Re: Officer Elwonger Speaks About Cush Cops
So, a little bit ago I returned a call to Officer Suzette Elwonger. Here’s how the conversation went down:
Merritt: Hello, this is Merritt Patterson returning your call.
Elwonger: Well, I really don’t have anything to say. You’ve done quite enough.
Merritt: Oh, since you called and left a message asking for me to call you, I thought you had something to say.
Elwonger: I wish you would have taken the time to get the facts but you sound interesting and I’d like to add you to my circle of media friends. And I want you to know that I will always be happy to help you if you need DARE. I will treat you like everyone else.
Merritt: Thanks.
Elwonger: Maybe we can meet for coffee and talk about the facts sometime. Do you have any questions so that we can clear this up?
Merritt: Sure, you mentioned to Jason earlier today that you didn’t know why the site was still up. But I noticed that you own the domain names cuff-em.com and cushcops.com and they were both renewed on December 26, 2007.
Elwonger: And what month is it now?
Merritt: July
Elwonger: Is it 2007 anymore?
Merritt: No, it’s 2008 but still that’s pretty recent and you told Jason it had been years.
Elwonger: If you want to discuss facts I’ll do it face to face. Like I said, I’d like to meet you. But I’ll only discuss the facts.
Merritt: Well, that’s a fact. The date you renewed the site is a fact. But sure I’d love to meet you too. When?
Elwonger: I’ll have my attorney contact you and we’ll all get together.
CLICK.
Officer Elwonger, one more thing…this is so not my fault. Chief Adams already knew about this. He told us so.
I have asked her to have the site removed because it was done in violation of our written directives against using city or police department police positions or equipment (uniform etc.) for personal gain. This was conveyed to Suzette a week ago.
Maybe you should have taken it down a week ago?
This is probably enough already. Despite the fact she wasn’t supposed to have a picture of the UPPD uniform appearing online, the lady hasn’t done anything legally wrong. If she wasn’t showing her body on that site, you probably would have never even written that blog. At this point, what are you trying to prove?
Have to agree with JS - enough already. There’s no reason to keep pushing this issue, as it sounds like it’s being dealt with and was not that big of a deal in the first place.
Come on, Merritt, use your power for good, not evil.
I found this a bit amusing that something so small to be blown up. I don’t think Merritt was doing anything wrong, just returning a call and planning a lunch date for two that quickly turned to three with the late addition of an attorney. I would like to know how the meeting goes.
Why is this whole issue being discussed here? Why didn’t you just tell the Chief about it instead of making the issue public?
Oh, that’s right! You said someone told the Chief about it before you posted. I can’t imagine who that someone would have been. hmmm.
Exactly what has Elwonger done wrong? This whole thing could not be handled more childishly. She considered (or is still considering) doing a reality show. Big. Deal.
WCM, I think if you look at Jason’s post, you’ll see a response from the Chief. In it, he said that he was at a conference earlier where they recommended Googling their officers. I believe he also said that’s how he found out.
Having a domain name and, in the past, wanting to acquire others, I can say that just because a domain name is renewed doesn’t mean that it is active. Should she have cleared the website of content? Sure. But I can understand her not wanting to give up the domain name. Merritt, don’t plan on your kids being chosen to give speeches at the end-of-year DARE program.
When we take out our frustrations about someone we have disagreements with on their kids it exposes us to be very small people. I am assuming that in the end this officer will be the kind of person that Chief Adams thinks she is and will not hold a grudge.
OK - so let me get this straight. Chief Adams had already Googled her or whatever, and knew, and told her to take the site down last week. Merritt happens upon it this week, post it, and she acts like this is the first she’s heard of it?
It was a bone-headed idea to begin with. Nearly every police department I know of has some kind of rule that its officers cannot use their official capacity and its trappings to obtain other work without express, sometimes even written, permission of their chief.
She’s making Merritt out to be the bad guy when it was her inability to follow the chain of command and her department’s standard operating procedures that got her into trouble.
That being said, should it mean she gets fired? No. But from what Chief Adams said, it doesn’t look like that was on the table anyway.
I smell a publicity stunt with Officer Elwonger using Merritt to hide behind her shady actions which aren’t in compliance with her work’s code of conduct. As this situation unfolds, it is more and more apparent Merritt was just a pawn in Officer Elwonger’s game to avoid trouble with her boss. I wonder if a reprimand, suspension or even “mutual agreement” termination will be in place by Friday afternoon?
