S. Franklin

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January 2, 2021
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DEPUTIES DRUNKENLY DUKE IT OUT AT DINNER

Started by S. Franklin · January 2, 2021

Yet another case of mishandling by the Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department strikes the county. I’ve received exclusive reports and footage from the Emergency Response Team’s annual awards banquet that shows several deputies of the Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department drunkenly brawling inside the Hotel Arcadia’s ballroom. We were able to exclusively interview several of the security guards and hotel staff that were present.
Reports state that the awards banquet was preceding as it normally does, with awards being handed out for Firefighter of the Year, Ambulance Driver of the Year, and Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, as well as others. After the ERT Commissioner had left the stage and the awards were over, it appears that two officers in particular, as of yet unidentified, initiated a drunken brawl with another banquet attendee. Footage sent to us from an anonymous source shows one of the officers accosting a woman seated at a table and when she rejects him and her husband intervenes, the officer starts a fight with the man. They brawl for a short while before a second deputy jumps in, followed by a bystander that appears to try to break the fight up. The four men fight on, destroying hotel property in the process, before hotel security attempts to intervene. Security attempts to restrain the two, yet they continue to resist. Strange how when the tables are turned and they’re the ones being restrained, ‘stop resisting’ doesn’t seem so simple a command to follow, does it? One deputy is even seen jumping from a table to a dessert cart, destroying it in the process, while trying to run from security. Both deputies were eventually restrained by security and escorted from the premises, but only after causing hundreds of dollars of damages, injuring at least three security professionals, and all the while fighting the security guards. At the height of the fight, reports state one deputy, seated at a table, trip a security guard, causing him to fall onto a chair and injure himself. This deputy has been identified by several hotel employees as the deputy who won Shiloh County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 2020, Sergeant Jason Patterson. A supervising deputy, and yet he also found this behavior acceptable enough to participate in it. What is happening at SCSD? Is Sheriff Brunner actually in control of his people?
We all know Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department has a reputation for toeing the line of civility. Yet this takes it to an entire new level. Sheriff’s deputies, at a departmental event, drunkenly duking it out with private unarmed security professionals and resisting their efforts to deescalate the altercation and restrain the parties involved. And no other deputies in the crowd moved to break up the altercation. We reached out to the Shiloh County Sheriff’s Office for a statement and received the following in reply:
“There was a disturbance where an off duty deputy observed a hotel security officer using an illegal chokehold on another duty deputy following a verbal altercation with an unidentified party guest. During the ensuing chase one of the security officers allege that an off duty sheriff's sergeant tripped him. Right now this is under internal investigation by the ERT and the Sheriff’s Department."
Of course, no charges have been filed on any of the deputies that assaulted the security professionals. It’s no surprise to us, of course, the Thin Blue Line prevails and the blue wall fiercely protects its biggest mistakes, no matter what they’ve done. Shiloh County should be ashamed to have this happen on their watch. Is this really the way we expect our uniformed officers to behave? Is this acceptable to the sheriff? We’ll be sure to remember this at election time, and I hope all our readers will as well. Shiloh County needs change.
Unsolved Mysteries of Shiloh County

Started by S. Franklin · July 20, 2020

An online-only column by everyone's favorite freelance investigative reporter: Sean Franklin.
Each post will be an article in the column, covering the unsolved myths and mysteries of Shiloh County
Patrol - May 2020

Started by Z. Russo · May 1, 2020

Patrol area thread for carrying out non-call related law enforcement duties for the month of May.
KVFR Chief Mathers Fights What We Fear - And Loses

