Photo by Metro VNI

A California man who was “seriously considering” moving his family to the city of Colorado Springs said he changed his mind after watching a story about the botched Hooters case on ABC’s 20/20.

“I write tonight to congratulate Colorado Springs on your corrupt police force, as displayed on tonight’s episode of ’20/20,’” Landon Miller said Friday in an email to City Council members.

“To see sworn officers drinking on duty, and framing innocent restaurant employees, combined with the fact that the (City Attorney’s Office) prosecuted on such patently false evidence, shows that Colorado Springs is as corrupt a city as one might find,” he wrote.

City Councilwoman Lisa Czelatdko responded to Miller’s email.

Her response infuriated Miller.

“Councilmember Czelatdko’s reply is arrogant and personally insulting,” Miller said in an email to The Gazette.

“I appreciate that my message to the council members is blunt; however, to receive the council member’s response below was rather a shock.  One would think a public official would be rather more diplomatic, and would certainly not resort to insulting a potential resident, taxpayer, and voter of Colorado Springs,” he said.

Czelatdko accused the news media of getting the story wrong.

“Seemingly these days, all media stories presented are missing accuracy, truthfulness, and fairness,” said Czelatdko

“I think most people realize that when reading a paper or watching television, or they should,” she said.

Czelatdko has become leery of reporters after reports that she — according to her Facebook page — “pulled the city Councilmember card” to score concert tickets. Czelatdko later claimed she was being a smart-aleck.

The Gazette has written numerous stories about the police investigation against Hooters and waitress Illysa Medina. None of those stories has required a correction.

Here’s the email that Miller sent to City Council:

Good Evening,

I write tonight to congratulate Colorado Springs on your corrupt police force, as displayed on tonight’s episode of “20/20″.  To see sworn officers drinking on duty, and framing innocent restaurant employees, combined with the fact that the District Attorney prosecuted on such patently false evidence, shows that Colorado Springs is as corrupt a city as one might find.

The reason my opinion should matter to you, is that I am looking to relocate my family from Southern California.  Until tonight’s broadcast, Colorado Springs was one of three metropolitan areas I was seriously considering.  I will now never seriously consider Colorado Springs as a potential hometown.  Congratulations on allowing such corruption to flourish in your city.  I for one will now never visit, based upon what I saw tonight.

Sincerely,

Landon Miller

Here’s Czelatdko’s response to Miller:

Lisa Czelatdko

Mr. Miller,

Seemingly these days, all media stories presented are missing accuracy, truthfulness, and fairness. I think most people realize that when reading a paper or watching television, or they should. Our police department has many intelligent, committed, staff that protect this community and have the willingness to put their lives on the line dealing with individuals that choose to break the law, choose to harm others, choose to no longer care about this society.  Im assuming if Colorado Springs was one of your family’ s city choices it was because of the incredible weather, surrounding aesthetic beauty, top educational choices, and incomparably low property and utility taxes. Colorado Springs is a city of over 400,000 plus people and like any City, we have problems. A corrupt police force is not one of them.

Sincerely,
Lisa Czelatdko (sa-lot-ko)
District 3 City Councilmember
City of Colorado Springs

Here’s Miller’s response to Czelatdko, which he also sent to interim Police Chief Pete Carey, council members and The Gazette:

Good Day,

I live in Southern California, and am planning in the long-term to permanently move my family out of California.  Colorado Springs was one of the areas on my short list of possible relocation destinations, until I saw the ABC 20/20 segment last night about the Illysa Medina prosecution.  I grew admittedly angry at the Colorado Springs Police Department officers in the story, for their fraudulent account of the incident at Hooters.  In my anger, I searched last night for the CSPD Police Chief’s e-mail address, to share my disgust.  While I could not find his address, I found the e-mail address for all city council members on the city’s web site, and sent the council members a blunt message, which I enclose below, indicating the depth of my disgust at the behavior of the CSPD officers.

To my surprise, I received a response this morning from Lisa Czelatdko, District 3 City Councilmember.  Much of my surprise results from the fact that the response is not an auto-generated, “We’ve received your e-mail message” reply, but rather personally written and focused.  The remainder of my surprise results from the fact that Councilmember Czelatdko’s reply is arrogant and personally insulting.  I appreciate that my message to the council members is blunt; however, to receive the council member’s response below was rather a shock.  One would think a public official would be rather more diplomatic, and would certainly not resort to insulting a potential resident, taxpayer, and voter of Colorado Springs.

It is also noteworthy that Ms. Czelatdko copied her reply to all of her city council member peers, as well as Peter Carey, the interim CSPD police chief.

I read Daniel Chacon’s September 21st story this morning, which confirms my view, namely that the bringing of fraudulent charges by CSPD sworn officers is tolerated by CSPD leadership.  Indeed, Mr. Chacon’s article provides confirmation of this state of affairs, per the comments of CSPD spokesman Sgt. Steve Noblitt, and the referenced comments attributed to interim chief Carey.  It is shocking that a public official’s response to this state of affairs is so arrogantly unapologetic, and in fact was intentionally rude.

Landon Miller