HEADLINE: FIX THE POLICE PROPERTY ROOM

Millions of dollars in cash, drugs and other seized evidence passes through the Hartford Police Department property room, but records are so incomplete that no one knows for sure what's actually there.

A review by the city's chief auditor concludes that as much as $271,000 in cash cannot be found, although most of it may be a matter of sloppy bookkeeping. Auditor H. Patrick Campbell initially alerted police officials to the problem in February. Incredibly, eight months later, police still have not begun an investigation, according to Mr. Campbell.

That's inexcusable, particularly in view of the fact that questions involving seized evidence first came to light more than a year ago. At that time, a Superior Court administrator and the chief state's attorney complained separately that Hartford police had not complied with thousands of court orders to turn over seized funds. At this point, there's no evidence that any of the missing money, now or then, was stolen. Most likely, the money can't be accounted for because it was not properly recorded.

City Manager Saundra Kee Borges and other officials promised reform last year. It now appears that little has changed. Mr. Campbell points to a series of lapses. Police have failed to implement recommended controls; they do not destroy seized drugs on a timely basis; and they still do not meet regularly with court officials and prosecutors to discuss the disposition of seized property. The latest audit surveyed a backlog of 2,700 cases of seized evidence involving more than $900,000 in cash, some going back 14 years. Mr. Campbell urged police to take "immediate action to investigate" these cases and dispose of them. Until police clear out old cases and adopt procedures to adequately catalogue evidence, the problem is likely to worsen . Where's the outrage? A spokesman said Police Chief Bruce P. Marquis would have no comment. Why not? Isn't Mr. Marquis concerned about this particular blight on the department's record? Deputy City Manager James F. Wright, who is the police chief's boss, said lamely that the property room is just one of many pressing issues for police. Operating a property room is not rocket science. Police have been told repeatedly that the system is broken. Fixing it should be an urgent priority.

HEADLINE: Police civil service hearing

I am writing this letter relative to the Police and Fire Civil Service Board hearing I attended Oct. 18. In my opinion, it constituted a gross misuse of public funds. The hearing was for Robert McGehee. Mr. McGehee was falsely arrested on March 23, 2000, and July 5, 2000. Although he was arrested, he was never charged with any crime.

In the first place, no crime was committed. Secondly, the statute of limitations for the crimes he was accused of had long expired even prior to the arrest. The Baton Rouge Police Department should have known this, but it was determined to make the arrest. I had the opportunity to read the probable cause in this case, and I am still astounded that any sitting judge put his signature on it.

The gun that started the investigation wound up in California. That gun was handled by the current evidence room personnel and signed as destroyed by a captain (retired) and a lieutenant (currently employed). Yet, they were never charged and put through the humiliation and expense that Mr. McGehee has had to endure.

The misuse of public funds includes the use of a private attorney representing the city's interests. The Police Department uses a private attorney to handle matters before the Civil Service Board. Mr. Joe Lotwick handles these departmental matters. Mr. McGehee's attorney, Floyd Falcon, filed motions outlining where the police chief had erred in firing Mr. McGehee.

The first motion was passed by the board in a vote of four for and one against. At that time, Mr. Lotwick stated he would seek reversal of the board's decision by the District Court. The second motion was not heard because Lotwick wanted a stay until the court can make a decision on his appeal. So the city will pay him to argue this point, and then pay him to appeal to the Court of Appeal and possibly to the state Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, McGehee has to pay his own attorney to answer the arguments. Mr. Lotwick made a snide remark as to the validity of the assistant attorney general's decision not to charge McGehee as "debatable." The criminal end of this fiasco is "over." I was in the Attorney General's Office and heard the remarks made about this case, and it wasn't at all flattering to the city's investigation of the matter.

Since the charges were dismissed, the Civil Service hearing is now being held to determine if these officers violated departmental policy. Oh, if we can't get them one way, let's try something else. If by chance a departmental violation did occur, was it a firing offense? This harassment reeks of something personal, and it seems the city cannot admit it made a mistake. Please join me in calling upon any resource(s) at your disposal to right this wrong.

HEADLINE: Policeman cleared of misconduct 

Prosecutors have declined to press charges against a policeman accused of stealing ammunition for personal use and watching women undress while on duty.

The decision came after Oregon State Police looked into allegations that Sgt.Jaime Greer conducted personal business while on duty, stole city property and engaged in immoral conduct. The allegations were made by the police union this summer.

