Cops In Black and White, Part XXXVI

Jerry Bledsoe continues his series in the Rhino Times today with a report on officer Allen Wallace.  The following represents a summary of the installment. 

Recall the inquisition against David Wray in August, 2005 facilitated by Linda Miles and Mitchell Johnson, engineered by Joe Williams and conducted by several black officers.  Wallace was among the inquisitors; and he also happened to be on a list of black officers presented to Wray who had been allegedly wronged in the department. 

Wallace had previously been a corporal assigned to Vice and Narcotics.  He had already been disciplined and/or counselled several times before Wray became chief for various offenses including unpaid parking tickets, improper driving of a police vehicle, questionable posting of photos on an internet site, and mishandling evidence.

During an investigation of prostitution at local massage parlors when Robert White was Chief, Wallace conducted warrant searches at one particular spa and at the home of its owners.  He completely botched the handling of the warrants, documentation and evidence in numerous ways.  (It was a comedy of errors, from Bledsoe's description). 

Wallace was cross-examined in court in connection with the case, and "the defense attorney had a field day".  The owners were acquitted, and it was so bad that the defense lawyer later called the police department to express his concern about the officer's performance.  Stuart Albright and Al Stewart also later expressed vehement concerns regarding the officer.

A departmental reprimand was recommended; but Assistant Chief Anthony Scales reduced it to a division level reprimand.  Scales had earlier reduced another reprimand on behalf of Wallace.  Bledsoe said, "Scales had a reputation for reducing all discipline administered to black officers."

Under Chief White, Wallace was reassigned to patrol.  But Bledsoe concludes, "Only a few weeks after Tim Bellamy, who is black, was sworn in as police chief this spring, he promoted Allen Wallace to sergeant."

 

Comments

[Fred Gregory]

Very focused, Jerry.

[Anthony1]

A departmental reprimand was recommended; but Assistant Chief Anthony Scales reduced it to a division level reprimand. Scales had earlier reduced another reprimand on behalf of Wallace. Bledsoe said, "Scales had a reputation for reducing all discipline administered to black officers."

Only one reprimand was reduced by me and it was not on behalf of Wallace. It was on behalf of the Greensboro Police Department. It was reduced in fairness because the administrative investigation did not support the charges and several of the allegations were proven to be false. It had absolutely nothing to do with the race of the officer. If my reputation was to be lenient towards black officers, then why were the only officers dismissed (fired) during my tenure as acting chief black males? I will stake my reputaion for honesty and fairness against that of the former chief any day. His memory in these matters seems to be very selective and self serving.

Anthony Scales
Retired Deputy Chief-GPD

[Joe Guarino]

Mr. Scales, thank you for your comments.

One of the interesting things that struck me, Mr. Scales, was the depiction of you in the early part of the series vs. this last installment. If my recollection is correct, I believe you were described in the early stages of the series as someone whose presence assisted Wray politically within the department because you somehow helped from the standpoint of relations with black officers. And again, if my memory serves me correctly, it was alleged that your departure from the department hurt Wray because you had played a valuable role in this regard. Please correct me if I am wrong, and feel free to comment as well on that earlier passage to which I refer. Was that earlier description accurate, and if so, how?

It appears that there has been background noise in the form of factional strife in the department; and it is sometimes difficult for the outsider with no direct knowledge to assess the alternative representations of reality that have been circulated.