Police Chief Greg Ray – I knew the second I read the charge – I’m fighting this!

Reinstated Sheffield Police Chief Greg Ray is greeted by supportive officers as he returns to work.

SHEFFIELD – The Quad-Cities asked for and was granted the first comprehensive interview with Greg Ray, reinstated Thursday afternoon to his position as Sheffield’s Police Chief, by the Civil Service Board.

Ray was relieved of his duties in October 2012 by Mayor Ian Sanford who alleged numerous inefficiencies in Ray’s work performance. The defrocked leader of Sheffield’s Police Force decided on the very day he was fired to not go out without a fight.

We interviewed Chief Ray in his office on Friday morning, a scant 3 hours after he made his odds-beating return to The Municipal Building.

Steve Wiggins – How has this experience been, Greg?

Greg Ray – Well, I’m not going to lie to you Steve… It’s been tough. When it first happened, you know… it’s like anything you try to cope with it and deal with it, and after it set in, it got tough, sure… sure did. It was a tough time of the year. I had some medical problems and my mother had some medical problems that I had to deal with at the same time. It was like, you know, looking at losing your career and your reputation all at the same time. It was tough. And we (Ray and his wife) dealt with it. I don’t know if we dealt with it the best way we could, but we did it the best we could.

Steve Wiggins – How was your wife? She was a big support?

Greg Ray – Oh yeah. Without a doubt! I actually had several people comment who attended the hearing tell me (that they were impressed by) how supportive she was.

Steve Wiggins – So when did you decide to fight this thing?

Sheffield Police Chief Greg Ray back at work in his office.

Greg Ray – The day it happened! I mean…The second it happened, ’cause I knew that it (the complaint) was not accurate. I knew it wasn’t. I knew that in my heart and I knew that in my mind. (Ray pauses to reflect) I’m not saying I didn’t listen to what they had to say… I’d be a fool not to! But I knew the second I read the charge, I said, “This is crazy… and I’m not guilty of this… This is crazy.”

Steve Wiggins – What are your thoughts about the charges from (former City Council member) Janet McCleary? I mean, it appears to a lot of people I talked to that, he (Mayor Ian Sanford) asked McCleary to write out her complaint 3 days before he dropped the hammer? (The incident, had to do with a report she made to the Police Department several months prior. The complaint was about suspected illegal activity at a house near Riverbluff Drive that McCleary had under a real estate sales contract. Her complaint was that, even though she reported alleged suspicious activity at the property to the Police Department, there was no response to her complaint. It was proven at the hearing by Ray’s attorney, Tony Hughes, that the complaint was investigated within a half hour of notification and a report was filed. Hughes presented the official police report.)

Greg Ray – Well, doesn’t that kind of speak for itself, though?

Steve Wiggins – I mean… How did that make you feel?

Greg Ray – You know sometimes you see TV shows, fictional TV shows, where somebody’s sacrificed for the good of everybody, you know? And I kind of felt like that was happening to me. You know, they didn’t care about my career, they didn’t care about my service, you know, “Let’s just get him out, regardless of the consequences to him or his family. You know… If I had done something wrong and I had been guilty of all those charges, I would never have fought it. I would have known that I didn’t deserve to be Chief. But I knew that I wasn’t guilty of that. It was ludicrous.

Steve Wiggins – Has this changed your outlook for the future? Are you going to change the way you do business… the way you conduct yourself as Chief?

Greg Ray – I’m not going to change the way that I protect the people of Sheffield. I’m not going to do that. Well, the only way I would change anything is if I’m going to do some things better. An I going to do some administrative things differently? Sure. An I going to communicate better? Sure. ‘Cause I’m not going to sit there and say that I couldn’t have communicated better. I could have. I learned that through the process. Am I going to be a better chief? I think I will be. I’ve learned some lessons from this.

But, was I as bad a Chief as I was made out to be? Absolutely not!

Steve Wiggins – Have you spoken to Ian yet?

Greg Ray – No. Actually, I’ve only been here, like, three hours, and it’s been my personnel first. But I’m sure we will (speak). I hope we will.

Steve Wiggins – What is your goal in dealing with The Mayor?

Greg Ray – Well… We’re both adults. I think we both had the best interests of The City in mind. I honestly believe that. And let’s (Ray and Sanford) do what we’re supposed to do. He does his job… I do my job. Let’s get a common ground. Let’s do what the people expect us to do.

I mean, I want that for my family because, you know, I want good fire protection… good police service in The City. I live here. I want good schools, and… that’s what I would want them (Mayor and Police Chief) to do. And I think that’s what we’ll do together.

