Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi
Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m. Aug. 18.
Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. “Jim” Akagi is retiring in October, officials said Friday.
The retirement announcement was made by the Oak Ridge City Manager’s Office.
Akagi has been police chief since July 1, 2011. His retirement is effective October 20.
Akagi has led 64 sworn members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, managed the acquisition of new equipment for the department, achieved funding for a new radio and police software system, and increased training opportunities for Oak Ridge officers, a press release said.
“The Oak Ridge Police Department has progressed in its levels of professionalism on a number of fronts,†City Manager Mark Watson said in the press release. “Chief Akagi has led those efforts, particularly in the areas of external relations with our schools and our minority communities. After 35 years in federal and local law enforcement, Chief Akagi desires to devote more time to family and friends.â€
Akagi will transition day-to-day command to Deputy Chief Robin Smith between now and his retirement date, and he will be assisting Smith, who has been acting chief, with information that is needed about specific departmental missions, the press release said.
Akagi, who is not working under a contract with the city, was placed on paid administrative leave on Thursday, July 19, He was still on leave this week and wasn’t working “on site,” Watson said Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately clear Friday evening if that was still the case.
On Wednesday, Watson said he had had two discussions with Akagi since last week. Watson said he has looked at some “material stuff” in three letters sent anonymously in June and July to city officials and the media, among other people, and he had been evaluating some other issues also. Two of the letters weren’t factual, Watson said, and the third one included more information and had taken more time to evaluate. It was a lot of information to pull together, Watson said. He had not talked to officers, the city manager said Wednesday.
The letters were not signed, but they said they were from Oak Ridge Police Department employees. One letter said it represented an “overwhelming majority†of ORPD members. The letters raised a number of concerns, including about the work environment, policy decisions, and turnover, and they asked for Akagi’s removal or termination. They also sought an investigation by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (P.O.S.T.) or some other “independent and unbiased agency.†They said conditions had not improved since a 2015 review by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee and have gotten worse instead.
It wasn’t clear Friday evening if the letters or any other issues played a role in the retirement announcement. Oak Ridge Today has asked the city about that, but we haven’t received a response yet to that specific question. It’s not clear how the process might have been affected, if at all, by Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs serving as acting city manager while Watson was out of town in July when Akagi was placed on administrative leave.
The city has responded to a few other questions that were raised by readers about the police chief’s retirement and that Oak Ridge Today sent to the city. Watson has confirmed that Akagi will keep his retirement and P.O.S.T. certification. Whatever is allowed under P.O.S.T. will determine his concealed carry status, Watson said. His city vehicle is in the process of being turned in. Akagi will receive standard salary until October 20, when he will be “eligible to receive payment for any accrued vacation time remaining as is normal practice for all city employees,” the city said in a brief statement. Employees are vested in the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System after five years. (Akagi has worked here for seven.)
Akagi sent a letter to staff on Friday afternoon, which is reprinted here:
From: Akagi James T.
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2018 3:04 PM
To: Police (All)
Subject: Thanks and FarewellAll,
After more than 35 years in law enforcement, I will retire in October. No words can express how grateful I am for the privilege of working alongside you. Our team and this place have been my family and home for the past seven years. Working with people so spectacularly talented was a blessing to me, and it will be a blessing to you as well as you continue to perform the critical mission of providing public safety for Oak Ridge and its citizens. It has been incredibly humbling to lead such a dedicated, capable and professional staff. Thank you for teaching and inspiring me every day, and allowing me to do the same for you. You created some great memories along the way, and for these I am most appreciative.
Surprisingly, this was not a hard decision to make. In the past few weeks I’ve had many opportunities to experience civilian life at its best – spending time with Jana and our children, visiting old friends and travelling. I’m embarrassed to admit these were somewhat “new†experiences for me, as I came to the realization public service had eclipsed my personal time with loved ones for the past 20 years. In March 1998 I accepted my first command of a DEA office in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and I haven’t truly been “off duty†since, so retirement is something I’m very much looking forward to and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!
If I could leave you with one request, it would be to please consider setting the same personal goal as I did seven years ago – leave this organization in better shape than when you arrived. If you keep this in mind, you will never truly leave ORPD; your legacy will remain in those you teach, mentor and train. Strive for excellence, watch over your brothers and sisters and make it home to your loved ones at the end of every shift. You are well trained, well equipped and well prepared. It is my hope our paths will cross again. Jana and I plan to stay in the area, and you can reach me at my cell phone, [REDACTED], or my email, [REDACTED]. It is with sincere gratitude and appreciation I end by saying what I’ve said to you so many times before – thanks for all you do and stay safe.
