Most of the rank and file RSO (Riverside Sheriff’s Office) employees resent the poor caliber of people that get promoted. While some good people get promoted, there is a preponderance of ethically-challenged and/or incompetent people in Management in the RSO.
Two such people are Lt. Elwell (who may be retired now) and Chief Deputy Cheryl Evans.
As I’ve talked to people who remember Elwell, not one have had anything good to say about him. Elwell and Bob Epps (there is that loser again) were buddies in the Training Academy. Apparently, Elwell was paid by the taxpayers to work out and he was in excellent shape. He used to challenge recruits (including those he was sleeping with) to be able to keep up with him in the academy.
Elwell is the 5th person I have learned about misusing their position of authority to take advantage of recruits (sexually) in the academy. Elwell got busted down to Sgt for his behavior at the academy (Ironically under the previous sheriff) and was re-promoted to Lt a second time by Stan Sniff.
Women deserve to be protected and treated with respect. Apparently in Sniff’s regime that is optional as is the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, as Chief Raya and Horton are on the second floor, Sgt. Brause is head of LEMU after Kurly hooked him up and Bob Epps continues to be a golden boy. Of these five men, only Elwell got a hint of discipline, only to get re-promoted soon after.
If the misconduct that Elwell appears to have gotten away with does not upset you, it gets even more absurd when Elwell was well known to have referred to another RSO employee Craig Roberts as a N—-R. Roberts is black. Because Elwell had dirt on Roberts he was able to threaten Roberts with his own report if Roberts said anything about Elwell’s epithet. I guess Pelato, Lt. Rose and Cornett were not alone in the department with their freedom of expression.
Recently, we introduced Chief Deputy Cheryl Evans to the RightonDaily audience. I knew that Cheryl Evans was a flawed individual as the pattern of Sniff’s leadership and management is set.
Someone came forward with the following:
Cheryl Evans was terrible. When she was at homicide, she could not do anything on her own and her fellow detectives had to hold her hand on anything she did, and she never cleared a case, (she was at homicide for a couple months so she would have sometime to add to her resume). And when she became a sergeant, she did not do anything significant, but was still promoted to Lieutenant. But she became pregnant and spent most of her time as a Lieutenant out on FMLA, and when she came back she was promoted to Captain. Now, she went to corrections and was promoted to Division Chief. Now, what Department would promote a Captain with no experience at a patrol station. Yet she is promotable to Chief Deputy. Give me a break.
Cheryl Evans is reputed to have been useless when on Homicide, an average Sgt. , was out on medical/family leave most of her time as Lt. then was promoted almost immediately to Captain on return. It also appears that the rank and file have zero respect for her. This makes her a classic Stan Sniff pick for senior management. And of course, when you add in her threats against Correctional Deputy Smoak laced with retaliation over the “retirement” of a harasser, she has the complete resume Sniff looks for.
I am really wondering how any criminals get stopped in Riverside County. We’ve got people cheating on time cards, screwing with evidence, Epps running the Bomb Squad like a criminal enterprise, Lt’s and investigators at Lake Elsinore sitting on their hands while a civillian is flipping out in the lobby, busted radios, busted equipment, expired body armor, rusting cars, busted cars, tons of early releases and straight up fed-kicks, worker’s comp claim abuses by county admin, sexual harassment cover ups, bad shoots, inmates getting beaten, convicted felons with direct access to the sheriff and the list goes on and on and on.