Steve Wiggins – Do you kind of thing you guys might go out to dinner some night and sit down and hash all this stuff out?

Greg Ray – I kind of hope so. I would… I mean, I would. I’m going to do my duty… Definitely do my duty…

Steve Wiggins – Yeah, but… The Chief of Police and The Mayor have to work ‘hand and glove’ on so many things that are important to the citizens… Practically on a daily basis.

Greg Ray – Uh huh…

Steve Wiggins – How are you going to mend these fences?

Greg Ray – You know, that’s been asked of me before. And I don’t know if I have a good answer for it. But it’s going to be done. I can tell you that! ‘Cause, it’s got to be done. I needs to be done! And we’ll do that. But once again, we’re both adults; we’re both professionals; we both have the best interests of the city in mind. And, we will.

I’m going to do my duty like I said. I guarantee you that!

Steve Wiggins – And you’re going to figure out some way of working out a positive relationship with Sanford?

Greg Ray – Absolutely! I mean… I hold no ill will against The Mayor. Absolutely do not!

Steve Wiggins – So what you’re saying is… To say that he (Sanford) went through this… and you hold no ill will… Then you must by saying to me, that in his heart, he thought that he was doing the best for The City.

Greg Ray – I do! I think that he honestly believed that. But I think it was obvious after he heard everything (at the hearing) that it wasn’t true. But I do think he felt he was doing the right thing for The City.

Steve Wiggins – That, I think is real adult of you! (chuckle or two) Now, I think that what you just said took a lot of soul-searching to be able to do that.

Greg Ray – Why sure. I mean… I am not an idiot. I know we’ve got to work together. and I want to work together. Uh… he can’t do his job without me (his Chief of Police). And I can’t do my job without him (the Mayor). We’ve got to. We can’t battle each other, and I don’t expect that we’re going to.

Steve Wiggins – Do you feel that you need to forgive him?

Greg Ray – I don’t know that forgive is the right word.

Steve Wiggins – Then what’s the word?

Greg Ray – I don’t know. That’s a good question, Steve. I don’t know.

Steve Wiggins – Well, do you have any hard feelings toward him (Sanford)?

Greg Ray – Did I like what happened? Absolutely not! But that statement that you made a little bit earlier, that he thought he was doing what was best. (short pause) I think that we’ve proved that to be wrong… and we prevailed.

Now I’m not saying it going to be just… we’re going to throw roses at each other’s feet… But, I’m going to work with The Mayor. That’s not a problem.

Steve Wiggins – If things don’t work out, it’s not going to be because you didn’t try?

Greg Ray – Absolutely!

Steve Wiggins – What do you hope for the Police Department in the next few years?

Greg Ray – I’d like to see us expand the Department, one of my long range goals. I understand the population in our City is decreasing, but it would be nice to provide a little more service to our citizens. I wish we could expand our department! I know that costs money… believe me, I do. I worry about money every day… I think that was evident. But I’d like to see us expand; be able to provide some more services to the citizens.

Steve Wiggins – Tell me about the electronics for the police cars. (That was an issue at the hearing. It was suggested by Sanford that Ray had been stalling the introduction of “e-ticketing” and some other technological improvements which required on-board computer systems in patrol vehicles. Ray answered the charge by explaining that he had been waiting on newer technology which supplanted laptop computers. Ray and Captain Fred Grabrian, the technology guru in the Department, had been looking for the newest tablet-based systems. This would allow the officer to have the technology outside of the patrol car with him/her. The idea was safety for the Officer, and a more useful piece of equipment. )

Greg Ray –  We finally found a tablet… One that’s going to work. Once we try it and it works (to our satisfaction) I’ll submit to The Council a purchase order request to get all the cars outfitted. It’s the latest technology, and I believe that its going to work. And it’s what we wanted from the start.

Steve Wiggins – I’d like to see it!

Captain Fred Grabrian shows reinstated Chief Greg Ray the new “E-Ticketing” computer soon to be installed in patrol vehicles.

And with that, the interview was over. Chief Ray took me back into the Department’s Inner Sanctum, where Captain Grabrian holes-up. Fred showed this reporter the computer, and it was quite impressive. When the systems get installed and running, he promised to give The Quad-Cities Daily the first crack at the story. Needless to say, we are excited.

The Quad-Cities Daily has made several phone calls to Mayor Ian Sanford at his office and his home in an effort to secure an interview. As of this writing on Saturday, February 16, we have not been able to reach the Mayor. But the invitation stands. We hope to bring you, our readers, the Mayors comments on this historical turn of events for the City of Sheffield.