Jim Akagi
Chief of Police
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers.
Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.
Copyright 2018 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
samuel hopwood says
Our long local nightmare is over. Adios chief!
Matt Bailey says
One of the finest men you’ll ever meet. A tribute to our community.
Jack Mansfield says
I told you he was in deep “do do”. The “retirement” is a white wash. He was told to resign or be terminated. He wined and cried to be allowed to “retire” and Watson agreed to let him out this way. The news release about him working with Smith during the transition is really funny…he will not darken the doors of ORPD again. His vehicle and equipment have already been obtained. He has left the building…
Emilee Howington Smith says
Tell me, Jack Mansfield, how do you know all of these details, since you are no longer on the ORPD? You seem to always have so much information and know more than everyone else. Akagi’s personnel file was spotless – no reprimands, no nothing. So what was the real reason that Akagi was forced to retire. Chief Akagi cleaned up the good ole’ boy “do nothing” ORPD that we, the community, had to suffer before he came on board. He got the officers involved with the community and provided outreach to groups that were never considered prior to his arrival. If anyone has been harassed and in a hostile work environment since Day 1, it has been Chief Akagi. The Chief has regularly been involved with various groups throughout our community and has made a difference. If the community were polled, I can guarantee it would not be Chief Akagi that was leaving. Chief Akagi has been completely transparent to Oak Ridge.
Jack Mansfield says
Very simple Emilee, I remain in touch with my friends. Akagi didn’t have to clean out a “do nothing” good ole boy system…all of us had to endure a chief who did very little, but the rest of us worked very hard to keep the department going….we were a do everything hard working team…Akagi came in to destroy it, when all he had to do was nurture and improve it, not try to kill it. He is now reaping what he has sown. I wish all of you who support him so ardently had the opportunity to work under him, then you would know as we do. You are speaking out of ignorance, I am speaking out of experience. A man with an argument can never overcome a man with the experience.
Matt Bailey says
“The rest of usâ€. I thought you were gone. The illusion you live in astounds me. Sit at home but using “us†is a little sad jack. You are retired. Or you quit. Either way, you’re not “usâ€. Clearly you’ve been a part of this mess. Here’s what some citizens may have missed : when certain elements of our residents apparently began to investigate the chiefs family, including ORPD cops and their families, that’s when the city had an obligation to step in and stop this. The treatment of his family by people surely known to you is abhorrent. You have little to hold your head up high about jack. Your dislike of the chief went far beyond acceptable standards. There were many lies in those three letters that were easily proven to be false, as Watson said. With that many lies, you embarrassed yourselves and put everything else into question. If the writers will lie in the first two letters, why would anyone believe anything else? That’s the question that every city employee must be wondering now. How do 3 anonymous letters, filled mostly with easily determined lies, get a dept head removed? And the message that a dept heads family is fair game should worry everyone.
Tracy Powers says
Except you really have no experience working for Chief Akagi, do you? You have “friends” that are still on the force from when you worked there? Even after the alleged MASS exodus due to the Chief doing his job? Their mental fortitude must be much stronger than yours, eh?
Emilee Howington Smith says
You are quite a bitter guy with all your name calling and bullying. Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black, Jack! It sounds like “your friends” seem to be revealing some very confidential details to you about this “investigation”. The community’s perception of the old ORPD (prior to Chief Akagi) was a good ole boy group who allowed drugs and thugs to get out of hand. We had none, if any, police presence in civic and community groups. You insist Akagi came in to destroy it when what he did was make everyone work and that is the reason he is so popular in the public. Take a poll of the community and you will find out that people are very upset about the turn of events. I wonder who will be next to go since anonymous letters are the new process to getting rid of someone. No need to even have an HR.
Mike Mahathy says
If I never hear your name again it will be too soon. You smeared and lied about a good man.
Tracy Powers says
I feel the same way, Mike. Despicable.
Mike Mahathy says
Thank you for your service Chief. It’s been an honor to know who. It’s been so good to live in a city no longer known for crime. I’m sorry you had to endure lies from people who hid behind anonymous personas.
I’m disappointed in our city manager and to some extend Council for not having followed up from the 2016 MTAS review.
Much success and happiness going forward.
Tracy Powers says
I am very sorry to see Chief Akagi resign. However, I am happy he and his family will never have to associate with the sniveling backstabbing anonymous and not so anonymous members of the of Oak Ridge.
