San Gabriel Fires Head of Police Union After Internal Affairs Probe

The president of the police union, who has been locked in a political battle with the police chief and city administrator, was fired Wednesday for allegedly using abusive and excessive force in two incidents last year.

Ray Schneiders, a six-year veteran of the department, was terminated after a five-month internal investigation concluded he unnecessarily threatened a motorist and kicked a bank robbery suspect who was already handcuffed.

But Schneiders denied the allegations and said he believes the real motivation behind his firing was the union’s aggressive stance against Police Chief Don S. Tutich and City Administrator Robert Clute.

The union called for Tutich’s dismissal last February because of what members claimed was his ineffective and antiquated leadership. The union also has been a vocal opponent of Clute, who it sees as a Tutich ally.

‘Purely Political’

“It’s purely political,” Schneiders said. “In San Gabriel, it’s the good-old-boys system. To them, it’s do as I say or else.”

Schneiders, 27, has appealed his firing to the city’s Civil Service Commission. No hearing date has been set.

The Police Department refused to comment on the case, but Clute, who made the final determination to fire Schneiders, denied any political motivation.

He said the investigation was conducted in an impartial manner and according to department policies.

‘No Linkage’

“I understand how this appears, but there is no linkage” between the firing and the union activities, Clute said. “His discharge is the result of an internal affairs investigation. We have to be objective in these matters.”

The firing of Schneiders, who has been a union board member since 1984 and president for the past two years, is the latest in a series of fights between the union, Tutich and Clute.

The conflict came into the open last year when the 35 members of the union unanimously voted “no confidence” in the chief.

The union claimed Tutich had refused to modernize the department and was the cause of low morale among the rank and file.

Tutich denied the complaints and pointed to increased arrests and declines in major felonies.

Union’s Electoral Role

After the vote of no confidence, the union decided to take an active role in the 1988 City Council elections.

The union backed three candidates from the slow-growth group Citizens for Responsible Development in the belief they would support reforming the Police Department.

All three candidates were elected, although the coalition has since come apart.

The union is now supporting Vice Mayor Frank Blaszcak, who faces a recall election on Tuesday. Blaszcak, who is an opponent of Clute, has received $3,000 in campaign contributions from the union.

Two Incidents

The department’s investigation of Schneiders stems from two incidents that took place in December. Clute refused to comment on the details of the investigation.

Schneiders said the first case involves a motorist he pulled over for speeding on San Gabriel Boulevard early that month.

After the car stopped, Schneiders said he noticed the driver leaning in the front seat and ordered the man to place his hands on the steering wheel. Schneiders said he repeated the order several times.

When the driver appeared to reach for something on the front seat, Schneiders said he drew his gun and said: “Put your . . . hands on the steering wheel or I’ll blow your head off.”

The driver later filed a complaint against Schneiders for using abusive language.

Schneiders said he believed he was justified in threatening the driver to get him to comply.

But, he said, even if he was wrong, firing was too harsh a punishment.

Use of Profanity

“Other officers have used profanity and nothing happens,” he said. “I use it, and I get fired.”

The second incident occurred Dec. 20 during what officers believed was a robbery attempt at a bank on San Gabriel Boulevard, Schneiders said.

Undercover officers arrived at the scene first and managed to push to the ground a man they suspected of being a bank robber, he said.

He entered the bank later and handcuffed the man, who it turned out was not attempting to rob the bank.

Schneiders said the department has accused him of unnecessarily kicking the man in the leg.

He denied the accusation and said the man has never filed a complaint against him.

Schneiders had been investigated once before, in 1985. At that time, the district attorney’s office filed criminal charges against him for allegedly beating a suspect with a flashlight.

A jury found Schneiders innocent of all charges.