http://link.toolbot.com/dallasnews.com/60465

12:00 AM CST on Sunday, February 11, 2007
By DIANE JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning News
djennings@dallasnews.com

Since the December raid at the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant, the Cactus Police Department has been jolted by an almost total staff turnover, including the firing of Chief Tim Turley.

Mr. Turley, who was outspoken about law enforcement problems in the Panhandle town before the raid, attributes his termination to city leaders who "think the raid was my fault."

Officially, he was told the City Council simply had "no confidence" in him.

City Manager Jeff Jenkins said the firing of Mr. Turley was unrelated to the raid.

"We did not blame him at all," he said. "It was due to incompetency, misconduct, malfeasance and for lack of confidence."

Problems with the chief, primarily over his management style, occurred before the raid, Mr. Jenkins said. He declined to release Mr. Turley's personnel records, citing privacy concerns.

Mr. Turley, who had been in Cactus since 2004, said he had no disciplinary problems and was surprised by his firing.

"I did not see it coming," he said. "It just jumped up and bit me on the butt."

Three other officers have resigned from the department. The remaining officer is the new police chief, and two new officers have been hired.

Mr. Jenkins said the three other officers left for better-paying positions.

Mr. Turley said he's disappointed that people seem to overlook that hundreds were victimized by identity theft.

As police chief, he heard from those victims frequently.

The illegal immigrants "were breaking the law, and it needed to stop," he said.

Though he's been told that some people in town believe he orchestrated or knew about the raid ahead of time, he said neither is true.

"Had I had any knowledge of the raid, I dang sure wouldn't have taken a vacation day," he said.

Though the raid may have cost him his job, he still thinks it was appropriate action by federal authorities.

"I absolutely support the raid," he said. "I think it needs to be done again – they didn't go far enough."

Mr. Turley said he wouldn't mind foreign workers coming to Texas "if the government wants to initiate some sort of guest-worker program so these people can work under their real names."

"It's the fact that they're using someone else's ID [and] the seeming willingness for the city of Cactus to overlook those activities" that bothers him, Mr. Turley said.

City leaders "want to run that city as it is in Mexico," he said.