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It all started back on June 16, 2006 when then Spokane County Sheriff’s detective Joseph Mastel exposed himself to a 23-year-old barista at an Airway Heights coffee business. The 13-year veteran was charged with indecent exposure, and six days later he was fired from the force by Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.
In late November 2006 the case came up before an Airway Heights municipal court judge, and Mastel's sentence was deferred. Under the agreed upon terms, the charge will be dismissed in a year as long as Mastel completes mental health treatment and obeys the law during that time.
Then in December 2006 the former sheriff’s detective decided to ask for his job back, claiming that he was only partially to blame for the incident. The rest of the blame was placed on the barista who, according to Mastel, "dressed provocatively and led him on." The request to be rehired was made before the Spokane County Civil Service Commission, a 3-member board consistng of 74-year-old John R. Shagen, 77-year-old Curtis Berklund and 59-year-old Stephen J. Shrope.
On Monday, January 8, 2007, the Civil Service Commission ruled that a sheriff’s detective cannot be fired solely for exposing himself at a coffee stand. Instead, the commission order that Mastel be placed on unpaid leave until he’s forced to retire in July of this year. Needless to say, the commission's decision surprised Sheriff Knezovich, prompting him to ask, "What do you have to do to get fired?"
That’s a very good question – one that prompted us to ask a few more questions. Here they are for your consideration:
• Was Sheriff Knezovich right to fire Mastel?
• Should the Civil Service Commission be able to overturn the Sheriff’s decision?
• Should Mastel be eligible to collect at least a portion of his unused sick time?
• Should Mastel be eligible to work in law enforcement in the future?
• Is there or should there be a higher standard of behavior imposed on those who are hired for law enforcement positions?
• Was the barista partially responsible for this incident or should Mastel accept full responsibility?
• Would you feel more comfortable with Mastel being eligible for future law enforcement work if he had, in fact, accepted full responsibility for his actions?
• Should the Civil Service Commissioners be appointed to the board or elected by the voters?
• Would you like to see the Sheriff’s decision to fire Mastel reinstated?
• Do you think Mastel should receive retirement benefits?
• Do you think Mastel’s misdemeanor was cause enough for him to be fired as a law enforcement agent? If not, what more would it take?
We'd like to hear from you. Email us and we'll post your comments on Spokane.net. If you don't have time for that, then vote in our PulsePoll to let us know what you think.
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Poll Results ...
Question:
"Do you think Joseph Mastel should be allowed to pursue other employment in the law enforcement field?"
Results:
Yes -- 3.4%
Yes, but not in Spokane -- 0.0%
Yes, but not in Washington state -- 6.9%
No -- 89.7%
Undecided -- 0.0%
Send us your comments ...
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