There has been a lot of speculation about Tulare Police Chief Wes Hensley. Recently, Tulare City Manager Joe Carlini announced he placed Chief Hensley on administrative leave. This becomes a personnel matter. and the city manager, city attorney. and the entire city council are prohibited from discussing the malter publicly.
The Chief and his supporters were at the recent Tulare City Council meeting on Tuesday October 3. 2017. I’m sure the Chiefs supponers, and all citizens of Tulare. have questions such as, “Is this politically motived? is this the first step of removing the Chief from office? What role did the City Council play in this matter?” Failure of the city manager, city attorney, or the city council to discuss the reason the Chief is on administrative leave creates suspicion and has citizens wondering about the motivation behind the action.
If Chief Hensley waives his right to privacy in the personnel matter, city officials can then discuss the matter with the media, in a public fomm. or with the average citizen. There can be open discussion and public debate. The citizens of Tulare can ask questions and get answers. But Chief Hensley has not done that. He is choosing to keep the city officials silent.
The city manager. city attorney, and city council are to be commended for protecting Chief Hensley’s right to privacy by not discussing this matter. Whether there is public discussion on the reason the Chief is on administrative leave is up to Chief Hensley, not the City of Tulare.
Sincerely,
Gregory Blevins