Greer allegedly stole ammunition and glow sticks from a locker in the  evidence room at the Winston police station. Greer admitted to OSP that he took two boxes of ammunition for himself and another officer.

Greer said he also took glow sticks from the station for personal use. He  told investigators he didn't consider it theft because he used them as a public relations tool. Police also investigated allegations that Greer, while on duty, watched Women undress through binoculars.

According to the OSP report, when asked if he had ever watched women undress while on duty, Greer said: "No, not that I can remember. No, I don't think I have. The department does not even have binoculars." The police union also alleged that Greer used city equipment to solicit business for a computer company he represented.

After reviewing the various findings, prosecutors decided that criminal charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.The state ethics commission and Winston Police Chief Bruce Justis and City Manager Bruce Kelly are also conducting investigations into similar allegations against Greer.

HEADLINE: 5 Ex-Deputies Focus of Drug Case; Prince William Assists Probe of
Stolen Cocaine, Steroids

Prince William County authorities are overseeing an investigation into five former Stafford County sheriff's deputies who allegedly were stealing and using cocaine and steroids that had been seized during criminal investigations, and officials said that indictments could be handed down as early as this week.

The investigation is focusing on a Stafford County detective who Authorities say made off with an unspecified amount of cocaine and steroids that had been confiscated during several recent narcotics investigations in which he was involved. Law enforcement officials said that the detective took small amounts of the drugs from the evidence room while pretending to work on the cases and that in several instances he sold steroids to at least four other deputies.

Stafford County Sheriff Charles E. Jett (R) said that all five deputies were quickly removed from their posts after the thefts were discovered in late September and that they no longer work in the department. Authorities did not release the names of the deputies, citing an ongoing investigation and the fact that none of them has yet been charged with a crime.

Prince William Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert, who was called in as a special prosecutor, said his office is assisting the investigation and is working on possible charges against the deputies. "The allegations are that [the Stafford detective] was illegally using drugs which had been seized as evidence," Ebert said. "While certainly not common, unfortunately this is something that happens."

Jett said the detective was interviewed by supervisors after they noticed several suspicious activities and witnessed behavior "that in their mind was suggestive of drug usage." After the detective was interviewed, Jett said, an internal investigation showed a number of odd entries in record books and identified small amounts of cocaine and steroids that had gone missing in recent months.

"The investigation showed that he had consumed drugs that were seized during the course of drug investigations," Jett said. "They were drugs that were in the custody and control of the Sheriff's Office."

Sources said the detective is also suspected of obtaining steroids from a local health club, which he then sold to other deputies. The four other deputies who were removed from the Stafford office are suspected of buying and using the steroids, authorities said.

The five former deputies -- three assigned to narcotics investigations and two in uniformed patrol -- represent a loss of nearly 5 percent of the 106 sworn deputies on the Stafford force. Jett said it was a significant loss that the office is trying to fill. "The bottom line is that they not only destroyed their own careers and reputation but they damaged law enforcement officers here and elsewhere," Jett said. "When those who are there to enforce laws instead choose to break them, they hurt everyone."

Jett said a representative of the Prince William County police is also working with his administration to assist the investigation, which could expand. Authorities will likely seek indictments, including drug possession and grand larceny, when the grand jury meets next month in Stafford. "Internally, I've done what I needed to do," Jett said. "This was one person causing trouble and involving a few others."

HEADLINE: Arrest of three deputies is no surprise in Frio County Federal indictment alleges 5-year spree of burglary, extortion

PEARSALL, Texas - The need for rain and the fate of the high-school football team are the fundamentals of conversation in the coffee shops and grocery stores here.

Lately, another topic took precedence in this farming community 60 miles southwest of San Antonio: the FBI's arrest of three former Frio County sheriff's deputies in an alleged five-year crime spree of burglary, extortion, and arson. Trouble in the scandal-plagued Frio County Sheriff's Department came as no surprise to county residents. Last year, Sheriff Carl Burris left office with a 10-year sentence in federal prison for selling marijuana to cover the theft of federal funds. "Police are the people who are supposed to help us, protect us. But these guys got away with stuff because they were the law," said Oralia Martinez, manager of a Pearsall convenience store. "When this happens, who do you trust?"