Mark Watson, you only have positive things to say about Chief Akagi and what he has done for our city in newspaper articles and his personnel file. I want to know what exactly prompted the Chief to resign. Please don’t insult my intelligence and say this was his choice. As you can see from Jack Mansfield’s comments, he is clearly in the know about your meeting with the Chief, he was going to be fired if he didn’t resign. So I ask you, why exactly were you going to fire him? Was he not doing his job? Did you do your job when 3 years ago, MTAS suggested you follow up with several of their findings, yet there is no record of you doing l
anything they suggested. Why is that? Why did we taxpayers pay for this “investigation” if there was no follow up by you? If the Chief was not fulfilling his duties and if he “came in to destroy” the police department as Jack Mansfield claims, why is the NOTHING in his HR file? No complaints from anyone that reported to him. But the anonymous letter represented the majority. Does that make any sense to you?
It is easy for one person with a grudge to write an anonymous letter claiming to represent the majority of the police force and say anything they want.
I understand it took no time at all for Deputy Chief Robin Smith and a few others in the department to plop their feet up on their desks these past few weeks. Why weren’t there any representatives from the police force at the last 2 NAACP meetings or the school board meeting? Not the best way to start out, is it? Why was the Armed Intruder training cancelled? Don’t you think it’s important that everyone know their role if this were to happen? I, for one, will be keeping an eye on the crime stats in Oak Ridge.
Also, why did you refuse to accept or read the response Chief Akagi tried to give you in response to the allegations against him? As much as he has done for our city, you couldn’t be bothered to read it? Anonymous letters hold more weight with you?
Jack Mansfield, you write as if you were a fly on the wall in what I would expect were confidential meetings between Chief Akagi and Mr. Watson. So who would run and tell someone like you what was said? That’s a clear breach of confidentiality.
I get a kick out of you, Mr. Mansfield, acting like you were so beat down by the Chief, when in reality you “retired” after a mere 3 months under Chief Akagi. You say, “all of us had to endure a chief who did very little, but the rest of us worked very hard to keep the department going….we were a do everything hard working team.”
Sure you were.
City council members can expect to hear from many Oak Ridgers wanting answers in the coming weeks. Remember, elections are coming up.
Trina Baughn says
They were NOT anonymous.
https://trinabaughn.com/2018/08/18/they-were-not-anonymous/
Matt Bailey says
Try to keep up Trina. The three letters, which based on your FB Page you apparently knew were coming, had no names in the signature line. That’s commonly referred to as anonymous.
Trina Baughn says
Over 2/3 of the ORPD shared their stories with the acting city manager since your BFF was placed on administrative leave. Just as many, past and present, individuals spoke with MTAS. But, facts never mattered much to you since, as you’ve demonstrated repeatedly, love is blind.
Matt Bailey says
You make the assumption that 2/3 were negative. Since neither of us knows, your comment lacks validity. MTAS presented facts some folks chose to ignore. Perhaps the better question is this: why did they speak with the acting city manager? Did we close the HR dept? Since you rarely honored the chain of command concept, that likely escaped you. The Chief was put on leave to clear the building and HR was bypassed.
John Criswell says
Hey Matt! Trina’s 2/3 is correct, and they were asked to speak to the acting city manager. You crack me up with your innuendos and your holier than thou attitude. The fact is, you have nooooo idea what you are talking about and are only regurgitating the information supplied to you by your benefactors.
I want to ask all of the Akagi fan club a few questions. Is it possible that these officers are, and were, telling the truth? Why is it so hard for you to believe that there is another side to Akagi that you don’t see? All of you are intelligent people, yet you chose to be completely closed minded about this.
Let me also explain how internal investigations work in law enforcement. If you are put on administrative leave during an investigation, it means that that the accusations made are serious and rise to the level of possible suspension or termination. When an investigation ends with someone resigning or retiring, that means there was proof to the accusations and the person was given the choice to leave or be fired.
I devoted almost half of my life to the communities I worked for and never once asked for a thank you or anything in return. I did it because I felt it was my calling and my duty. Whether it was protecting my community from bad people or bad police officers, I did my job with honor and professionalism. Those of you who want to infer that I am this horrible person, ask Emilee Smith about how I have helped her working with kids, ask Angie Agle, who came to me after MTAS and asked me to assist her with a STEM project. Tracy mentioned looking in to personnel file from my employer in CA., inferring that I was a trouble maker there. I encourage you to look in to it, but I believe you won’t, because you know what you will find.
