Jobs scarce after ‘ratting out’ corrupt cops
“When you’re a cop and you’re a tattletale, nobody wants any part of you.”
“When I got out of the Marines, I was a federal cop in Hawaii and California. We worked on military installations as federal civilians. We did the policing on the bases so that the MPs could go deploy.
“But I ended up being a tattletale. I’m a rat. I ratted out other cops. But when people are corrupt, I don’t care who it is, if you’re a cop or a civilian. If you break the law, I’m going to tell on you. That’s my job, to report violations. Even if you’re the chief, then so be it.
“It happened in California. The chief and deputy chief were strong-arming military families while their husbands and wives were serving overseas. That’s not right. I just couldn’t keep quiet about that. I got there in October and I reported it in December.
“They did everything they could to force me out. They threatened me with this, threatened me with that. They tried to terminate me. I said, ‘Go ahead, terminate me. I’ll see you in court.’ I got my job back and they didn’t. The chief and deputy chief both got relieved.
“But it was the other officers who ended up forcing me out. There were a lot of places out there where someone could disappear, and that sort of thing. So I had to leave.
“Unfortunately, after that, nobody has wanted to touch me. When you’re a cop and you’re a tattletale, nobody wants any part of you. But I knew what would happen. I knew the minute I opened my mouth, that was the end of my career.”
— Robert Ortiz
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