Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LV police worker censured

Dispatcher lied about Moncrief's drinking

Janet Moncrief Michael McDonald

A 911 operator's job is in jeopardy after she lied to investigators about a July episode in which her accusations led police to question Las Vegas City Councilwoman Janet Moncrief on suspicion of drunken driving, Metropolitan Police Department officials said Monday.

Police civilian employee Cynthia Thomas, who has ties to Moncrief's former political foe Michael McDonald, was relieved of duty Thursday after an Internal Affairs investigation determined she violated several department policies.

The commander of the Police Department said he has not decided what discipline Thomas will face but noted that he was furious about an employee under his command abusing police powers for "political shenanigans."

"You don't use our powers, our law enforcement agency for this type of unethical and dishonest action. I'm just not going to tolerate it," Sheriff Bill Young said. "We cannot allow our employees to engage in political mischief. Our credibility is at stake."

The more than three-month investigation found Thomas, 35, accessed Moncrief's criminal history on a police database in March during the heated City Council race, which saw Moncrief defeat McDonald, a two-term incumbent, in the June 3 election.

Moncrief's police record, which includes a 1994 arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and two citations for failing to obtain a Nevada driver's license, was leaked to the news media in the final weeks of the campaign. McDonald, whose bid for re-election was stalled because of his status as a subject of an ongoing political corruption probe and past ethics troubles, used Moncrief's arrest record to question her character.

McDonald couldn't be reached for comment Monday.

Moncrief, who requested police conduct the investigation, said Monday she was pleased the matter was drawing to a close.

"I'm glad it's going to be over," she said.

In their investigation, police asked Thomas whether she had ties to McDonald. She told them that she did not know him.

But other department employees volunteered that Thomas' husband, Las Vegas police officer Scott Thomas, is a close friend of McDonald and worked on his re-election campaign.

After confirming that, Police Department investigators discovered that Scott Thomas worked with McDonald from 1996 to 1999 at the Police Department's Southeast Area Command. At one point, McDonald and Scott Thomas were teamed up as a bike patrol unit, Police Department officials said.

In all, Internal Affairs investigators found Cynthia Thomas violated three Police Department policies. Her husband was cleared of wrongdoing.

Besides inappropriately accessing Moncrief's criminal history, Deputy Chief Mike Ault said, investigators found that Cynthia Thomas lied to police during the Internal Affairs investigation and engaged in conduct unbecoming a department employee.

The incident that prompted the investigation occurred July 10, when Cynthia Thomas reported to police that she was trailing a drunken driver who had pulled into Fellini's Italian Dining on West Charleston Boulevard and entered the restaurant.

Soon officers arrived and escorted Moncrief from the restaurant where they administered a field sobriety test and determined the councilwoman was not intoxicated.

Moncrief said police allowed her to confront Thomas that evening.

According to Moncrief, Thomas told her she had recognized the councilwoman earlier in the evening at the Ice House, where Moncrief had met an attorney to discuss a council matter before driving to Fellini's.

Thomas accused Moncrief of having three drinks during her meeting at the new downtown lounge.

"The investigation found that this was untrue," Ault said.

Moncrief said she had a single drink, a vanilla vodka, during the two-hour meeting.

Because she found the incident "suspicious," Moncrief phoned Young in July to find out how she came under law enforcement scrutiny. The Internal Affairs Bureau probe followed.

"I found it very unusual to be selected out of 75 people (at the Ice House). That that person watched me and went through the difficulty of getting in a car to follow me and drive about 5 miles to another restaurant," Moncrief said Monday. "It was obviously very set up."

Moncrief said Cynthia Thomas' link to McDonald "fits a pattern of suspicion."

Cynthia Thomas' conduct unbecoming violation stems from the totality of her behavior, Ault said.

"The investigation found that she created a situation that caused Moncrief embarrassment or hardship. Plus, she brought discredit to the Police Department," Ault said.

Cynthia Thomas was hired May 28, 2002, and earned about $36,000 annually as a 911 specialist at MetroComm, the Police Department's dispatch center on West Russell Road.

Asked why the probe took three months to complete, Ault said the case was extremely complex because of the number of witnesses and leads involved.

"Some of them (the witnesses) were difficult to locate or somewhat hesitant to speak to us," he said.

Although the sheriff said he has not decided how Thomas will be punished, numerous Police Department officials said she would face at least suspension but is more likely to be fired.

Under the Police Department's disciplinary guidelines, the violation of lying to police investigators during an Internal Affairs probe is enough to merit termination.