordingsgate scandal.
Less than a week after the City Attorney Ricardo Morado said three "outside investigative agencies" cleared Police Chief Michael Galvan of any wrongdoing in connection with some 500 privately recorded conversations that were leaked to the public, a concerned citizens group has questioned the legitimacy of the probe,
"Concerned Citizens of San Benito disagree with outside agencies reviewing the recordings. When
recordings started to circulate among the public, Commissioner Rene Villafranco warned
Chief Galvan about the leak. Almost immediately Galvan started erasing the recordings
from computer.
"How can agencies review recordings when they were erased? In addition we have reviewed almost 100 recordings in a longer time. Someone is lying," said Concerned Citizens of San Benito Ben Cortez in response to the city's press statement that the matter was over.
The group's statement also raises other allegations:
"From Chief Galvan’s own words come various violations that include abuse of office,
official oppression, obstruction, evidence tampering, retaliation, sexual harassment and
other departmental and city policies including ethics. In addition, he ridicules the Mayor,
a Justice of the Peace, the District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney with no
supporting documentation."
"I am sure there is more to come out when all recordings are reviewed. In closing, I would like to ask you “who records himself and other officers urinating”? This individual has no business wearing a badge, let alone carry a gun. Terminate Galvan. The recordings need to made public so San Benito Citizens know who Galvan really is."
Gomez declined to disclose the name of the outside law enforcement agencies which investigated the matter and issued only the press release regarding the investigation’s findings. The commissioners commissioners launched the investigation after Galvan’s recordings were downloaded from the police department’s computer system. Nearly 500 of those recordings were apparently downloaded from a public server at the San Benito Public Library and distributed to individuals.
The Valley Morning Star reported that Officer Guadalupe Andrade said her attorney will determine if she will continue to pursue a sexual harassment case based on a conversation between Galvan and former Police Chief Martin Morales.
In a May 31 letter to commissioners, Andrade wrote the recent disclosure of Galvan’s private recordings show Morales agreed to dismiss her sexual harassment case to protect Galvan about two years ago.
Galvan’s recordings apparently reveal an hour-long conversation with Morales in which Morales agrees to “keep it to himself and that no one needs to know” and “this could blow up in our faces and ruin our careers and positions,” according to Andrade’s letter.
City Manager Manuel de la Rosa told the daily that he would conduct an inquiry to see if Galvan had violated the city's administrative procedures.