On Saturday, Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter posted a video responding to the criticism his department has received in the wake of two episodes of Leah Remini’s A&E series Scientology and the Aftermath.
In the video, Chief Slaughter said he didn’t appreciate his officers being criticized, and that his department is caught in the middle of a dispute between a controversial church and its critics.
We responded yesterday, pointing out that people who have had to deal with Scientology in Clearwater tell us they don’t perceive the local police as a neutral party, and that it often seems to operate as Scientology’s private army.
In fact, Clearwater police officers get extra pay by working for Scientology on their off-duty hours, but Chief Slaughter anticipated that criticism and said that only 3.4 percent of extra-duty pay comes from working for the church.
We tried to reach the chief’s public information officer yesterday, hoping to see a full breakdown of those extra-duty assignments. Did that 3.4 percent only include the Church of Scientology, or did it also account for work paid for by the Flag Service Organization, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, the Religious Technology Center, and all of the other entities that Scientology controls but that don’t actually have the name “Scientology” in them?
The PIO, department spokesman Rob Shaw, hasn’t returned our call yet. But we hope he does because we have another question we’d like to ask, and it involves an 18-year-old video that was shot by Mark Bunker.
In the summer of 2000, Bunker put together a really excellent short documentary for the Lisa McPherson Trust, which he was working for at the time. It contained interviews with retired Clearwater Police Lieutenant Ray Emmons and former Clearwater Mayor Gabe Cazares, as well as footage of Clearwater police officers clearly favoring Scientology and bullying people who had come to town to protest the church.
But what caught our eye was something at the very end of the video. Bunker had obtained a list from the department showing how much Clearwater police officers had made that year up to the end of August in extra-duty pay working for the church.
This was a list of officers who had been paid to work during their off-duty hours for the Church of Scientology, and it was above and beyond what they took home from the city working for the department.
As the names continued to scroll, we were a little surprised to see one name in particular.
We called Mark Bunker and asked him. Is the “Slaughter” in that list referring to Daniel Slaughter, who today is the chief of police? (Slaughter himself, in his video Saturday, said that he has been working on the force since 1992.)
Bunker said that it was indeed the same Daniel Slaughter. And besides the fact that he was one of the top earners of Scientology money in the first eight months of 2000, there was another pretty interesting detail.
“He was the officer in charge of that detail,” Mark told us. “He was the guy overseeing the officers who worked for the church.”
You. Don’t. Say.
Here again is the chief, speaking in his video on Saturday: “The mere suggestion that our officers exist to serve any religious organization, specifically Scientology, is patently false and an affront to our officers and the great community we serve.”
We’d like to believe that is true, chief. We really would.
We’re going to leave you with this short video we put together, drawing some contrast between Clearwater leaders, past and present.
——————–
Meanwhile, last night on Twitter
9:22 pm Eastern:
Watching the @Scientology ad like… pic.twitter.com/iCnkfmTS8l
Advertisement— Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) February 4, 2019
10:32 pm:
Has #Scientology's fake grassroots campaign Stand League written a letter blasting Kraft Foods and Planters for the "bigotry" demonstrated by Mr. Peanut and the brilliant shade it threw at Scientology's Super Bowl ad yet? The thing writes itself. Get Ed Parkin on that shit, stat. https://t.co/xzrYxr0uyi
— Tony Ortega (@TonyOrtega94) February 4, 2019
10:44 pm:
11:31 pm:
——————–
Start making your plans!
——————–
Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Are you Sci-Curious? Here’s Scientology’s 2018 Super Bowl ad
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s Super Bowl ad: Here’s your sneak peek at what it’s going to be like
[THREE years ago] When David Miscavige was riding high with ‘The Basics’ — The 2008 New Year’s event!
[FOUR years ago] LEAH REMINI IN TALKS TO SUE SCIENTOLOGY: MIKE RINDER TESTIMONY
[FIVE years ago] It’s a make-or-break day for Monique Rathbun vs Scientology in a Texas courtroom
[SIX years ago] Best Twitter Reactions to Scientology’s Super Bowl Ad
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology wants it both ways: The Church’s opposite legal strategies in Florida and Texas
——————–
Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,350 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,481 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,983 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,463 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 526 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 414 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,721 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,589 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,363 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,137 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,483 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,049 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 6,969 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,136 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,717 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,977 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,017 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,729 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,255 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,344 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,484 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,804 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,660 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,779 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,135 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,437 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,543 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,946 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,817 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,400 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,895 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,149 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,258 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on February 4, 2019 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
