WARREN Auditor complains he was harassed over sirens, radios

Police say what the detective did is not harassment.
By PEGGY SINKOVICHand DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The city auditor is sounding the alarm over complaints of missing sirens.
Auditor David Griffing earlier this week sent a memo to Safety-Service Director Fred Harris, complaining about a telephone conversation with a police detective.
"I was complaining about being threatened," Griffing said. "He said he hired an attorney."
Griffing said he sent copies of the memo to Mayor Hank Angelo, Law Director Greg Hicks, Police Chief John Mandopoulos and Griffing's attorney.
What happened
Griffing said Detective Jeff Hoolihan called him to ask why sirens and radios have not yet been installed in the detectives' police cars. Hoolihan wanted Griffing to sign the purchase orders, but Griffing said he couldn't because information is still being researched.
"I don't think I was treated properly," Griffing said. "I hope someone looks into it and I hope it won't happen again. I'd like the harassment to stop."
Hoolihan and Mandopoulos said Griffing wasn't harassed.
"It's a safety issue," Mandopoulos said. "I believe all the detectives are frustrated. They have no radios or sirens in the cars.
"Detective Hoolihan was working with an FBI agent last week and they wanted to stop a vehicle and they couldn't. They did not have the proper equipment and couldn't radio someone else to stop the car."
Detective Dan Hudak said he also had difficulty responding to a call because he did not have sirens on his vehicle.
Detective's concern
Hoolihan said he was concerned Griffing wouldn't sign the purchase orders because he is angry that he was arrested earlier this year.
Griffing was arrested in June on a misdemeanor charge of dereliction of duty. He was acquitted of that charge in October.
Griffing denied the allegation.
Angelo said it's a chain of command issue.
"If an officer or a firefighter has a concern, they take it to the department head first," he said.
The department head or his or her designee then would make the call addressing the concern rather than having 400 employees calling the auditor's office, the mayor said.
"Dave is very concerned about the purchasing procedures in place," he said. "For someone to interfere with that is not proper and it's not following the chain of command."
sinkovich@vindy.com
dick@vindy.com