Don't expect to see any heads rolling
at the Oregon State Police over the recent Boxing & Wrestling
Commission scandals. When last heard from, the Oregon State Police
promised to investigate complaints that the Oregon State Boxing
and Wrestling Commission had gone goofy in the hands of a new,
in-experienced Executive Director. Now the guy who supervised the
Executive Director during all the foolery is the new boss of the
department that's supposed to be doing the big investigation.
A lot of boxing commissions are part of other government
departments--In Texas it's the Department of Labor, for example,
and in Washington it's the Department of Licensing. The Oregon
Boxing & Wrestling commission has been a division of the
Oregon State Police since 1993. Technically all licenses are
issued in the name of the Superintendent of State Police. Although
the Commission was originally part of OSP's Criminal Investigation
Division, a few years back it was moved into the Gaming
Enforcement Division which deals with the state lottery,
video-poker and Indian Casinos. The Commission consists of five
volunteer advisors who have no real authority and are appointed by
the Superintendent of State Police. The staff is one paid
civilian, the Executive Director, who does all the actual work and
is answerable to the State Police chain of command.
In the wake of a February 19
show at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon, came revelations
that somebody foisted a phony drug test on the Executive Director,
Jim Cassidy, allowing a boxer who actually tested positive for an
illegal substance to fight on the card. Other irregularities with
that small club show, as reported by CBZ, included a fighters'
contract not being enforced, an unlicensed cornerman, and neither
the real promoter nor the real matchmaker of the show were
licensed by the state. Director Cassidy allowed these
unlicensed characters to operate, and busted his butt to help
them.
The Roseland fiasco prompted
a licensed Oregon boxing judge to file a formal complaint with the
Governor, the Attorney General and the Superintendent of State
Police listing dozens of violations of both state and federal
boxing laws either permitted or committed by the Executive
Director during six shows since Jim Cassidy was hired in
1999. The complaints ranged from false advertising to allowing
boxers to fight while they were on the national suspension list.
In fact, three suspended boxers appeared on a single Oregon card.
The complaint filed in March by Portland real
estate broker and boxing judge Denis Ryan, named both Cassidy and
his immediate boss, Captain Robert Miller of OSP, as responsible
for the errors. Miller, the commander of the Gaming
Enforcement Division, hired and trained Cassidy and supervised his
work.
CBZ reported these events, and the May 3
issue of Willamette Week newspaper, a powerful weekly in Portland,
OR, ran a lengthy cover story by writer Mac Montandon, describing
the problems and complaints. The headline read, "On The
Ropes; After 15 years in a coma, boxing is back in Oregon and as
dirty as ever."
Captain Miller ordered one of his Gaming
Enforcement investigators, Sergeant Burdick, to conduct a criminal
investigation of the falsified drug report at the Roseland Theater
show. Sgt. Burdick has turned his findings over to the
Multnomah Co. District Attorney for review.
Meanwhile, the Superintendent of State
Police ordered the Professional Standards division, which looks
into allegations against OSP staff members, to investigate
the complaints against Cassidy and Miller.
On Thursday, June 29, the OSP public
information officer, Lieutenant Greg Hastings returned a phone
call from CBZ. Hastings said that in a recent organizational
shuffle the Boxing & Wrestling Commission and Indian Gaming
Enforcement have been moved out of the Lottery Division and are,
once again, under the supervision of the Criminal Investigation
division commanded by Captain Ed Mauery.
This seems appropriate and even hopeful.
Investigative techniques are needed for researching license
applications and records, and during past years when the
Commission was under the Criminal Division it had a national
reputation for strict enforcement and leading edge safety
measures.
Lieutenant Hastings had other news that was a
little bewildering. Captain Robert Miller is now the Director of
Professional Standards. Hastings confirmed that is the department
investigating the complaints against Captain Miller and Commission
Executive Director Cassidy. Hastings said there may be somebody
else supervising that investigation since Miller was named in the
complaint.
CBZ replied that it would be difficult for officers to investigate
a complaint that named their boss. Lieutenant Hastings agreed.
"We wouldn't do that," he said. "That would be
wrong." He promised to check on the arrangement and call
back.
True to his word, Lt. Hastings phoned again the following day. He
said an inspector has been assigned to investigate the boxing
complaints, and Captain Miller will review the findings. The
findings on any complaints dealing with Captain Miller will not be
reviewed by Miller, but by his commander, Major Greg Willeford.
CBZ has a copy of the complaint, and about half of the 26 alleged
violations list Captain Miller as well as Director Cassidy. CBZ
can confirm that Miller attended virtually every Commission
meeting, weigh-in and boxing show during the year in question.
Miller was not exactly a distant, hands-off supervisor.
Considering the ancient problem of conflict of interest, CBZ asked
Lt. Hastings the same question we'd raised the day before.
"Don't you think it would be hard for an officer to
investigate a complaint in which one of the named subjects is his
boss?"
"I don't think so," answered Hastings.
And he said goodbye.
So...Call us cynical but we aren't looking for the Dudley
Do-Rights to jump all spraddled out on their in-house dingbats any
time soon
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