On Oct. 11, FBI agents arrested former deputies Tim O. Duncan, 30, Christopher J. Westbrook, 29, and John C. Waldrum, 33, on a federal civil rights indictment charging them with more than 30 counts each involving a variety of crimes of betraying public trust. All three men - who at one time represented one-third of the sheriff department's staff and earned about $ 20,000 annually - pleaded not guilty. Mr. Westbrook and Mr. Waldrum were freed on bond. Mr. Duncan, however, was jailed without bond on a separate charge that he threatened to kill an FBI agent during an interview with court officials the day after his arrest. None of the three men could be reached for comment.

According to court papers, the three former deputies, acting in pairs or all together, set up illegal traffic stops in an attempt to extort from drivers traveling through the county. They are also alleged to have stolen property from impounded cars and from outlying ranches while responding to burglary calls.

The loot, ranging from tools and women's dresses to household items, cellular phones, and a turkey call, was carried off in marked patrol cars, generally during the night shift, which all three deputies worked on a permanent basis, authorities said. Prosecutors said Mr. Waldrum and Mr. Duncan also stole a number of firearms from the evidence room at the Pearsall Police Department.

Even the dead weren't safe. On Jan. 6, 2000, according to the indictment, Mr. Waldrum and Mr. Duncan took a camouflage jacket from a body they found in a field in Frio County after answering a call. During a detention hearing, federal agents portrayed Mr. Duncan as a "mean and scary" man who shot animals around town, pistol-whipped suspects, and bragged about inflicting pain. During a search of his home, agents found a homemade silencer and tennis balls filled with explosives.
According to an FBI affidavit, Mr. Duncan told pretrial services personnel, "I think it would be worth going to jail for the rest of my life to get the opportunity" to kill the FBI agent who arrested him. For law enforcement officials, the allegations represent a breach of public trust.

"Law enforcement officers who abuse their authority by preying on the very citizens they are sworn to protect and serve will be held accountable," said Ralph F. Boyd Jr., assistant attorney general for civil rights in Washington, D.C. "What hurts is that this spills over to the rest of us. People associate all law enforcement officers with[what] these guys were pulling in the county," Pearsall Police Chief Ray Talamantes said.

For Sheriff Lionel Trevino, who took office Jan. 1, the arrests mean he and his eight-member department can breathe a little easier. FBI officials credit the department's assistance in investigating the former deputies. "I'm relieved. Now, we can go about our business of enforcing the law and starting to rebuild the community's trust," Sheriff Trevino said.

Some Frio County residents weren't surprised by the arrests. Stories circulated throughout the county about strange goings-on. Some residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they believed the deputies were thieves, but didn't know whom to tell.
"When the deputies are the bad guys, who are you going to file a report with?" asked one man at the Cactus Bowl Caf in Pearsall.

Ms. Martinez agreed. "We had heard rumors about the deputies for a long time. But that's all, just rumors," Ms. Martinez said. "I don't think anyone was
 afraid of them. We just didn't trust them."

Nor did local police. But the realities of rural law enforcement meant police still had to work with the people they no longer trusted, Chief Talamantes said. "We couldn't shut the deputies out of our cases. They were often the only backup we had," he said. "We knew those three were under investigation and we were leery of working with them at crime scenes."

Like others in the community, police heard rumors about the alleged Bullying and thuggish behavior. But the public never came forward with any complaints. "It appears they targeted illegal aliens and other people who weren't going to complain," the chief said. "We had all these burglaries and animals getting shot occurring on their watch and apparently it was all being done by the people you're supposed to trust." Authorities acknowledge the investigation of the three former deputies grew out of the lengthy investigation of former Sheriff Burris. Their alleged criminal activities, however, appear to be separate from the former sheriff's.

People in Frio County wonder why it took so long for anyone to investigate the former deputies. They remember that Mr. Burris remained sheriff for two years after his arrest.

Sheriff Trevino is most concerned about trust. "I think people are glad about the arrests. It lets all the hard feelings come to a head and out in the open. We'll get that public trust back." It will be a long haul. "There's still a lot of skepticism," he said. "But I think people are starting to see there's been a big change in the department. They're starting to come around."

Not exactly. Ms. Martinez pauses only to make change for a customer. "This has been going on a long time. We don't know who is in control," Ms. Martinez said. "We have a new sheriff and he seems to be trying. But trust for the sheriff's office? No. Not for a long, long time. Not in this town."