Law Enforcement meant more to me than a badge, a gun, or all the equipment. It was what I was meant to do….a calling. My heart will always wear the uniform and I will always stand up for perfect strangers who are suffering some form of intimidation. My motto has always been….Do what is right, not what is easy. Since MTAS in 2015, it has not been easy on anyone involved, but I sleep well at night knowing that I have done what is right.
If you happen to respond to any of my statements or questions, you will not likely get a response. I have said what needs to be said and it is now up to all of you to do what is right by the Officers who continue to protect this city, despite everything that has been going on. You are in the best hands you could possibly be in with Chief Smith at th helm. Look up the difference between a boss and leader, Chief Smith is a leader.
Oh ya, one last secret….you all think I was somehow involved with these anonymous letters, and have even inferred it. Let me ask you this though; have I, or any of my family, ever tried to be anonymous about any of this?
Tracy Powers says
Well, I must say, I am most impressed! It’s as if God, Himself has taken Saint Michael and Saint George and rolled them up into one being and christened him Saint-Saint John. Congratulations.
You said Matt “is only regurgitating the information supplied to you by your benefactors.” Yet, one could argue successfully that Jack Mansfield, the wives, the fb hooligans are experts in regurgitation. You only have Trina, Anthony Allen, the anonymous letters and the other hangers on to thank. I don’t believe a word they have to say.
This all consuming, obsessive fixation you people have towards the Chief and his family borders on a pathological infection. You all should get that looked at.
For me personally it will take proof, not heresay or anonymous letters. Until then, this is nothing more than a witch hunt, same as before, with no proof.
Where is the proof of these allegations? Surely, as police officers, they are well aware they have body cameras, video cameras on their phones and able to record conversations. Why not record these outbursts?
Why were there no complaints in his personnel file? Why would Mr. Watson not even bother to show enough respect to read the 30 page response Chief Akagi tried to give Mr. Watson? In all the articles Mr. Watson only has positive things to say about Chief Akagi and the work he has done in our city.
In this instance Mr. Watson was in China when the letters started rolling in. The reason he gave the citizens for placing the Chief on leave was because he was out of the country and couldn’t look into at that time, although he knew for sure 2 of the letters were lies. Was that not true?
What reason EXACTLY was given the Chief to either fire him or force him to retire?
I also believe our city council and Mr. Watson owe the citizens of OR an explanation as to what their roll was in this debacle. Why did they not see to it that Mr. Watson follow up with MTAS suggestions? Why were the Chief’s legal bills not covered 3 years ago after MTAS found the accusations to be untrue.
I look forward to receiving clear answers from you. I hope you don’t quit in the middle of a conversation.
Matt Bailey says
What you said.
John Criswell says
Tracy,
Since you did ask for some clarification, I will respond. I owe it to you since before all of this, we were friends. Some of the questions I can answer, but some I will be vague about. I agree with you, the council owes the citizens of this city, me included, the truth about why he was put on leave and then retired. The personal attack though, really? None of you truly know me as a person, which is why I tried to explain how I feel. I am not a Saint, by any means, I simply try, to the best of my abilities, to do what is right.
As far as who is supporting this fight against the Chief, you only need ask the 43 Officers and Supervisors, both former and current, about that. From the information I have, the majority of that number were current employees. Remember, I still have numerous close friends who still work at the PD.
As far as recording the outbursts, there is a department policy regarding the recording of other employees without their knowledge. Recording the Chief’s actions would violate that policy.
As far as the first two letters being false, they were not false, but were vague and did not cite specific examples like the third letter did. On that subject, the third letter mentioned many of us that have left ORPD due to Akagi. Why did the City Manager not contact any of us to try and to prove or disprove the information.
Watson was out of the country, however he had the acting City Manager investigate the accusations. The Officers were told that their interviews would be anonymous if they wanted to be interviewed. So the 2/3 number comes from the 43 current and former employees were interviewed, which is the number I was provided with by current employees. The department has an authorized strength of 65, so it would only take 21 Officers to come forward to meet the 2/3’s. Based on my information, taking in to account the former employees interviewed, there were more than 21.
I can’t tell you what was said between Akagi and Watson that led to Akagi’s retirement, because I don’t know. I can tell you again though, during my career I have seen many peers get put on admin leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Some were cleared and returned to duty, some received time off without pay and some were given a choice to be fired or retire/resign. I can promise you that none of us will truly know the contents of Watson and Akagi’s conversation because it is a personnel matter and can’t be shared.
