Small Town News

City settles with officer

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Grand Coulee awarded a former police officer more than $30,000 in a negotiated settlement Monday.

In a brief special meeting Monday night, Grand Coulee City Council members agreed to award Danny Dice, $37,557.54, as the result of a grievance on being terminated.

The negotiated settlement made up the difference between what Dice got in unemployment payments and what he would have made if he had been employed.

The council also agreed that the city would pay $1,270.18, into Dice's state retirement fund.

Dice had worked at the Grand Coulee Police Department for 10 years before he was terminated for what officials said was violation of department policies and procedures.

Dice fought his discharge all the way to arbitration. On Aug. 10, arbitrator Gary L. Axon ruled in favor of Dice and negotiations started that led to the award.

Neither Police Chief Mel Hunt nor Mayor Tammara Byers would comment on the award.

Dice was terminated Aug. 8, 2008, and was unemployed until taking a position with the Pend Orielle County Sheriffs Office in Newport, Wash.

The dispute included the city's decision to terminate its drug dog program because of budget problems. City officials said it would cost $20,000 to continue the program.

However, the termination came as a result of a number of issues involving Dice and the department. The department had said Dice failed to follow up an assignment to investigate the shooting death of fellow officer Gary Moore's dog. The arbitrator stated that it was unclear that Dice had the assignment.

The second issue was that Dice had taken pictures of fellow officer Sean Cook's police vehicle parked at a female dispatcher's home in Moses Lake and then had the pictures sent to both the department and Cook's wife. Dice received a 10-day suspension for this action. The suspension was upheld.

The third issue was that Dice had handcuffed an offender in front, which city contended violated department policy. On this issue Axon ruled in Dice's favor.

Axon's determining statement was: The City of Grand Coulee is to "make grievant whole for all wages and benefits lost as a result of the termination, minus the 10-day suspension period."

The award of $37,557.54, and the $1,270.18 payment to Dice's state retirement-account does this.



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© 2010 The Star Grand Coulee, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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