Bethany - I re-read the post and you’re right. Sorry Merritt!!
JB Hayes - What are you smokin’?
WCM - it’s my perspective. Ms. Elwonger should stop digging the hole she’s in and pick on someone other than Merritt. I threw in speculation for an eyebrow raiser and clearly it worked!
BusyGuy’s been on sabbatical for awhile but this situation has prodded him off the couch and onto his soapbox. First thing: why is everybody crucifying Merritt Patterson when it was Officer Elwonger who was in violation of her employment conditions? Really, the whole thing is just a tempest in a teapot and one which appears to have been rectified by Chief Adam’s intervention as Ofc. Elwonger’s employee, but why are there so many posts talking smack about Merritt? All she did was report the story (and a juicy little one it was, I might add). The other thing is this; if you read the original post and follow the link to the “Cush Cops” pitch, it’s pretty insulting to the UPPD, implying that their officers sit around with nothing better to do than rescue stray ducklings or pranksters putting soap in the fountain. I have a feeling that our local men and women in blue would take umbrage with that description. Sure, they’re kind enough to rescue a lost animal, but they’re also the people who keep this community safe and do a damn fine job of it, too. Officer Elwonger, didn’t you think your pitch might reflect poorly on your department and co-workers? Or maybe you’re so dazed by your own fabulousity that you just didn’t think at all? Finally, what is it with all these everyday people thinking their lives are so doggone interesting that the rest of us would want to put our own lives on “pause” so we can watch theirs? BusyGuy thinks it’s a dreadful trend and wishes everyone would go back to lying in hammocks reading a good book.
Right on, BusyGuy. May I suggest a couple of good books?
Maybe Officer Elwonger could write one of those good books. BTW, I wonder why a “law enforcer” is also a rule breaker without much acceptance of personal responsibility. Disturbing.
I’m impressed that BusyGuy can use the phrase “tempest in a teapot” in a very well written and stirring post.
How is Elwonger making Merritt look like the bad guy here? As far as I can see, it isn’t Elwonger who is here making petty posts in hopes of rallying others around this public crucifixion of someone who serves our community.
JB Hayes, how is Elwonger picking on Merritt? That is absurd. Merritt is the one acting extremely childish continuing to make a story out of nothing. She just won’t drop the subject. I guess she’s got nothing else to report on except for her rental car, every mundane detail of her kids’ camp, or this “rule breaking” cop. I can just imagine the next time the UPPD pulls her Altima over…they’re going to cite her for every possible infraction.
Bario - I think Chief Adams and his officers are much to honorable and professional to retaliate in such a way. Especially since we’re dealing with the first ammendment right of freedom of speech here.
I was kidding with that statement. But hey, rules are rules and they need to be enforced.
If you will notice: What Merritt reports on, draws responses, including yours, Bario. So, she is doing just what she is supposed to do. Advertisers love her, as do most of her readers. Go, Merritt!
Merritt has a way of exposing how silly we can behave whether we’re policemen, a mom, a dad, a middle school student, you get the idea. All of you Merritt haters add to the sillyness. I am adding to the sillyness right now. Elwonger wanted Merritt to get the facts. Merritt told her a few facts. Elwonger said she’d have her lawyer contact Merritt. That’s silly and that type of behavior is exactly why we read this blog. Because we deal with crap like this every day and we can all relate to it. Merritt should be applauded for her ability to remain grounded and keep such a realistic perspective on things and life in general. So there!
Amen Jeff!
I agree with CC - Amen Jeff! Merritt, have you heard from Elwonger’s attorney yet?
BusyGuy felt his blood pressure soar upon reading Kat’s post and decided he must return to the fray. “How is Elwonger making Merritt look like the bad guy here?” Oh, maybe by implying on this blog that she probably would be fired, thanks to Merritt’s big reveal. Geez, whatever happened to personal accountability? After all, it wasn’t Merritt that developed the “Cush Cop”(watch bored policemen rescue ducklings!) pitch. Kat also said Merritt is trying to “rally others around this public crucifixion of someone who serves our community”. That description seems pretty dramatic, since no one here has made any negative comments about Officer Elwonger’s job performance for the UP Police Department. But it defies logic to sling mud at Merritt for doing her job (reporting on community news) when Officer Elwonger was the one noncompliant with her employment directives …unless it’s a perfect opportunity for Kat to “rally others in the public crucifixion” of Merritt Patterson.