I don’t have an obsession with Akagi, especially not his family, they have nothing to do with any of this. Since I moved on, I never gave him a second thought. I moved forward. The reason I continue to speak out is because I can. I am a citizen of this city, just like all of you, and I still care about the well being of my former coworkers. Until a person works in Law Enforcement, they will never truly understand the bond that is formed with each other. Law Enforcement Officers depend on each other to make sure they all go home at the end of their shifts. That bond never breaks.
I tried to answer most of your questions, but if I missed any, let me know. I will friend you on FB Messenger if you like, so we don’t overload this thread.
Tracy Powers says
Jack Manfield claims to know all about what happened in the meeting between the Chief and Watson. He “tells all” in one of his previous ramblings.
John, why did no one go to HR? IF they had proof, they had nothing to fear. Even Watson was singing his praises in the above article.
If there happens to be a credible source that could prove he is as bad as you all claim, I would apologize which is something I never got from those that were proven wrong the last time this happened.
John Criswell says
I am not sure what Jack does or does not know. The credible source is all of the employees who were interviewed, but I doubt they will be speaking out publicly. The sad part is, the general public will likely never be told the truth. You can choose not to believe me, but my information comes directly from several employees that were interviewed.
As far as HR goes, they were no help. I had conversations woth HR about the problems and I know for a fact that I wasn’t the only one. During my exit interview with HR I provided detailed descriptions of specific incidents that I witnessed and some that I was the target of. I was told that they already knew about all that stuff from the employees that had left before I did. This is why nobody spoke out publicly. HR is supposed to be the safety net. If they don’t help, what choice did we have?
Things are more messed up than people realize, or are told. All I can ask is for everyone to listen to all sides before jumping down the throats of those of us willing to speak out.
Matt Bailey says
Here’s the problem…2 of you are speaking out, and you left the force and Jack left several years ago. So, everything is 2nd or 3rd hand. And gloating isn’t helping the force’s image. (Would you take a job where there appears to be great glee that they “ran off the last guy”?). Combine that with anonymous letters, and fake Bobby Hill emails 3 years ago, and complete fabrications in the 3 letters and there’s a credibility problem.
Combine that with negative public (FB) comments by friends and family, there’s likely an image problem for the ORPD. Again, those comments would get most people in the private sector fired. I can’t imagine an OR cop leaving for more pay going to the lab and posting negative public comments and keeping his job. (I notice you still haven’t publicly identified those who claimed they’d work for less money if the Chief left, so I guess that was bogus, also). We’ll never know what is true as neither cops nor the chief’s comments will likely go public. I don’t see many businesses where the employees get this much input. The common theme in town seems to be that surely Mark won’t promote from within, as that seems to be where the “lack of loyalty” lies. And since we had such resounding success promoting Beams from within and the crime rate seemingly rose, that’s hopefully a non-issue. But who wants this job when the community has witnessed current cops bad mouthing the chief in public, walking away when they realized perhaps their “audience” wasn’t as friendly as they thought. That behavior won’t necessarily stop when the new person arrives. In the sports world, when an AD finds he’s got a poisoned team, he looks for a tough coach who’ll install extreme discipline. Some in the community think there are still some bad apples in the dept. A coach would run those players off somehow or whip ’em into shape. We’ll find out if perception is reality.
John Criswell says
Mr. Bailey,
Your entire comment shows how little you actually know about the life and career as a Police Officer. You continue to compare Law Enforcement to working in the civilian world. That is like comparing apples and oranges.
You are right about one thing though, I will never publicly identify anyone who has left or anyone who spoke up. If they choose to identify themselves, that is up to them.
You keep on believing what you want. I told Tracy the same thing I will tell you, I am only trying to provide the truth.
Matt Bailey says
you’re 100% right, I know very very little about it. ALL vocations are different and everyone believes their job is dramatically different than the rest–and they are. But, at the moment, the ORPD and it’s members likely have a huge credibility problem. The image of the dept. has taken a huge hit because most of the community felt the Chief eliminated many who weren’t overly productive. Very likely, many other dept’s inside the city are concerned by what has happened and they probably should be. I’m sure the Chief felt like he was providing the truth when he offered his side of the story. No one wins here. I’ll continue to wonder why the only two visible faces in all this are people who’ve left the force years ago and obviously hold some contempt for the city, the chief, the city manager, etc.
