Part Three: Officer Kristof Aho’s Interview. 

Consistent with how Sarah Boggs’ complaint was handled, the administration often adopted and made use of dysfunctional workplace strategies, that is, they harnessed a poor and often harsh work environment to put forward their own agendas. Evidence for this is found throughout the many documents that were collected and generated by the internal affairs investigation.

Shoalwater Bay officer Kristof Aho’s experiences are telling, making it into the record in his October 24, 2018, internal affairs interview. The administration told Kristof that during a Council meeting police management were allowed to present their side of the case, after doing so they requested, as Aho was told, that all staff level officers be terminated. “I believe it was on Friday or maybe Monday,” Aho continued, “just before I came in here . . . but that bothers me a lot.”

Aho’s taped interview took place several weeks before Council found out about the investigation and there is no evidence that what Aho was told was accurate. It was a type of misinformation, often designed to create division, internal turmoil, and factionalism. For officer Aho the misinformation worked to provoke a type of workplace anxiety convincing him that his career was in jeopardy; along with exacerbating workplace trauma and despair, the move also intensified fear and anger against police management. 

In the months to come the administration continued to sow their share of division; at the same time after feeding on intense misinformation and gossip, internal department rancor increased exponentially, leading not only to the destruction of the police department but proved ruinous for the Shoalwater Bay administration itself. Few upper-level managers survived the police debacle for any length of time in the aftermath.

Findings:

Leaderships Use of Dysfunctional Workplace Strategies: The administration often adopts and makes use of dysfunctional workplace strategies, that is, they harness a poor and often harsh work environment to advance an agenda. Even the most idealistic administration leader in recent memory inevitably are changed by the poor workplace environment more so than they are able to change it.

Article Documentation Basis: Tribal News in Perspective: A fact-based editorial on Shoalwater Bay Tribal News based on documents, interviews, and evidence. Washington State Patrol. Internal Affairs Investigator James Riley. Case #: OU18-1445. Statement: Shoalwater Bay Tribal Officer Kristof Aho, October 24, 2018.