Board restores deputy chief's duties, schedule, pay potential, says car is chief's choice

The Fire & Police Civil Service Board restored Deputy Chief Varden Guillory’s duties and pay levels after a lengthy hearing Wednesday night, but told him Chief Ronald Dies could assign Guillory any vehicle he chooses, as long as it is road-worthy.
The panel also conceded it could do little about an alleged hostile work environment, and urged the two feuding men to resolve their differences.
Guillory contends Dies set out on a campaign of retribution after his deputy chief testified in late May against his boss’ disciplinary actions involving another officer.
Coincidence or coordinated response, Dies’ decisions involving Guillory since that May hearing create the impression of vindictiveness in the minds of the board members.
Seemingly, the revelation by Guillory that the chief has changed his deputy’s work hours from standard day hours Monday through Friday to a shift beginning at 8 p.m. and ending at 4:30 a.m. capped the board’s conclusions.
Dies was not present for the hearing, which the board voted unanimously to proceed with despite Dies’ absence. The chief’s perspective was explored through representation by City Attorney Vernon McManus. Guillory conducted his own case, with he and McManus working their way through a number of officers called as witnesses.
The deputy chief appealed to the board to correct what he claimed were adverse actions by Dies. They were in four categories:
Loss of his department vehicle;
Reduction in pay;
Reduction in duties;
Creating a hostile work environment.
Guillory said Dies purchased a pre-owned Ford Explorer in April for Guillory’s use, a move that Guillory said was a surprise to him. He made arrangements, with the chief’s approval, he said, to have the unit outfitted with police equipment, but Dies called the Baton Rouge vendor doing the work and stopped it “after my May testimony.”
Guillory said the unit has been missing from the department fleet since, held in storage, he said, at a warehouse in Carencro, and before that being tucked away at a Rayne location.
Board member Police Lt. Donnie Thibodeaux asked if Guillory was aware of any intentions Dies had for re-assigning the Explorer, saying he had been told it was going to be converted to K-9 use.
Guillory said others have told him that might be the case, but that he has heard nothing from Dies on the matter.
As the evening wore on, it became apparent that any such communication between the two would be counter to the norm over the last three months.
McManus asked what Guillory had been driving prior to the Explorer. He replied that he had been using a 2005 Mercury which had 130,000 miles, a unit he resumed using after the Explorer went missing.
Asked about it’s condition, Guillory told the attorney that the Mercury had various problems and had been scheduled “to be junked” before it was re-issued to the deputy chief.
McManus asserted that Guillory is not entitled to any particular vehicle, that the chief has the unilateral authority to assign vehicles.
Ultimately, the board agreed.
The next bone of contention was Guillorys’ assertion that he had been singled out for administrative changes that effectively are costing him about $1,000 monthly.
In June, Guillory and the department’s detectives received a missive from Dies outlining their Monday-Friday daytime work hours and specifiying that no overtime would be permitted. He then produced payroll records indicating that while Dies has held Guillory to that edict, he had not barred Detectives A.J. Frank, Richard Daigle and Joey Pelloquin from overtime pay in the fiscal year that began July 1.
Daigle testified that the overtime edict was relaxed for the detectives once the new budget year began.
Guillory said he has averaged 10-15 hours of overtime weekly since becoming deputy chief in January 2011. He also noted Dies’ policy change regarding him has stopped his management of the Aphis criminal identification system.
McManus asked Guillory if he had received any reduction in his base pay. Guillory said no.
McManus asked Guillory if he had worked and submitted any overtime claim that had not been paid. Guillory said no.
The board eventually ruled Guillory’s opportunity to work to do his job should be restored, that singling him out was in effect not permitted under Civil Service rules.
Guillory’s assertion that his duties had been reduced to below the scope of them as outlined by city ordinance and Civil Service rules and that his ability to do them had been impaired was pretty much a no-brainer for the board.
The board heard corroborated assertions regarding changed locks, seized computers and loss of administrative authority over the internal computer system, as well as the fact that Guillory’s hours had been changed to an overnight shift that pretty much strips his managerial functions.
Eventually, the board ordered the duties restored.
Doing something about the alleged hostile working environment is another matter.
Several department personnel testified regarding first-hand or second-hand knowledge of confrontations between Dies and Guillory.
Daigle said it was obvious to all that the two are not getting along and the arguing between them is hurting department morale.
He said the rule of thumb for most is when a confrontation starts, they try to get away from them, “making a beeline for the door.”
Lt. Ryan Young, a shift commander, in response to a query from board chairman Keith Vidrine, said department morale has been affected by the Hatfield-McCoy bickering.
Board member Jan Ward asked Young if he thought Dies is retaliating against Guillory for his May testimony.
Young said he did not know.
Records Clerk Keith Laverne, who has been assigned some of Guillory’s previous duties, said he had knowledge of confrontations between the two “that appear unfriendly” though he said he had never witnessed any of them.
Lt. Jeremy Ivory, a shift commander, testified he has heard Dies say he “would get Guillory”.
Jailor Victor Fontenot recalled Dies saying “he would cast a spell on Guillory.”
Crystal Bogard, who quit her job as a dispatcher after about a month this summer, said she did so “because they are too many rats in the department.”
She was subpoenaed as a witness by Dies, but her testimony did not fall to his side of the ledger, surprising McManus and everyone else in attendance.
“The chief is not acting like a chief,” she said, adding she had enough of it before quitting to drive an Evangeline Parish school bus.
Board member Jan Ward eventually said No Mas’.
She moved to restore pay and duties. Vidrine and Thibodeaux and other board members Germaine West and John Guilloty voted for the motion.
The board agreed the vehicle question was up to the chief and said the two need to sit down and work out their differences.
“They need to get along. We’ve had enough. I’ll mediate it they want me to,” Ward said.