Started by S. Franklin · March 29, 2020

As you may have seen in our Breaking News sections, Kimberly’s last lumber mill has been lost to a raging fire. Rumors report that this is due entirely to the incompetence, inability to perform, and pure inadequacy of KVFR Chief Mathews. A statement released by the Emergency Response Team Communications Center follows:
“An automatic fire alarm was activated and the ERT was notified at 10:14. Kimberley Volunteer Fire was dispatched at the same time. First units arrived on scene at 10:21 and reported a minor fire, no additional needed. KVFR responded with Engine, Rescue, Tanker, Chief 1 and 2, as well as Utility 1 and 2.
At 13:56 a call for commercial structure fire was made, and ERT activated Shiloh County Fire Department for response. Tanker task force was sent, as well as engines from 3 stations. At 14:02 a Mayday was called from incident command for two firefighters. ERT activated additional EMS units at this time, as well as resources from county emergency management.
At 14:38, ERT assumed command of the incident and maintained command until an all clear had been issued and response was scaled back at 01:41. Units are still on scene right now, working on hotspots and overhaul.”
KVFR was on scene for THREE HOURS before they requested assistance from the Shiloh County Fire Department. Surely they knew that they were unable to contain the fire long before that point? Surely Chief Mathers knew that his volunteers would be unable to successfully control the raging inferno?
Rumors abound concerning the fire. I have heard reports that a Kimberly firefighter was killed, that Kimberly VFR lost a firetruck to the blaze, that an unnamed SCFD firefighter and Chief Mathers got into a fistfight on scene, and that KVFR is being investigated by the state for unsafe work practices. The Commissioner of the ERT was reached out to for comment, and was unable to confirm most of the rumors. His statement follows below:
“Hi Sean,
At this time, I cannot release any information regarding the rumours of a line of duty death. As per protocol, in the event of a line of duty death, the family must first be notified, and then the department of the deceased will issue a media release notifying all agencies of a line of duty death. I can confirm that there were two firefighters who sustained injuries, and were transported to the hospital.
I can confirm that I was on scene of the fire, and I did assume command of the scene upon arrival. It is practice for the ERT to be the commanding agency and coordinate with mutual aid responses like this. I've attached the county mutual aid policy brief, including the policy statement of a joint command team. Upon arrival, I assumed incident command, with Kimberley and Shiloh County Fire departments sharing management roles.
As with all fires, there will be an investigation. The ERT cannot confirm any active investigations that may or may not be in progress. Saratoga OHS responded as this was considered a workplace incident for the injured firefighters and are investigating as per the Workplace Safety Act.
The ERT maintains its commitment to ensure all citizens of Shiloh County have the best emergency services possible. We will continue to work towards this goal on a daily basis. "
So, all the ERT can confirm is that ERT management responded to the scene and that Kimberly VFR is undergoing a routine workplace injury investigation. A source inside Kimberly Volunteer Fire-Rescue has informed me that one of the two transported firefighters has died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the blaze. Chief Mathers, his blood is on your hands. This brave volunteer died because of your poor leadership, your inadequacy in command, and your unwillingness to play nice with the ERT. That family has a wrongful death lawsuit if I’ve ever seen one, and I can only hope that the Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department will file charges for criminal negligence over the handling of this affair. Hundreds of people in Kimberly are now without jobs, all thanks to Chief Mathers himself. He should be ashamed to continue to call himself a fireman.
SCFD has previously absorbed numerous departments in the area, citing cost-sharing, increased oversight, sharing staff, and other factors. Perhaps it is time that KVFR be brought into the fold. Clearly, Chief Mathers is not capable of leading the department. Surely the men and women of SCFD can correct this horrific mismanagement and bring a professional fire service to the town of Kimberly. Chief Mathers was contacted and asked for comments, but related that he was unable to provide any comments at this time due to an ongoing investigation. The town of Kimberly was also reached out to and asked for comments on the misperformance of KVFR but declined to comment, also citing an active investigation, referencing both Saratoga OHS and an internal investigation by the town.
One thing remains clear here: Chief Mathers is no longer capable - if he ever truly was capable - of leading Kimberly Fire-Rescue. It may be time for a new chief, but this reporter thinks it is time for the sun to set on Kimberly Volunteer Fire-Rescue and for Shiloh County to step in. County taxpayers are being put in danger by the presence of this amateur fire chief, and it’s time for professionals to come to town.
S. Franklin's Tip Line

Started by S. Franklin · February 27, 2020

iPhone 11 in black
Franklin has two phone numbers: a personal one through Verizon and a work number through Google Voice. His work number is freely available on business cards and the Chronicle's website.
SCSD Unfairly Targets Minorities in New Drug Campaign

Started by S. Franklin · February 24, 2020

Recently, several readers have written to me, asking me to investigate a reported rise in drug crime in Fort Shannon. So I’ve taken on the case, and I’ve spent several days in Fort Shannon interviewing people and researching the case.
What I’ve found is certainly troubling. Reports from the Shiloh County Fire Department and Shiloh Volunteer Ambulance indicate an increase in responses to overdoses in South Fort Shannon, especially on overdoses of opiates according to their Public Information Officer. The PIO relates that overdoses on heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanyl are being seen in Fort Shannon in record numbers. The PIO advised that he was not able to speculate on the reasoning, other than possibly an increased supply of such drugs. I was able to receive the following statement from the Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department:

