As I write thisletter, I am not certain of the reason I am pressed to put my story on paper. Perhaps, it is because I know it is the only way the truth about my experience will ever reach the ears of those people in my home town. Perhaps, it is because writing is therapeutic for me, and something tells me that inscription will help me purge myself of the foul taste which unrepentant injustice has left in my mind and heart. I have thought about posting it on my Facebook page or sending it to the local newspaper in hopes that someone there might have enough conscience left to actually do a little honest investigation. Although my hopes for that ever happening are next to nonexistent, I will begin my side of the story with thanking those to whom I will be eternally grateful.
As a native of Tucson, I have been called many things by many people. I am fortunate enough to be called “husband” by a very loving and caring wife. I am called “dad” by two of the best kids any man could ever hope to have. I am called “son” and “brother” by incredibly reassuring parents and siblings. I am called “friend” by a group of people who have been more supportive throughout this process than I could have ever hoped for. I have also enjoyed being called “coach” by many Little Leaguers, and it pains me to think any of those young gentlemen may have been led to think I would have or could have been involved with the criminal activity now associated with what was my good name. To those I coached, let me assure you, it just isn’t the way it was reported by our “hard working” local press.
I appreciate the names and adjectives applied to me by my various Tucson Police supervisors under whom I have worked. Words they applied to me are more appreciated now than ever. Their descriptions of “hard working”, “highly motivated”, and “honest” reassure me that they recognized me for the officer I always tried to be.
In July of 2015, former police chief Roberto Villasenor chose different names to describe me. He decided to call me a liar and a criminal. In my 13 years as a law enforcement officer, I had grown accustom to being called horrible names by the worst this county and city had to offer. Having someone of such a respected office as police chief calling me horrible names was a shock and an affront to my expectations of fairness from all policing authorities. Ignoring evidence indicating I was innocent of his charges, Roberto chose to tell my wife, my children, my family, and my friends that I had violated state law. I can only guess the reasons this retiring chief chose to ignore so much evidence in his determination to brand me as someone he needed to rid his department of. What I do know is that he was applying for positions in other cities at the same time he was “cleaning up the Tucson Police Department”. I’m all for terminating any “dirty”cop, but I’m also for fairness and utilizing all evidence available in making determinations.
The accusations used to terminate my career in law enforcement were nothing that the love and support of my family and friends combined with a lot of hard work will not overcome. However, listening to what reporters “regurgitated” on what seemed like a daily basis did get to me. I wondered what had happened to old fashioned Investigative reporting. Could not one of them ask why 4 out of the 6 members of my chain of command had come to a completely different conclusion about my innocence than the chief had? Could not one of them have opened a file and read the comments made by those 4 members of my command?
Had the facts in my case peaked the curiosity of even one of these reporters, he or she would have found information written in my file such as; “…there is no evidence that Detective Walker received any VIP or sexual favors during hismassage…”, “…the preponderance of the evidence indicates that Detective Walker purposely chose a service that did not advertise sexually related services and did not engage in any prostitution services…”, and “…there is no specific evidence to indicate Detective Walker received a sexual favor during hismassageor violated any laws…” Those who investigated my case used varying facts to support their conclusions. They noted that my phone number showed up on their warrant list one time in one place. They noted that the investigation showed the advertisement to which I responded stated, “This is not a sexualmassageso please don’t ask. That means no VIP sorry…” They noted that there were two different ads with two obviously different services being offered, and I had called the “massageonly” ad one time. It was also noted that I was not recognized by any of the “adult service” employees in a photo lineup.
Tucson’s retiring chief chose to focus on one question from one illegally given and poorly administered polygraph test which indicated that I was trying to be deceitful. This department polygraph was the only truthful justification he offered on the form utilized by the city to justify disciplinary actions. In addition, he refused to allow into my file the fact that I passed a second polygraph test which I had paid for out of my own pocket. Why? I had specifically chosen a professional polygraph company with a polygraphist that had 20 years’ experience. I chose the company because of its professional reputation within the law enforcement community. The company is utilized by several law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona for background polygraphs. After passing this test, I ensured the department received acopy of it, and within 24 hours, I was informed that the chief refused to allow its results to be included in my case file. His decision made certain that no one else would see the results of the passed test and they would only have the results of the test he had illegally ordered. Why?
In addition to his refusal to consider my passed polygraph test, Roberto appeared to be “confused” about the location of the ad I had answered. After admitting that there are legitimate services on the site this advertisement was found, he stated that the “adult” section of the website was nothing but advertisements for prostitution. What he couldn’t or wouldn’t acknowledge was that the ad I answered was not in the adult section. He falsely claimed in his public statement that I had done business within the “adult” section. At first, I thought that it was simply an oversight on his part which would be corrected after I brought it to the attention of the department. However, he chose to stand by his false statement and go public with this very erroneous document. I am careful about calling anyone a liar or a criminal unless I personally know them and their habits, so perhaps someone can give me a name for somebody that knowingly provides false statements on public documents. Perhaps somebody can also provide me a name for a police officer that conceals evidence. After providing a colleague with the documentation of the claims I have made above, he asked me an interesting question, “If someone is ready to be that unfair to one of his own, what might he have done to “criminals” along his climb to his high office?”
So, you can imagine my frustration when I watched for a year as article after article regurgitated from this man’s claims that I was a liar and a criminal. It is true that the city spent a lot of money training me to question and investigate, but I believe that even without that training, I would have been able to sniff out the true facts in a case like mine. The concealed evidence and the results of the second polygraph test would have taken minimal effort to discover by any reporter who had the knowledge of how to do a public records request and the ability to read.
Since my termination, I have come a long way in picking up the pieces of my life. I want to publicly thank my wife and family for their support, as they have made moving on possible. The friends that have been by my side through this entire ordeal have been invaluable. I find myself with mixed emotions as I will always miss working with the vast majority of those that serve at the Tucson Police Department. Their honor and hard work is on display on a daily basis, and I admire them. They do an incredibly difficult job, and the city council does not deserve them. Fortunately, their integrity will not allow them to give as little as they get.