Matt Bailey says
actually, the comments about the schools was completely false, as various people refuted it. The reason it’s hard to believe that you gave the Chief little thought is because of the comments we all read by family members, including some rather vile comments that were even copied here and then deleted by John.
Emilee Howington Smith says
John,
I understand that “recording the Chief’s actions would violate that policy”, however, why didn’t anyone go to HR? Isn’t that the policy for ORPD? When you have a complaint about your supervisor or someone within the department, you go to HR if you don’t get resolution from your immediate supervisor. Why is there nothing (no complaints, negative anything except the MTAS recommendations) in the Chief’s personnel file? Did Mark Watson not do his job by providing progress reports as recommended? It said in the MTAS report that he was to provide regular progress reports, yet again, none were in his personnel file. Did anyone file a complaint with HR? Why did it take the Chief being on Administrative Leave for people to go to the acting city manager? Why weren’t these complaints made to the City Manager? Why wasn’t the Chief allowed to be heard when he was told he would be? Why did Mark Watson not only refuse to read the Chief’s document, but then wouldn’t even allow him to leave it with him? I think these are all the questions for which we are waiting for answers.
I have had several conversations with many people in the last week and there is one clear message that has come out. Mark Watson did not do his job. He did not review the Chief in 7 years and placed nothing in his personnel file. He listened to one side of the story period. He has set a dangerous precedent that anonymous letters will start the process of getting you fired. If I were a City employee, I would be pretty concerned.
John, I have a lot of respect for you and many of the other officers. What I don’t have respect for is when people personally and publicly tear apart other people (in this case, Akagi). Since his first day, terrible things were said about him by a former officer – didn’t even give him a chance. Nobody likes change and he came in and changed things. He couldn’t have been so bad – didn’t he promote you when you were coming after him the last time? We have all had bad bosses, but I can tell you that if any of us had done to those bosses what has been done to Chief Akagi, we would have been fired. As Matt said, what’s done is done.
Tracy Powers says
These questions should be easily answered unless something underhanded was going on.
Matt Bailey says
Again we have no idea what the 2/3 said. What they said is open to speculation. Neither will we ever know Jim’s response. Yet still, there are no facts we’ve heard just that the environment was bad. The bigger question is this: one anonymous letter said some guys would take less money if the chief left. That’s a fact. Who are they and has their pay been adjusted yet?
samuel hopwood says
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Why don’t you go down to city hall, knock on Watson’s door, and demand to know why he fired the chief. I’m sure he will invite you in and explain it all to you. Then you can pass it all on to Tracy. Give it a try, ole boy!
Matt Bailey says
at this point, it matters not. But I did talk to Watson in his office and expressed my opinion. Boy, you must feel rather foolish right about now, huh? Our conversation was polite and respectful and obviously we disagreed. You see Sam, I did some research and spent some time looking thru the Chief’s personnel file. I didn’t see much that was troublesome. Try getting out and doing your own research, old boy. It’s good for the soul.
samuel hopwood says
Try accepting the fact that Watson fired him and he is gone.
Elvis has left the building….
Matt Bailey says
Evidently your comprehension skills are fading Sam. I just said it matters not.
Matt Bailey says
My previous comment assumes your 2/3 figure is correct. In the past, numbers you presented were wildly wrong. You know, like droves are leaving when your own web site stated 5%. Staples has a back to school sale and calculators are relatively inexpensive.
Tracy Powers says
Trina, please!
You have the audacity to accuse someone of not caring about facts??!! You are the queen of ignoring facts if they don’t align with your agenda. Hatred has indeed blinded you. Thank goodness for records.
Tracy Powers says
Matt, have you noticed whenever a valid question is asked, no answers are given?
Emilee Howington Smith says
I just read through everything on here and I just came up with that same question, Tracy.
Tracy Powers says
Lol your link gave no names, Trina. You didn’t even say what the allegations were. You might need to take a look at what “anonymous” means. Where’s the videos of his actions that resulted in his being forced to resign?
BTW, if you’ve got the ear of the Deputy Chief and the others that concocted this to kindly take their feet off the desks? And to show up to community meetings? We’re watching.
I hope they remember everything that has happened. They need to handle some of their officers with kid gloves and don’t hurt their feelings. Tides turn like rabid dogs in this town.
Matt Bailey says
I’m even more curious after reading the comments by Bob Fowler’s wife: “we have more than one creep in this town. There’s a whole troop of them (many as you well know cowardly and anonymous)â€. Hmmm…wonder if this is her pot shot at certain remaining and retired ORPD?
