The Paper 62713

Page 1

Volume 44- No. 26

June 27, 2013

by lyle e davis

porting the Chief (Maher) would be dealt with swiftly and severely."

Lieutenant Greg Ellis, a 21 year veteran of the Escondido Police Department, left for vacation in March. He was never allowed back in the the police headquarters building nor did he ever get a real chance to say goodbye to his pals.

At one point, Phillips apparently learned that Ellis and other friends (non-supervisors) had met with Maher for lunch at Wildomar, near Murietta. Ellis readily confirmed this to anyone who asked. Phillips, it is said, sought to terminate Ellis at that time for insubordination but was allegedly given legal advice that Ellis had every legal right to speak with Maher and an insubordination charge would fail.

While on vacation in Hawaii with his family, Lieutenant Ellis was placed on leave, with pay. He was advised via his attorney then subsequently via letter that he was terminated as of June 7th, 2013. The reason as stated in a letter to him was "failure to comply with and meet the standards of a police lieutenant."

Phillips then, it is alleged, ordered an investigation and learned that Ellis made a comment early on, shortly after Maher was placed on leave, to the effect of . . ."Don't make any judgments yet. We don't know what's going on. The Chief has been very good to us. He listens. Until we hear otherwise, we need to support him."

Other than a minor reprimand early in his career back in 1993 or 1994, Ellis did not have one single discplinary action on his record, according to reliably informed sources. Even that minor reprimand was forgiven by the department. Witness the fact that Ellis was steadily promoted, most recently on October 11th, 2011, when he was promoted to Lieutenant.

While he was called in for questioning by the city’s paid investigator prior to his trip to Hawaii, he had no inkling that he was going to be discplined in any way . . . let alone terminated.

Knowledgeable sources, both within and outside the Escondido Police Department, believe the termination was nothing more than retaliation by Clay Phillips, the Escondido City Manager. It is reported by many of these same sources that there was great friction between Phillips and former Chief of Police, Jim Maher. It is also known that Lieutenant Ellis was a supporter of Maher. Because The Paper - 760.747.7119

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One of the officers who heard this counsel was a good friend of then-Lieutenant Craig Carter, whom sources say has been Phillips choice for Chief of Police for the past several years, and sent an email to Clay Phillips saying Ellis was being political in his comments.

of this support, Phillips appears to have made the decision to terminate Ellis.

This is particularly remarkable because of the fact that at one point, when Clay Phillips was roundly criticized for what many to be an outrageously high salary and benefits package, then Lieutenant Ellis had risen to speak in defense of Clay Phillips, defending the very man who was later to terminate

him, apparently without justifiable cause. This occurred during an “all hands meeting” in the city council chambers and there were many witnesses to Ellis’ support of Phillips.

Phillips had met with a group of officers, Lieutenants and above, following Chief Maher being placed "on leave." Those officers, according to multiple sources who were present, heard Clay Phillips say, "sup-

Some observers thought Ellis may have been implicated by distributing either a petition in support of Maher, or a survey regarding Maher's situation and that he attended a rally for Chief Maher. Ellis was at the rally, not as a participant but as the Lieutenant in charge of the Mobile Field Force, an assignment that can be readily verified by a simple check of police logs and assignments for that date. In fact, he was stationed behind the scene and did not enter the

“The Escondido Merry-Go-Round” Continued on Page 2


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