Police Deny Duffy Pressured Them

San Diego police denied Wednesday that Sheriff John Duffy pressured the department to discipline a sergeant for releasing information about the sheriff’s private burglar alarm system.

Sgt. Anne O’Dell, a Police Department officer for 15 years, is on a two-week suspension without pay for confirming for The Times that sheriff’s deputies in Poway--rather than city police officers--respond to emergency calls at Duffy’s home in northern San Diego.

In interviews this week, O’Dell and her attorney said they are concerned that Duffy may have demanded harsh discipline for her because the information she provided concerned his private residence.

But police Cmdr. Larry Gore flatly denied Wednesday that Duffy played any role in Police Chief Bob Burgreen’s decision to suspend O’Dell.

“There have been recent allegations that Sheriff John Duffy in some manner influenced Chief Bob Burgreen to take some form of disciplinary action,” Gore said.

“But that information is totally erroneous. Any action our chief deems necessary to take is founded within the parameters of our own policies and the law. We do not need the advice and consent of other agencies.”

He added, however, that it is possible that Duffy and Burgreen discussed the O’Dell case, particularly since they are longtime professional associates and frequently discuss matters concerning both the Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department.

But Gore said he did not know for certain that that “particular conversation actually took place.”

Duffy has refused to be interviewed by The Times, and Burgreen has been out of town this week.

O’Dell provided the information to The Times in November, confirming that Duffy’s private burglar alarm at his Scripps Ranch home was hooked up to the sheriff’s dispatch unit rather than the city police communications unit.

She confirmed what several sources within the Poway sheriff’s substation had told the newspaper. An official spokesmen at Duffy’s headquarters later publicly acknowledged that the information was true.

Soon after The Times published articles about Duffy’s unusual security arrangement, Duffy announced that he was dropping out of the race for sheriff, a post he has held for 20 years.

In an internal investigation, the Police Department determined that O’Dell violated a Municipal Code statute enacted to protect the confidentiality of private burglar alarm systems.

“We’re dealing with a law, and it’s real specific,” Gore said. “The law says that information in the alarm files in our system are to be treated confidentially and are not open to public review. If they were, the information could be made available to the wrong people.”

He declined to discuss details about the O’Dell case, saying the city will state its position when the matter goes before the city’s Civil Service Commission, where O’Dell has filed an appeal.

However, her attorney, James Gattey, contends that the statute restricts the release of information about the alarm owner and his address, but does not hold confidential any information regarding which law enforcement agency responds to the alarm.

In addition to the suspension, O’Dell was transferred from her investigative position to field duties in the department’s Northern Division. She said the discipline has cost her about $2,800 in salary.