Fabian Cota, Mesa Police Union Official, Reportedly Tells San Diego Cops: "Take Me to Jail ... Dickweeds!"

A San Diego police report shows that Fabian Cota, president of the Mesa Police Association, was trying to protect the honor of a female friend before being handcuffed and hauled off to a drunk tank.

Cota, who's currently on disciplinary probation with Mesa PD, as we reported earlier today, presented a danger to himself or others because he was so wasted, the report states. The cop-on-cop fun began when two of San Diego's finest happened to pull up behind a human-powered "pedi-cab" and noticed two obviously inebriated women stumble out. One of them walked up to a car, keys in hand, slurring her words as she spoke to two men in the pedi-cab.

"You're not going to drive, are you?" one of the cops asked the woman. That was the plan, she informed him. The two cops intervened and asked the pedi-cab to move along.

That's when Cota, one of the pedi-cab riders, spoke up. He became argumentative and accused the officers of harassing the woman:

"Why are you being such dickweeds to her?" he inquired of the cops, according to the report.

The cop talking to the woman who wanted to drive had to repeat himself several times to be heard over Cota's yelling, even though Cota was 20 feet away, the report states.

"I told Cota to leave because he was intoxicated and would end up in jail if he stayed," Officer Justin Mattly wrote in his report. "Cota said, 'Well take me to jail you fucking dickweeds!"

Cota was asked to step out of the pedi-cab. He told the officers he wanted to find his car so he could leave, the report says. Mattly told him he was too drunk to drive, slapped on some cuffs and drove Cota to "detox." On the way, Cota told the officer he'd intended to drive back to his hotel.

"I asked Cota what hotel he was staying at and he could not remember," Mattly wrote.

At the detox station, a drunk-tank facility, Cota asked to speak to supervisors. He also passed out three times -- once on the way to detox and twice while at the facility, says the report.

San Diego Detective Gary Hassen told New Times earlier today that people taken into custody for public intoxication are often allowed to sober up at the detox station rather than face criminal charges. After a mandatory four-hour stay in the facility, Cota was allowed to leave without further problem and won't be charged.

As our previous blog post mentioned, though, Cota's been assigned to administrative duties in lieu of a possible internal investigation.

This is one hangover sure to leave a lingering headache.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2011/06/fabian_cota_mesa_police_union.php

Mesa police union president detained in alcohol incident

Mesa Police Association President Sgt. Fabian Cota is the subject of an investigation after being detained early Saturday by San Diego police on a charge of disorderly conduct involving alcohol.

Cota, a 26-year police veteran, was not arrested but was "detained by the San Diego Police Department and was taken to detox and released from there," said Detective Gary Hassen, a San Diego police spokesman.

Mesa police officials learned of the incident Saturday morning, said Sgt. Ed Wessing, a Mesa police spokesman. By Monday, Cota was "assigned to an administrative function, while we pursue an internal investigation."

Initially, Mesa police officials were told Cota was arrested, but later learned he was detained, processed and held in detox. California law allows people to be held for at least four hours and released without charges after sobering up.

Cota makes $88,420 per year as a sergeant and $12,000 per year as union president. Cota also serves as vice president of the Arizona Police Association and did not return messages seeking comment.

Mesa police's investigation will determine whether Cota violated any department code-of-conduct policies.

Kevin Christopher, a city spokesman, said the City Manager's Office is allowing the Police Department to handle an investigation into the matter.

It's unclear how the incident will affect his position as leader of Mesa's police union. MPA officials were not immediately available for comment.

Cota's brush with the law comes after he completed a three-day suspension without pay and as he remains on one-year probation. The discipline is tied to Cota not properly reporting how an employee list was used during the department's February 2010 election between the MPA and rival Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9.

That investigation centered on how the MPA's parent organization, the Arizona Police Association, received a list of police officer names, which were used to e-mail an election flier. The FOP lodged a complaint, stating the MPA violated election rules barring the use of city resources for the election.

City officials told investigators Cota changed his story when questioned about how the APA received the list. Cota denied their allegations and said his former girlfriend, Stacey Dillon, who handles the MPA's media relations, forwarded the contact info to the APA.

The City Council went on to nullify the February 2010 election results and ordered a new election be held last October.

MPA won that contest and Cota is in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding, which will outline how the organization will communicate with the city on future policy issues.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2011/06/06/20110606mesa-police-union-president-detained-california-alcohol-incident.html