Seriously, if your blood pressure is being affected by reading this blog…
BusyGuy -
Take a breath. You’re right, no one has said anything negative about Elwonger’s performance on the job - that doesn’t matter though when the implication is there (and it certainly was in Merritt’s original post, acting like it said something about Elwonger’s job performance that she had once established that website). Same difference.
Just think there are bigger fish to fry than tattling publicly in such a gossip-y way on someone who is serving our community.
Busyguy’s blood pressure soared reading Kat’s response? Now that seems dramatic (much more dramatic than anything Kat said).
“But it defies logic to sling mud at Merritt for doing her job (reporting on community news).” The thing is, the whole issue is NOT news. It’s like a little kid tattling or not having the ability to just let something go, but it’s certainly not “community news”, just like updates from some camp is not “community news.”
Memo to Logan, Kat and JayFortay: the comment about Busyguy’s blood pressure soaring upon reading the blog was actually meant as a joke, but he does thank you all for caring! JayFortay, I used a poor choice of words when I said this story was “news”. Merritt’s contribution to the paper is that of a humor essayist, since her column typically doesn’t cover hard news, but more “fluffy” stuff. While Officer Elwonger’s career pursuits away from the station house can’t be considered “news”, I believe they were worth discussing here because fair or not, the officer is representing UP wherever she goes and whatever she does while wearing her uniform. Additionally I felt that the
“ducklings in danger” spin of the “Cush Cops” pitch might seem to belittle the department and was therefore a naive choice for her to make.
Chief Adams has done his job by policing his officers.
Officer Elwonger is doing her job according to Chief Adams, but had a problem with one of the department regulations. I am sure the Chief will handle as he seems fit.
Merritt is doing her job…journalist. Even though she writes a column ala Erma Bombeck she still is, careerwise, a journalist for a newspaper. She observes than reports. In this instance, all she did was point and offer the opinion “Yikes!” and everyone else has done the rest.
At the end of July Jason will be doing his job as editor when he hands her the bottle of Wild Turkey which I’m sure is the Hunter Thompson trophy prize for having the most posts on this blog for the month of July. Charles you had better start trolling the internet for some good material about the PC.
Isn’t James Tucker awesome?
Yes. James is my favorite conservative, although I’m not sure what “conservative” and “liberal” really mean anymore.
And don’t worry, James, I’m pacing myself for the Fall. My Fantasy Football team had an early draft this year, and I’ve been concentrating on my team.
Merritt, any updates?….or are you sitting this one out until it is over?
PK,
Yes. I thought it was better to let this one ride into the sunset but I hear that’s not happening any time soon.
No word from the attorney or from Officer Elwonger. I’m waiting by the phone.
Also, I’m really watching my speed in U.P. now.
Merritt,
I’ve heard the UPPD uses “throwdown” cell phones to set people up, so be careful.
And the first of my Captcha words is “convict,” so be doubly careful.
Charles…all you are doing is peaking Merr’s adrenalin rush! I cannot wait to see what is next!
Miles
Charles, that was very funny!
Charles, what are ” ‘throwdown’ cell phones?” How do they “set people up?”
LM,
Here’s the explanation I sent Merritt:
Well, the joke was hilarious if you got the reference. Cops have been known to carry “throwdown” guns: a handgun a cop takes off a criminal but doesn’t turn in at the station. He carries it with him and tosses it down in the course of a “search” if he can’t find any other reason to arrest someone.
In UP, of course, guns aren’t a problem, but cell phones are. Thus, a “throwdown” cell phone.
I cracked myself up with that one.
Alright, alright. Enough. Let’s admit the simple truth, which is that officer ellwonger/ellwanger/doppleganger/somethingervery clearly stated on her “‘book-’em-Danno’” website that she is, in noble fashion, foregoing service in a more genteel crowd (i think she said a more genteel “clientele” but her website has now been removed) to swing with and arrest the likes of us. And that kind of straight talk is just plain painful.