My fellow Union City Community Members:
It is not that often that I find myself sharing with the general public issues that pertain to my personal family life. I feel it is is a MUST that this be one of those rare occasions.
Throughout my entire time as your police chief, I have vowed to engage with you, be transparent with you, and stand with you as we work together to keep Union City as a pillar of community pride, trust, and public safety companionship. We have made such beautiful strides in that regard, but today we find ourselves with a level of concern (or at least curiosity) as it pertains to another city’s community crisis and its tangential impact on Union City.
By now you are probably aware of news stories about a 71-year old Sikh man was accosted by two young men as he innocently walked down a Manteca sidewalk next to a park. The two men confronted the man, apparently in an attempt to rob him, but when the elder did not cooperate, one of the men violently kicked the man in the chest, catapulting him to the ground, and then kicked him again several times as he lay defenseless on the pavement. The entire encounter was recorded on the security cameras of a nearby residence, and the footage of the crime was circulated all over Northern California news. The victim suffered only minor physical injuries, but as you can imagine, the greater Sikh community is devastated. While I was at National Night Out locations yesterday, several members of Union City's Sikh community asked me if I had heard about the disturbing crime, and they asked me to weigh in on how we could prevent this type of horrific crime in Union City.
I am completely disgusted in sharing with you that, later yesterday evening, I received a call from the Manteca PD that the suspect in this horrific crime turns out to by my 18-year old son. He has been estranged from our family and our home for several months now.
Words can barely describe how embarrassed, dejected, and hurt my wife, daughters, and I feel right now. Violence and hatred is not what we have taught our children; intolerance for others is not even in our vocabulary, let alone our values. Crime has never been an element of our household, our values, nor the character to which we hold ourselves.
Despite having the desire any parent would have in wanting to protect their child, my oath is (and always will be) to the law and my vow of integrity guides me through this horrendous difficulty. My stomach has been churning from the moment I learned this news. Even though my status as a law enforcement leader has no bearing or relation to the case whatsoever, I am nonetheless devastated by how much the nature of my son’s actions are such a departure from everything I have stood for in my personal life, and in my 37-year policing career.
My son began to lose his way a couple years ago, while he was a juvenile, running away and getting involved in a bad crowd. He pretty much divorced his friends and family, associating with people none of us knew. He got into trouble for some theft-related crimes and ended up spending several months in juvenile hall. As an adult, he was again arrested for a theft-related incident, and he ended up spending another three months in adult jail as a result. Since being released he has been wayward and has not returned to our family home for several months.
About 10am this morning, Manteca police tracked, found, and arrested my son in Modesto. My wife and I worked with Manteca PD to help them track him down and arrest him. He now faces serious felony charges for which, if convicted, he stands to spend a considerable about of time in prison. My family is shaken to the core. His sisters (one corporate and the other about to start law school), are at a loss to understand any of this.
It's difficult for us to comprehend how one of three kids who grew up with the same parents, under the same roof, with the same rules and same values and character could wander so far astray. We simply don't know why, or how we got here. In the eyes of the public, no matter the irrelevance to the incident, the fact remains that the father of the perpetrator of this despicable crime is a police chief, period. One cannot expect the general public (our Sikh community in particular) to factor in any sentiment that would distinguish this from the integrity of my family name. I pray that we, as a community, in conjunction with my family, can get through this and be even stronger as a result.
It's difficult for us to comprehend how one of three kids who grew up with the same parents, under the same roof, with the same rules and same values and character could wander so far astray. We simply don't know why, or how we got here. In the eyes of the public, no matter the irrelevance to the incident, the fact remains that the father of the perpetrator of this despicable crime is a police chief, period. One cannot expect the general public (our Sikh community in particular) to factor in any sentiment that would distinguish this from the integrity of my family name. I pray that we, as a community, in conjunction with my family, can get through this and be even stronger as a result.
I wish to express my sincerest appreciation to so many of you from the Union City Community who have expressed your kindness and empathy for the victim and his family, the Manteca community, and for me. You are the true spirit of character that makes this community so great.
Chief McAllister