If I wanted to be a criminal, I’d write Sniff a check and move to Riverside County. If I wanted to be a Chief Deputy, I’d need to mortgage my integrity, shed 100 IQ points and abuse some victims of misconduct… in addition to the obligatory campaign checks. #EPICFAIL
Tim “the tool” Elwell. I remember Tim very well, like the time there was a fire in the hills adjacent to Lakeland Village (Lake Elsinore Station), and Tim was driving down Grand Avenue as he was telling the residents in Lakeland Village over the P.A. systen in his patrol unit to “turn off your meth labs.” At least one resident did not find that funny, but was anything done to address his behavior? Or the time a car jacking victim was kidnapped, and taken to a house in I believe Quail Valley (Lake Elsinore Station). The neighbors called in the suspicious vehicle and Tim called the owner of the vehicle accusing him of being a thief and a burglar because his car was parked at the house. Well low and behold, the father of the victim tells Tim he is not a thief, and that his daughter was kidnapped and they were putting the car into the system. Now, does rude and discourteous come to mind? Neglect of duty, failure to perform, or how about conduct unbecoming? But again, was anything done to correct his behavior? And this does not include his egotistical, and opportunistic behavior at the Academy. And the second floor though this guy deserved a command. Tim, just because you are gone, that does not mean your altruistic deportmemt is forgotten. This is the type of management Riverside County can not afford to support and defend. So when Stan and his staff have to pack up their belongings from the second floor, they only have to look in the mirror as to why their failed.
The second floor would dare not do that because if they did look at themselves in the mirror, they would draw down on the mirror and say,”10-33, I have one a gunpoint.”’
Elwell was never demoted. At least get that information correct before throwing that around as truth. He was disciplined, but not sure what the exact punishment was.
Well played my Thermal Station comrade!
Riverside County Supervisor Ken Jeffries lives in Lakeland Village. I wonder how he feels now about Stan, and the cast of characters on the second floor and their selections for management positions? And to promote someone with no patrol experience as a station commander to an executtive staff position is unfathomable in a modern law enforcement agency. Granted you can’t work every position in law enforcement in order to be promotable. But how can you accurately gauge the performance of a commander and their staff work when you have not served in that capacity?
If he wasn’t demoted he should have been if not fired so let’s throw that out there. That dude had a holier than thou attitude and now is paying the price for it and deservedly so. I question anyones ethics that would defend a guy in a position of power that was supposed to be one of the first impressions of LE supervision these recruits had and instead decided to use that position to cheat on his wife and dip his baton in the company talent pool.Just like Brause was doing around the same time. Instead of ending this buffoons career Stan allowed him to keep training recruits. Stan even put out a nice going away Facebook post about it. How is that defensible?
That is why promotion process for RSO is flawed. You have a sergeant pitching you for promotion. That depends on how hard he wants to go to bat for you. Then you have a group of Captains and Chiefs determine your promotion score. What a bunch of bullshit. You have people promoted to supervisor positions who never even trained people, but they are going to command people. What a joke. Promotion should be based on a point system based on your experience. It should be handled by H.R. Then you won’t have these bullshit PC promotions or this favoritism. Unfortunately, this would never happen, because it makes sense.
The way it works is that the Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captain meet for the promotability round table. And after everyone has their say with the Division Chief the meeting is over. The Captain may meet (unofficially of course) with the Lieutenants. Then the Captain may meet (unofficially of course) with the Division Chief. But it’s the second floor that has the final say as to what your promotability score is. So you can have say several Sergeants and Lieutenants pushing for you. And even the Captain may have positive things to say about you, or even push for your promotion. But that don’t matter because it’s the second floor that determines your promotability score. So unless your a golden boy (that makes poor decisions) like Kent Werges, or allowed to cheat like Aaron Kent, your fate is determined by the second floor.
This is very educational for the public like me.
Because I was in LAPD Academy years ago before deciding on law school. I recall that the oral interviews were only a part of the overall score. There was and should be in RSO I feel, a total score based on many factors , points , experience, and tests. Otherwise its completely bias.
So a Sgt has to go to bat for you? That sucks. Especially for the women.
Thank you my Palm Desert friend. I would have responded earlier, but I was 10-6.
I am hearing that Lt. Pete Ortiz had a deputy fired for making an alleged racial remark. So in one breath, the second floor fires a deputy for making an alleged disparaging racial remark, but in the next breath, the second floor forgives Sergeant Elwell for using the “N”’ word, and promote him to a Lieutenant. What gives?
