The Associated Press
GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) -- Sheriff’s deputies are banding together to protect their interests in the face of several lawsuits and demotions since the election of Sheriff Dave Gray.
Between 15 and 20 deputies have formed a Police Protective Association, which offers legal help to members, to address “dissatisfaction” with a variety of issues within the department, deputy John Grossnickle said.
Grossnickle declined to go into specifics, but said the group was formed to give deputies a voice in dealings with Gray, county commissioners and the media.
“Right now, we don’t want to point fingers at anybody directly (because) there aren’t any easy solutions ... and it’s necessarily the sheriff’s fault or the county commissioners’ fault,” he said. “But it’s something that needs to be brought to the forefront and maybe we can find a solution and that’s really why this was started.”
The group was news to Gray, who said he was not approached about it.
“I don’t think it’s fair to call it an association until they come to me and say they represent this many people” in the department, he said. “If it’s a union, then I guess I need to know about it.”
Three deputies have filed lawsuits against Gray and the county commission this fall, claiming they were demoted because they did not back Gray in last year’s election. Gray defeated longtime Sheriff Gary Bailiff.
Deputies Tim Merchant and Dick Blust Jr. filed their lawsuits in October, while deputy Stephen Barneski filed a similar complaint in district court last month.
Blust has since been offered a promotion to detective, but has not made a decision on the offer.
Gray, meanwhile, acknowledged there has been some dissatisfaction within the ranks, and organized a meeting with deputies Thursday to address questions and concerns.
“Obviously if (some deputies) feel that because of mistreatment or something that they have to form a union -- and that’s usually why it’s done -- I guess I should know about it because we may be able to take care of some of those problems or concerns without them having to pay union fees,” he said.
Grossnickle said the group will meet in the next few weeks to discuss the meeting.
“We want to see if (our complaints) have been handled properly and if people are satisfied with what took place,” he said.