Tracy Powers says
Trina, your link doesn’t prove anything lol. If they weren’t anonymous, who were they? And please, don’t post a worthless link again.
samuel hopwood says
Today the sun shines a little brighter and the birds chirp a little louder in our little village. All is well here in paradise. Thank you Mr. Watson!
Matt Bailey says
I thought the sun never shines for you in oak ridge! I’ve never seen a positive comment from you so this must be life altering for you. So, may I assume you want to return to the likes of Chief Beams? And when that crime rate rises back, will that sun still be shining?
Lauren Biloski says
I will never forget the attitude and disgust that Chief Akagi displayed one day when he was subpoenaed to testify in a Juvenile Court proceeding involving a gun and the Oak Ridge School System. His attitude and outright disregard and disrespect for the Court was obvious from the start of the proceeding. When he was called to testify, he entered the Courtroom by banging the door open and flung the swinging divide of the bar so that it banged. Defense counsel was nothing but professional and respectful and he did not demonstrate an ounce of this so-called civility that so many comment on. He had to be instructed to answer questions by the Court during his testimony. He concluded his appearance by storming off the stand and once again, opening the door so hard that it swung into the wall. If anyone else displayed that behavior they would have faced serious consequences. He not only disrespected the Court and the Justice System but also displayed behavior that was juvenile and made a mockery of the Court. This is not what a leader does and I only shudder to think of what the repercussions would have been to an Officer if they did the same.
I fully support all the ORPD Officers and have unfortunately seen too many leave our community. I am grateful that he is going to be leaving and thank everyone that came forward to notify those in Oak Ridge about the conditions in the police department. Unless you were present then why cast judgment against those who saw what his behavior was behind closed doors. If he could act like that in a Court and semi-public setting then it is not a far leap to think he acted as described by most in the Department in private!
samuel hopwood says
Well stated! Thank you!
Matt Bailey says
Your complaints is with how he opened the door? Dear God, what have we gotten to? He was mean to the door handle.
Lauren Biloski says
Did you read the comment? My complaint starts with that because what law enforcement officer is destructive and disrespectful when walking into a Courtroom? No Officer, or individual for that matter, should ever disrespect a Court. If he could not control himself in a Courtroom as a witness in the presence of a Judge who has much more authority then he did, I highly doubt he could control himself when he is calling the shots. I strongly encourage you to read the remainder of my comment and not jump to conclusions. I certainly hope that you would never deface public property in a Courthouse as a citizen because you don’t want to be there. If you think that type of behavior is acceptable then I strongly question your morals and values. One is always on their best behavior in a Courtroom and his “best†behavior was some of the worst I have seen in more than 11 years of practicing law in East Tennessee.
Tracy Powers says
“deface public property in a Courthouse” That’s a pretty big leap from opening a door and it hitting a wall.
Who knows what took place before that hearing? Perhaps he heard there were more slanderous stories being told about him. Who wouldn’t, with the back stabbers he has dealt with in OR.
Lauren Biloski says
It had absolutely nothing to do with him personally. I was present. It was concerning the General Orders of the Police Department.
Emilee Howington Smith says
She never said that it had anything to do with him personally. She said that maybe something else affected him prior to him coming into the courthouse. Maybe another officer had been killed in the country. Maybe he was dealing with something much bigger than any of us can comprehend prior to coming into the courthouse.
Tracy Powers says
Maybe they should hand out teddy bears, companion animals and set aside safe spaces.
Lauren Biloski says
They actually do hand out Teddy Bears and have therapy dogs in Juvenile Court to assist those who are testifying and try to calm children down when they are faced with the extremely difficult task of having to testify. Clearly, you have never ventured down there or you would know and all would welcome you. The Chief knowing the situation still took it upon himself to act the way he did. That is not leadership nor does it display self control. He can tell you what his “side†of the story is all he wants but I saw an extremely different side to him that day. To think he was there on official City of Oak Ridge Police Department business and represented us in Court in the manner he did was shameful. Mock my comment and thoughts all you want and show that you engage and behave just like him. There is simply no excuse or justification.
Tracy Powers says
You clearly missed the point of my comment. We were discussing the Chief and people’s overblown perception of a door hitting a wall. It obviously affected you, therefore, my suggestion that you may need a teddy bear to calm you down.
I don’t have to venture down there to know they hand out stuffed animals to children to calm them down.