Look at Sgt. Andy Nielsen. He was a Lt. that was demoted back to Sgt. for a transgression that he committed. He has tested multiple times for Lt., but the second floor refuses to even consider returning him back to the rank of Lt. Yet this Tim Elwell character is rude and disrespectful toward the public, committed violations of morale character by allegedly having relations with Academy cadets, and even used a derogatory racial name in reference to one’s ethnic origin. Yet this guy is not only forgiven, he is promoted. Is this not a disparity in treatment?
John DeValle was a Sergeant that was demoted due to his conduct, But he learned from the error of his ways, and was eventually returned to the rank of Sergeant. And even though his sins were committed years ago, he too tested various times for Lt. But the second floor refused to acknowledge Sgt. DeValle’s vast experience, his abilities that exceeded expectations, his positive work ethic, and his post graduate degree in addition to his military service. They still held his sins against him and denied Sgt. DeValle promotional opportunities. But with Tim Elwell, who appears that he can do no wrong, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, is considered management material. And even though Tim Elwell has a post graduate degree himself, I hear his undergraduate degree is from an unaccredited college. Between Tim Elwell and John DeValle, the second floor failed the Department in making the right choice for Lt.
Again you are on point my Thermal brethren! Andy Nielsen is one of the absolute best Sgt’s this department has to offer but he continually gets the shaft. Maybe it’s because he stands up for his troops and in return is respected by them. Andy I loved working for you have a great retirement!
1 Calimesa 20 don’t forget they let the amazing racists Pelato and Cornett continue their careers and become Master Investigators.
Michael Harrington there is a reason why there is a phrase in RSO when it comes to females getting promoted. The phrase is if you are a female the best way to get rank is “Double D’s and degrees” in other worlds be sexually attractive or have a degree even then it helps to engage in extra duties with Tim Elwell type supervisors. Plenty of good female deps that don’t get promoted because they aren’t down for that stuff.
Amen my 907 brother.
Tim Elwell proved to be a flawed individual waaaay back in the day by canoodling with Lt. DeArmond, who, eventually was assigned so far removed from any responsibility because he was a dangerous oaf who slapped a CD. Timmy also used to play golf with DeArmomd and “Investigate to Terminate Bostrom” and other morons. Is it any wonder he screwed up but has always been protected?
“Redneck” gives rednecks a bad name if you associate it with Timmy. He used to openly use the “N” word like it was circa 1952 in the Deep South. Wearing his shitkickers and chewing tobacco and being protected by his golf buddies.
Elwell was always a loose cannon and it was only a matter of time he’d get caught for dipping his fountain pen in another inkwell (reputed to be many). No surprise he’d take advantage of his position at the academy too. Good riddance to this POS.
His rise after his fall from grace is astonishing! Protected like a mobster sent to prison whilst others are demoted or terminated for practically the same thing. It’s no wonder the rank and file dispise the marionettes and their top idiot…look at the disparate treatment!
AND top that off with the incompetent ones up there! Evans was worthless as a traffic cop back in MoVal and was more interested in finding a husband than actually doing any work. Either she has dirt on Sniffcompoop and his band of idiots or she made a deal with the devil to make it as high as she has.
These idiots need to be walked out the moment Bianco becomes sheriff. Drain the swamp of these incompetent grade A buttwipes and rebuild our management with those whose moral compasses have not been broken or point at their own self interest.
@ Michael Harrington, yes it is determined by how hard your direct supervisor wants to fight for you. As for that POS, Lt. Pete Ortiz was the epitome of a horrible supervisor. First off he was morbidly obese. Way to fulfill stereotypes about cops being fat slobs, in Pete’s case he was a fat piece of shit.
While assigned to the Indio Jail he used to walk around like he was the man. Amazing that he walked at all considering he should have been a contestant on the biggest loser. Anyways, back to my point. The deputies who rode their motorcycles used to park them off to the side in the sally-port to prevent people from tampering with their bikes in the parking lot. While good ol’ Pete Ortiz didn’t like that, so he put out a memo that no on could park their POV (Personally owned vehicle) in the sally-port (Parking area within a fenced area outside the jail). He then immediatly started parking his POV in the same area he told everyone else not to park. What a freaking LOP! He did this so he could keep his car in the shade, and didn’t have to walk about a half block to where admin parked their cars.
