NWS Places Alleged ‘Craigslist Puppy Killer’ on Taxpayer-Paid Leave
May 31st, 2013
Taxpayers nationwide are circulating a petition to call for the firing of David Matson, a National Weather Service employee who, according to WSMV, confessed to killing as many as five or six dogs. Local animal rights activists refer to him as the “Craigslist Puppy Killer” and claim that he picked up the puppies from families who had posted on Craigslist in hopes of finding good homes for them.
According to police, Matson indicated he was angry that he didn’t receive a promotion at the National Weather Service and described beating one of the puppies to death with a tire iron, before asking police if they had ever felt so angry that they wanted to harm children or animals. Matson indicated to local reporters that the National Weather Service, an agency of the federal government, responded to the community outrage by placing him on taxpayer-paid administrative leave, which is essentially a paid vacation.
Administrative Leave: Taxpayer Funded Vacations for Government Employees Who Should Be Fired
Activists who hold public officials and government employees accountable are unfortunately all-too-familiar with the phrase “administrative leave.” Government agencies, unlike most private sector companies, rarely fire employees even if they are accused of serious violent crimes, fearing lawsuits from public sector unions. As a result, rogue government employees are typically placed on paid administrative leave when they’re charged with serious crimes that attract community outrage.
From the government’s perspective, printing the paychecks prevents unions from suing, while the administrative leave component takes the rogue individual off the job until matters cool down. However, when the community outrage dims, the government employees placed on leave often wind up back on the job.
Tennessee Is a Fire at Will State
In the interest of fairness, David Matson has not yet faced the criminal justice system. Though he allegedly confessed his crimes to police, he has now chosen to plead not guilty. He, like every other American, deserves the presumption of innocence until his guilt is proven in a court of law, no matter how heinous his crimes.
However, this is not proper justification for keeping him on the job at the National Weather Service. Matson works in Tennessee, a right-to-work, fire-at-will state. If a Tennessean worked for any private company and was caught on the news confessing to random killings of pets in the community, that individual would doubtlessly be out of a job the next day, as the company’s reputation would be put in serious jeopardy by such inflammatory allegations.
Taxpayers are right to be furious that their hard-earned dollars are going to fund a paid vacation for David Matson. The community is terrified, and animal rescue workers are doubling their efforts to spread the word to people posting pet listings on Craigslist. Police indicated that Matson was found covered in blood and confessed to his crime. While he certainly should have the presumption of innocence until he is proven guilty, the known facts are at a minimum sufficient to demonstrate that he has lost the public trust necessary to be an effective employee at the National Weather Service.
Find out where you can see Silver Circle by checking our theater and special screening schedule on -->our event page -->.
