THE VOICE OF MODESTO

I’m nineteen and a veterinary technician and my girlfriend at the time was a Modesto Police Department intern working for the Party Control Department and she was asked by Detective Rikidis if she knew anybody who would volunteer for to be a decoy for an alcohol sting operation that the Modesto police were running for the Department Alcohol Beverage Control.

I arrived at 7:00AM about an hour early and the detective went over the rules with me since it was my first and only time as a decoy. He wanted to be certain I knew everything before he went over it again with the rest of the group.

The detective had a document he was referring to as he explained all of the rules to me. I was told if the business didn’t ask for my ID and just asked me my age I was to reply that I was 21.

Yes I was trained to lie.

What you have read so far is what the transcript of the hearing shows happened that morning twelve days before Christmas last year.

Now this was his only time as a decoy but all of the others involved had done this before. Now the transcript doesn’t show if any other arrests were made that day by decoys who the MPD had trained to be deceptive in their responses to businesses. Yes trained to lie.

The Department of Alcohol Beverage Control regulations require the decoys to answer truthfully. Unfortunately an experienced Modesto Police Detective Rikidis and a Modesto Police Sergeant Stewart had trained these volunteers in a manor detrimental to the Department.

When the Administrative Law judge heard the testimony of the decoy he pointed out that Title IV California Code of Regulations states that decoy operations must be conducted in a manor which promotes fairness.

Apparently in order to allow the staff council to cover up what on the surface would seem to be a willful violation of ABC’s Regulations by the MPD the Administrate Judge suggested that the charges be dismissed.

His statements follow: when an Officer tells a decoy to lie not once, but twice, that to me does not promote fairness and if the department condones this kind of conduct, well, I’m at least disappointed. It would be shocking to me if the department says it’s okay, as long as there’s no harm.

Subsequently the cases against the business establishment Mediterrianian Market and Grill and the server were dropped.

Interim Police Chief Mike Hardin was made aware of the shocking series of events at a City Council meeting by former Mayor Carmen Sabatino and he promised to look into it.  At this time we at the Voice of Modesto are not aware that anything has been done by the department to alter the inappropriate training or discipline those involved..

Have more business been taken advantage of by decoys who were trained to lie by the Modesto Police Department?  Will Modesto be required to give back the monetary grants awarded to it by the Department of Alcohol Beverage Control?

The MPD has yet to respond to questions.