REPORT: CHIEF OF POLICE IN VIOLATION OF RULES

Tempe Police Chief Ralph Tranter violated the city's personnel rules
and police code of conduct when he wrote a letter recommending
probation for a councilwoman's son, a report released Tuesday concludes.

The $15,000 investigation, completed by an outside attorney hired by
the city, said Tranter used unethical conduct that impaired city
employees' performance when he recommended probation in a letter on
behalf of Colby Carter, 31, in a drug case Tempe police handled.

Tranter refused to comment Tuesday but earlier said he wrote the
letter "as a citizen who is familiar with situations like these."
"There was no intent to intervene in the (police) investigation," he
said.

Carter was arrested March 18, 2005, on suspicion of five felony counts
involving growing and possessing marijuana. He faced up to three years
in prison but was sentenced March 3 to two years probation, four
months work furlough and the minimum of 240 hours of community service.

The chief and Councilwoman Barb Carter have stressed that Tranter
volunteered to write the Oct. 4 letter, adding that it wasn't written
on city letterhead and that he used his name but not his title.

On Tuesday, City Manager Will Manley praised Tranter's track record
but would not elaborate on the findings.

"The report speaks for itself," Manley said, adding that it may be
more than a week until he makes a decision about possible discipline.
"In the next few weeks, I will direct my full attention to this matter."

Mayor Hugh Hallman also praised the chief, who has served on the Tempe
police force for three decades.

"Any department would be hard pressed to find a better chief of
police," he said.

Manley said he learned of the chief's letter when two city employees
brought it to his attention in November.

According to the report, Tranter's role as a public servant is not
limited to his time at work or the performance of his official duties.
The report said that although Tranter did not write the letter on city
letterhead or mention his title, he knew of the risk that his job
status would be discovered.

And even though he said he asked Carter's defense attorney not to
mention his status, the attorney did when he presented information to
the county attorney.

The report also found that Tranter had never met Colby Carter until a
meeting with him and Barb Carter to discuss Colby's progress.

Although Tranter has acknowledged writing other letters like it, he
said in the investigation that as chief he has never written another
letter recommending probation on behalf of a defendant.