Free Winston Robinson!
If you are a reporter with the cop beat, there is no story more loathsome than the cop-gets-transferred story. These stories are boring and usually filled with anonymous hand-wringing and inside-baseball org charts that in the end offer very little consequences for the average reader. The only people who care about police officials getting a transfer slip are other cops.
Write enough of these stories, and you will swear off the police beat. These stories will wreck you.
Bill Myers, a reporter for the Examiner, is the latest victim in the cop-transfer genre with his piece on Asst. Chief Winston Robinson’s taking over the police academy in Blue Plains. Myers was saddled with this grabber headline: “Assistant Police Chief Named To Head Academy.” Who the hell is going to read any further?
So Myers tried to juice his story with one ancient story and some dubious allegations that have gone unproven. What’s his lead graph?
“D.C. police Assistant Chief Winston Robinson has been on the job for nearly 40 years. His behavior has caused him trouble for nearly as long.”
I’m gonna call bullshit!
What are Myers’ facts? An incident in 1985 (that’s more than 20 years ago!) in which he crashed his car, ran, and probably gave a fake name to police. Bad. Embarrassing. Maybe even troubling. But again, more than 20 years ago. And there’s something to be said for redemption.
The next incident Myers brings up is from 2004. Robinson was accused of fudging crime stats. But, Myers, has to write, that an investigation cleared the assistant chief.
The last bit of dirt Myers has is an unresolved allegation about a consulting contract. Zzzzzz.
The only thing Myers has against Robinson that is actually true is the 1985 incident. Here’s what else is true that Myers failed to mention:
Robinson was probably the longest serving commander in the history of the department having headed up the 7th District for roughly a decade. The 7th District does not include Georgetown, a monument, or any decent retail. It had/has a lot of open-air drug markets, some of the worst schools (Hart, Ballou, etc.), and a lot of violence. But Robinson held his own there and he actually earned the respect of a lot of police. He was one of the few top brass to give resources to solving cold murder cases.
I have no doubt that getting a transfer to the police academy might feel like a demotion. After all, it’s teaching. And the academy is in Blue Plains. But Myers doesn’t interview Robinson.
Maybe if Myers did a little more real reporting, he would have found out more about what Robinson is really like, how other cops see him, and what he will actually be doing at the academy. Instead, he trumpets one tired incident and some unfounded garbage to make his point. Myers: Stay away from the cop transfer story!
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1:33 pm
Do you homework next time Jason, not only did Assistant Cheif Robinson who was a Captain at the time crash his car, he fled when officers attempted to talk to him, he assaulted those officers and had to be subduded forcefully, and then gave a fake name when he was arrested. His high ranking friends ordered his release from custody without charge. See “The Death of a Police Department” written by Cart T. Rowan, Jr. He was involved in covering up for a high ranking official who had dirty urine when he was in charge of the Police & Fire Clinic, and most recently he was involved in that case where a DC officer was stopped coming back from overseas with 90 lbs of cocaine. Chief Lanier talks about integrity all the time, how can someone with this kind of history be placed in such a position of trust. Chief Lanier is operating with two standards one for officers and one for senior managers.
2:38 pm
“The last bit of dirt Myers has is an unresolved allegation about a consulting contract. Zzzzzz.”
Really? In a post that takes another reporter to task on his reporting, this is pretty irresponsible. Isn’t Cherkis supposed to be a “senior writer” or something? It must be a great comfort to city workers to know that issues like this will be automatically written off as insignificant or boring by the City Paper.
Also, and this is again directed to the “senior writer” who did this post, is “Zzzzzz” the best you could do?
3:29 pm
This is what Myers’ original story says about the consulting contract:
“Last year, Robinson was questioned by internal investigators for his consulting contract with a Guyanese security firm.”
That’s it. That’s all the info we get in the entire story.
ZZZZZZZZZ
4:25 pm
I have issues with the original story as well, and this Cherkis piece ably pointed some of them out. But responding to the consulting contract issue (whatever it may be) with “zzzzzz” still seems irresponsible and lazy.
12:07 pm
Please, Robinson has had more domestic violence issues, sexual harassment issues, than any one on the police department. And the Guyanese thing, how about the two police officers with the 90+pounds of cocaine that was brought back from one of those same consulting positions (ironically, the Guyanese government turned to DC cops for training on ETHICS!!!!) Robinson interfered with the ongoing ICE Task Force investigation, forcing the DC detective to retire because he would not update Robinson weekly on the status of the case. Robinson was TOTALLY aware of all of the illegal activities of the members of the Narcotics Branch — theft of property, body/cavity searches, missing drugs, missing money, driving stolen cars, a commander and captain taking kickbacks — HE DID NOTHING TO STOP IT!!! He is still here because is as corrupt as Lanier…
10:53 am
Ten30dc with others has said a lot about many people that I know is not true. In most cases they have included a partial truth to make the overall lie sound true. I worked for Chief Robinson during my time at the 7th District and I know about that 1985 incident. I know the officers on the scene at the time. I wasn’t there and don’t have the rights to write about it one way or the other. I was there for the years I worked with Chief Robinson when he was the Commander of the 7th District and he was one of the better commanders I have worked for.
As far as allegations, everyone has them and they need to be proven or disproven. I wouldn’t put much stock into those who write in to a blog for the world to read dishonoring everyone but themselves and then hides their identity.
Becoming a police officer is a calling few can do and fewer can do well. Good police officers must put others before themselves. Those officers who write about unsubstantiated allegations about their fellow officers only create bias against the good officers and no good can become of it. Maybe they should first build a reputation by being a good police officer and then say what they need to say without hiding who they are.
Those who speak the truth don’t hide who they are because they are willing to be accountable for what they say. I stand behind what I have to say and anyone who wants to speak with me directly may write me at divemaster911@gmail.com. I retired a few weeks ago and have nothing to gain.