Let’s discuss what I have witnessed in court in Oak Ridge the behavior of the public defenders, the judge and bailiff. I would expect one of those officials to have an issue with a guy passed out in court. Literally. He’s there on multiple charges, DUI, no ins., no license, resisting arrest, among others. Everyone in the courtroom was watching him. He comes to long enough to approach when his name is called and asks for a continuance. It’s granted and he leaves. I was speechless
I get up and follow him out only to see him get in a vehicle and DRIVE OFF! Not one of those mentioned acted as if anything was out of the ordinary!!
We all have stories and seen things that shouldn’t be, but the way Mr. Watson has handled this is wrong. There are many people in Oak Ridge that want our valid questions answered.
Tracy Powers says
You want to “thank everyone that came forward to notify those in Oak Ridge about the conditions in the police department. Unless you were present then why cast judgment against those who saw what his behavior was behind closed doors.”
Who exactly came forward and what did they say? Was it corroborated by someone else or is it like last time? Where is the proof? Half truths are not the truth. Their stories are told in such a way to make the Chief look bad. But when you ask him, as I did, you get the full story. The one that makes sense.
I would have hoped people had learned from the last time these same people told their tall tales.
Tracy Powers says
And again, not one question answered by all those who claim to be “in the know.”
Tracy Powers says
Why can’t judgment?? You’ve got it all wrong. I want to know why Mr. Watson didn’t read the Chief’s response, why force him to resign since there was nothing in his personnel file, every single article I’ve and clearly shows that Mr. Watson was very pleased with Chief’s job performance. So WHY, EXACTLY, was he forced to resign??
Tracy Powers says
Hello?
Jack Mansfield says
Well as usual Tracy and Matt ardently defend someone they only knew from his public professional persona and remain totally ignorant of his in house persona. I wish you two knew the truth. If you did, you would not be blindly ignorantly defending this man.
Forty employees gave negative comments concerning him. only two were positive during this investigation. At the end of his administrative leave he retired. If you can’t see the nexus in this, you are really blind.
I will choose to ignore your petty childish comments regarding my 33 years of dedicated professional service.
Matt Bailey says
It’s not childish to state that you left or quit shortly after he started. Didn’t you state you left after three months? So your info is second hand as is most everyone else. This is a done deal, handled horribly. Due process was ignored. Anonymous letters were given credence. Obvious bad apples left over the years. Families openly criticized bosses and in the private sector that gets you terminated. Yet some were even promoted. I notice none of you have had the professionalism to address my original concern, that his family was drug into this. And that speaks volumes.
Tracy Powers says
Maybe if Watson didn’t sing the Chief’s praises when he spoke about him, it might make more sense.
Tracy Powers says
Good grief, Jack. And, as usual, you bash someone you knew 7 years ago for 3 months. My memory is long and I remember everyone that refused to listen to the facts re the OOP, even when the DA told them there was nothing to it.
Friends and people I didn’t know turned on me like rabid dogs. I may have lost a few “friends” but the ones I made are far and away more trustworthy than any of those I lost. Many even had the gall to talk about my son that was killed on those sick, twisted OR Facebook groups. So, forgive me for not putting much credence in what those that are/were out to get him have to say.
We’ve got John Criswell saying no one knows what went on in that meeting between Watson and Akagi. He must have skimmed over your ramblings. You act as if you were right there. I guess anything goes when you’re trying to make yourself relevant.
Emilee Howington Smith says
How did you get from John’s 21 employees (past and present) to 43 employees? I am curious about one thing, Jack. How is it that you likely have what would be conceived as HR/Personnel data on this investigation? It sounds to me like someone within the department is possibly leaking information that should be kept within the department.
David Allred says
I only know three things about leadership:
1. You aren’t leading unless at least some people are uncomfortable.
2. When you are leading, expect sabotage from insiders and outsiders alike.
3. Most importantly, you aren’t leading if no one else is following.
I have no idea if Chief was leading inside the department in an acceptable manner. Some officers seem to think so, others not. As a pastor, I thought he did a good job engaging with the community. I also had some complaints, not about chief per sea, but about how some people were treated by police during arrests and the way some marginalized people were, in my experience, over-charged for certain “crimes” in order to get them to plea down in court to things that basically serve no restorative purpose at all, and mostly just pad our county conviction rates.
That’s for naught now, it’s not much of any of my business, and honestly after reading you folks go back and forth here sniping each other, I simply don’t even want to have an opinion. I would much rather read about where do we go from here… transparency is not always this community’s strong suit. I think it should be a very transparent process in appointing the next chief.