Opinion ID: 2615078
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Necessary and Timely Efforts

Text: The Commission upheld Sgt. Holloway's dismissal on the further ground that Sgt. Holloway failed to exert necessary and timely efforts within his authority, to terminate conditions generating aforementioned criticisms when identified and instructed by the Ada County Sheriff. There was no evidence presented to the Commission that Sgt. Holloway did not immediately act on each and every one of the Sheriff's requests or orders. There were three meetings at which the Sheriff voiced opposition to some facet of the solicitation scheme. At the first meeting, the Sheriff essentially told Sgt. Holloway not to go through with the telephone solicitation at all. However, this order or request was rescinded by the Sheriff at later meetings at which he told Sgt. Holloway that [i]f he was going to do it, he had to be legal. In response to the question by counsel for Sgt. Holloway: But he could go ahead with the promotion as long as it was legal? Sheriff Palmer answered, Yes, I guess he could. I couldn't stop him. After the second meeting on August 30, 1978, Sgt. Holloway notified Wildwood of the Sheriff's complaints and requested that the cause of the complaints be rectified. It was at this time that Wildwood applied for a solicitation license with the Boise City License Commission. After the third meeting on September 7, 1978, Sgt. Holloway contacted Wildwood and again asked that no reference be made in the solicitation to the Sheriff or the Department. In addition, he composed a letter which again spelled out a proper solicitation format which would comply with the Sheriff's wishes. [12] The following day, the solicitation was discontinued by Wildwood on its own initiative after it was notified that a $5,000 bond would have to be posted in order to obtain a license from the Boise City License Commission. Six days after the solicitation was discontinued, on September 14, 1978, Sgt. Holloway was on duty when he was called to the office of Sheriff Palmer. As he stepped into the office, Sgt. Holloway was handed his termination letter notifying him of his dismissal, effective immediately. The record clearly demonstrates that Sgt. Holloway did everything within his power to comply with the Sheriff's wishes and to not bring either the Sheriff or the Sheriff's Department into any disrepute. Thus, we hold that there is not substantial evidence to support the Commission's finding that Sgt. Holloway failed to exert necessary and timely efforts ... to terminate conditions generating aforementioned criticisms when identified and instructed by the Ada County Sheriff. Therefore, the record cannot support a determination that there existed such a grave and immediate danger to legitimate state interests as to constitute cause for Sgt. Holloway's dismissal.