The sheriff's department has made numerous low level drug arrests however due to the liberal drug laws in Saratoga and sympathetic people in the community and the justice system has made it hard to make these charges stick. The court system has basically declared an amnesty making any enforcement effort by my agency null and void on low level. This combined with high call volume in south Ft. Shannon may make it seem like there's nothing being done. And patrol officers have been avoiding low level arrests due to them being perceived as a waste of time however our county narcotics task force is focusing on Ft. Shannon almost exclusively.

SCSD seems to believe that “liberal drug laws” are to blame, but I am not convinced. Is jail time really the best way to combat a victimless crime like drug usage? Perhaps the government should explore other options - safe use centers, rehabilitation programs, needle exchanges, and addiction recovery programs. Other areas of the country have reported success using such methods.
SCSD statistics show that since the beginning of the year, 38 people have been arrested for possession of a controlled substance and three for possession of drug paraphernalia. Only nine arrests have been made for trafficking. So realistically, nothing is being done about this drug problem. Arresting street-level users does nothing to stem the flow of drugs into our communities or to resolve the institutionalized problems our state and nation face in dealing with addiction. SCSD continues to disproportionately target the poor and minorities in this campaign on drugs by arresting users instead of dealers. Users are responsible for nothing but what happens to themselves. Dealers are the ones responsible for sowing violence and crime into our streets, yet SCSD appears to lack any kind of visible enforcement on the issue. They claim that a “narcotics task force” is focusing on Fort Shannon, but without visible results, who can really say?
As a citizen of Shiloh County: SCSD, I am disappointed. Continuing to racially profile citizens and arrest low-level users is not the answer to this problem. You know that. We know that. Arrest the dealers, the manufacturers, the distributors. Seize the means of production. Do better.
Shiloh County Sheriff's Department: You've Been Warned

Started by S. Franklin · February 21, 2020

Yesterday, members of the International Union Brotherhood staged a peaceful protest outside of their union building. I interviewed several members, who all related that they were protesting a lack of action by union leadership in recent times. Members were lined up outside the building in a picket line when union leadership dialed 911, calling in the Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department to forcibly break the protest.
I was able to confirm that multiple units from the Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of an “angry mob” outside the building, including several supervisors. Union workers told me that Sheriff’s deputies were confrontational from the beginning, bringing attack dogs out to attempt to intimidate the crowd. A video sent to me by one of the union protestors appears to show a Sergeant Patterson threatening a previously peaceful protestor with his dog, telling the protestor that he was going to have his dog bite him.
Rumors are that this is not the first time a Sheriff’s Deputy has threatened a citizen with violence or unnecessarily used force during an arrest. As of the time of publication, I have not been able to locate concrete proof that SCSD has a pattern of violence, and it is rumor. But, rumors exist for a reason. They don’t appear from nowhere.
This incident certainly gave Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department the appearance of being jack-booted corporate thugs, and not serving the citizenry as they so faithfully claim. What other reason would an agency have to break up such a peaceful, nonviolent protest than to obey their corporate masters?
This incident raises the question that many in Fort Shannon have been afraid to ask - is Shiloh County Sheriff’s Department a corrupt, violent, out-of-line police department? Have they strayed from their mission of protecting and serving the citizens of this county and instead become jack-booted corporatist thugs, willy-nilly breaking up peaceful protests and oppressing minorities? This is a question I intend to answer, and to the Sheriff’s Department: you can consider this your notice. I will find out. I will expose any corruption or inherent violence.
Kimberly Volunteer Fire Rescue: Hometown Heroes or Tax Thieves?

Started by S. Franklin · February 16, 2020

Kimberly Volunteer Fire-Rescue: Hometown Heroes or Tax Thieves?