It’s just amazing how many pieces of crap worked for this department. I forget some of them until they are mentioned. Don’t forget about Captain Flannery, the raging prick from the desert. He had a correctional sergeant from the Indio Jail demoted for not doing a PERS. He wanted a PERS done on a deputy for eating a piece of cake, he claimed was his. When the sergeant refused to do the PERS, because it was ridiculous, she became the focus of a PERS for insubordination. She was demoted from sergeant to corporal. She was never able to promote back to sergeant and retired as a corporal.
This is the behavior that has been tolerated for a long time. Including before Stanley became Sheriff. Remember he has been Sheriff for 11 years, but he was part of the executive staff for a long time before that. Stanley is just continuing the behavior he was part of before becoming sheriff and after. He has been around for a long time, and has seen and done his fare share of dirt. Don’t forget the story ROD did on him being sued for excessive force way back when. Stanley can’t blame others for the stains on his legacy. He did that to himself.
To quote Demolition Man
Dr. Cocteau:[Speaking to Stanley about his behavior compared to civilized behavior] Stanley, this display of barbaric behavior was unacceptable even in your time.
Chief George Earle: [speaking to Stanley about PSB and his bone head supervisors] You would use those weapons of lies and destruction against the men and women of law enforcement?
Part of your story on Elwell is true, but he never had sex with a recruit. It was Craig Roberts who cheated on his wife by having sex with recruit Jennifer Strickler. Elwell was instructed to PERS Roberts and low n behold, Roberts pulls the race card and says Elwell called him a nigger. Roberts was and still is a shady dude. And just like Brause, who also had sex with recruits, Roberts was promoted to sergeant. Unbelievable.
Tim Elwell is a good guy. I respect him and hold nothing against him. I’m reading many of these comments and you all that are bashing him sound like a bunch of pussies crying over spilled milk Bc you didn’t get promoted and he did. Who f*cking cares. No one is perfect and I just laugh at all the allegations that people throw out as truths and many are flat out wrong. Elwell never slept with a recruit. That was never an allegation in his PERS. yet some of you jackasses are saying it like you were there and actually saw him sleep with a recruit. It never happened. Get your facts straight. Elwell was an asshole at times, yes. He was not the perfect Deputy on patrol, so what? He’s retired and irrelevant now. Get over it. He’s living the good life, while you bashers are here on a blog hitching and complaining. Lol.
@Justthefacts: it’s okay to show allegiance to someone you bed with or attend KKK Rallys with. There’s no judgement here. Those Home Depot patio torches are a nice prop too.
You’re correct when you say he was an asshole though.
His “leadership,” as mentioned here and by others who worked with him, are an example of what has been wrong with our promotion process all of these years. The bitterness stems from the off balance, do as I say and not as I do, and disparate treatment the 2nd Floor divvies out when one of their own crosses the line, by getting off Scott free and STILL MOVING UP THE LADDER!!
If you move up and have done so by working hard, congrats. Retire with a good pension. I’m glad for Timmy, BTW, or anyone who makes it through this career unscathed. But he was no bueno and a straight bigot who would’ve done extremely well during Jim Crow days enforcing white faucet usage and coordinating those hangings at dawn.
Don’t forget to get tested for those STDs.
justhefacts, your facts just don’t match! First you say that Elwell is a
“good guy,” but then later you go on to say he was an assole “at times.” As someone who supervised him, and who observed his personality traits very early on in his career, I can tell you that no one is a “good person” and an “ass hole sometimes,” He is one or the other, but not both. Regardless of what you say, the Elwell I saw years ago was always an asshole, and he was never a good guy. As as a result, and because of his antics, he was known as a weasel. How does someone get a reputation as a weasel at that stage of his career, when he has only about two years of jail time? He was someone no one trusted. Someone like that never changes, but instead, those type of characteristics become ingrained in him.