Everyone who lives in Kimberly is familiar with the men and women of Kimberly Volunteer Fire-Rescue. They’re neighbors, friends, sometimes even family. Good Samaritans who donate time to serve their community, purely out of the goodness of their hearts. The fire chief, Michael Mathers, can often be seen around town in the department-provided Chief’s SUV. The white fire trucks can be seen racing to emergencies in times of needs.
But recently, dark accusations have surfaced against the good-hearted volunteers. Some people in town are beginning to question the department’s money management ability, with the town’s fire trucks unquestioningly older than anyone else’s around. Some even say that volunteers with the department have to face out of date protective equipment and inadequate equipment onboard those same fire trucks.
A town document obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request lists the budget for KVFR as 151,000 dollars. It lists $40,000 as being provided by a county subsidy and the remaining $111,000 coming from the town of Kimberly. This represents the county paying for nearly a third of KVFR’s operating expenses.
National standards published by the National Fire Protection Association say that fire engines should be replaced on average every ten years. Kimberly operates only one vehicle newer than ten years old - the 2019 Chevy Tahoe driven by Chief Michael Mathers. This is in stark contrast to the town’s primary fire engine - a 1990 American LaFrance. Many members of the community question why Chief Mathers drives a car only a year old, while the fire engine is thirty years old and aging. Public records indicate that the oldest fire truck operated by Kimberly, a water tanker, is a 1986 model, and the newest, a brushfire truck, is only a 1995. Yet Chief Mathers drives a brand-new SUV around town, using tax money to pay for gas and his salary. I reached out to Chief Mathers for a comment explaining the purchase of his vehicle over a new fire engine, and did not receive a response.
A look into Chief Mathers’ salary reveals some startling numbers. His salary is $75,000 a year, with benefits bringing the town’s total expenditure on Chief Mathers to 101,000. 66% of KVFR’s budget goes to paying to have Chief Mathers on duty from Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM. Not even 24 hour fire protection. Not even the minimum recommended by national standards, which is four firefighters on a fire engine.
Many community residents question whether KVFR can continue to provide adequate response to emergencies in the community. Some posit the idea that as happened in Clinton, the Shiloh County Fire Department should take over administration of the department, combining departments to decrease overhead costs and share costs of equipment and manpower. I sent an email to Chief Mathers, asking for comment on several questions posed by the community, and this was the only portion that elicited a response. His reply is displayed below and has been edited to allow it to be printed.

“As long as I am the Chief of Kimberly Volunteer Fire-Rescue, Shiloh County will keep their ******* noses out of town business. We are Hometown Heroes providing the best service with what pennies the town gives us. Shiloh County and the ERT have chosen to support the county-based paid service instead of the volunteers, but Kimberly doesn’t need their **** money anyways. KVFR will continue to provide service uninterrupted.
Chief Michael M J Mathers
Kimberly VOLUNTEER Fire Rescue
We fight what you fear, for free. The Real Hometown Heroes”

Chief Mathers’ claim that the county does not support KVFR is, of course, demonstrably false. Not only does the county provide financial support to KVFR, but county records show that in 2019, Shiloh County Fire Department units were dispatched to 51 calls for service within the town limits of Kimberly. Of these 51, 11 were requests from Kimberly for aid, 20 were ambulance calls when the Kimberly ambulance was already on a call, and 30 were calls dispatched to SCFD units by ERT due to the communications center not receiving a confirmation that KVFR units were responding to the call. Of the 30 where KVFR did not answer, it shows that 17 resulted in SCFD being cancelled by Chief Mathers when he finally responded to the call.
I dug deeper into KVFR’s financial situation, speaking to several current and former members, as well as several of the department’s commissioners. These interviews revealed that Chief Mathers and the department throw several social parties throughout the year - Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter - for each occasion, I was able to track expenses to the department’s funds. Surely the funds could have been better used elsewhere?
One member I interviewed, whose identity will remain hidden to protect him, showed me the expiration dates of his personal protective equipment. His coat, pants, boots, and helmet were all past the manufacturer’s expiration date, varying from being only days out of date to over a year. He informed me that he was unable to attend the fire academy due to not having in-date equipment, and that Chief Mathers had informed him that there was no room in the budget to purchase new equipment for him.
I sent another email to Chief Mathers questioning whether this exchange had occurred, and it was met with silence. Chief Mathers appears to have a lot to hide from the public concerning his expenditures and his management of the department’s funds, but from what little I have seen, I am deeply concerned for the residents of Kimberly. KVFR swears they will answer the call when needed, but will they be able to if their trucks and equipment is unusable?
Office of the Director of Communications

Started by H. Goodricht · January 12, 2020

Office of Captain Henry Goodricht, Director of Communications.
Office of the Commissioner

Started by W. Burke · January 11, 2020

Office of the Commissioner of the Shiloh County Emergency Response Team