Document shredding puts Strike Force in doubt
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posted by Bob at Sunday, June 07, 2009
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The integrity of the team of 34 officers and supervisors from 13 local law enforcement agencies, who focus on gang- and drug-related crime, now is so damaged by the unauthorized destruction that it may never restart operations.
By RANDY FURST and PAUL McENROE, Star Tribune s taff w riters
Last update: June 7, 2009 - 8:08 AM
Featured comment
Read the full e-mail by the Strike
Force commander on the night of the shredding at www.startribune.com.
A trail of shredded documents led to three desks at the Metro Gang Strike Force headquarters. At a nearby shredder, a bin of St. Paul police reports apparently was next in line for destruction. Out back, a Dumpster brimmed with more shredded documents.
The New Brighton office where crimes were supposed to be solved was about to be treated as a crime scene: Strike Force officers had destroyed documents that authorities suspect could have explained what happened to vehicles, cash and property they'd seized during raids and arrests.
That scene was discovered by the commander of the Strike Force on the evening of May 20. He immediately ordered a halt to investigations and locked down the offices. Hennepin County crime lab technicians were called in to collect volumes of evidence. Forensic experts left the scene after 2 a.m. the next day, and the FBI immediately opened a probe into whether public corruption exists among Strike Force officers, including theft of drugs, property, cash and cars.
The integrity of the Strike Force -- a team of 34 officers and supervisors from 13 local law enforcement agencies who focus on gang- and drug-related crime -- now is so damaged by the unauthorized shredding that it's possible the 11-year-old unit may never restart operations, said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion.
"The answer will depend upon the findings of the FBI,'' he said. "We need to determine what happened that night."
Based on interviews with state and local law enforcement authorities with direct knowledge of the shredding operation, as well as e-mail correspondence obtained under the state's data practices law, the Star Tribune has pieced together the events leading up to the FBI investigation. The authorities spoke on the condition of anonymity.
An alarming tip
On the morning of May 20, a Wednesday, the state's legislative auditor released his findings that the unit lacked the most fundamental of internal controls to strictly account for what officers did with money and property they seized. Auditors found that the unit couldn't account for at least $18,000 in cash and at least 13 vehicles forfeited by owners targeted in investigations. Strike Force officers also couldn't document that they'd served notices in 202 cases where people had a right to try to recover money taken from them in the course of criminal investigations. The amount of money in question totaled more than $165,000.
As of February, the audit found, the unit had nearly $400,000 of seized cash on hand -- some of it connected to cases dating back to 2000 -- and cash for paying informants had been misused. At least $17,000 in forfeited cash had been spent without prior approval from the Strike Force's advisory board to send six officers to Hawaii for a conference in March. There was not enough administrative support to rein in cops who were spending thousands of dollars without properly accounting for it, the legislative auditor found.
The findings pointed squarely at the failure of the Strike Force and its advisory board to oversee the fiscal controls of the unit. The findings also prompted questions as to why Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher had opposed the audit. Fletcher's office was the Strike Force's fiscal agent, and Fletcher had hired Ron Ryan, his longtime friend, to command it.
The findings further deepened the mistrust between the Hennepin and Ramsey County sheriff's offices. Hennepin County Sheriff's Capt. Chris Omodt was appointed in December to take over command of the Strike Force following the retirement of the popular Ryan, a Ramsey County sheriff's employee.
After the auditor's findings were released, Omodt assured several of his officers that their investigations would continue for at least another week while a former assistant U.S. attorney and a retired FBI agent -- to be appointed by Campion -- tried to sort out everything and offer new policy guidelines. Omodt then headed home.
But he soon received a phone tip from a source that a couple of Strike Force officers had come into the New Brighton office and removed "what were described as files, work product and were essentially packing up their desks,'' according to an e-mail Omodt wrote later that night to other state and local authorities.
Cop confronts cops
Wanting to check out the tip quickly, Omodt called West St. Paul Police Chief Bud Shaver, head of the Strike Force's 13-person advisory board, who volunteered to go to the office since he was relatively close.
In the late afternoon, Shaver drove into the parking lot of the nondescript building off of County Road E. Inside, he saw cops boxing up files. He didn't recognize the officers, but he took down license plate numbers of cars parked in the lot, according to Omodt's e-mail and interviews with authorities. Soon, several more members of the Strike Force came in and started to remove property and belongings.
Shaver confronted some of the cops. An angry exchange followed. What they were doing had a criminal air, Shaver told them, and he ordered them to stop. They obliged. It would all get sorted out in the morning, Shaver explained, when officers would meet with him and Omodt.
Shaver spoke by phone with Fletcher, who according to law enforcement sources told Shaver that Shaver and Omodt couldn't deny Strike Force officers access to the building because it was leased to Ramsey County. Later, Fletcher told reporters that the officers were simply cleaning out their desks.
Fletcher did not return repeated phone calls for comment about his conversation with Shaver.
After Shaver saw what was going on, he spoke again with Omodt, and they agreed that Strike Force operations had to be suspended. Omodt went to the offices, where he conferred with Shaver, and then the police chief left. Omodt later told colleagues he was astounded at what he found inside. To Omodt, the sight before him forced him to treat the office where he worked as a potential crime scene.
Heaps of shredding
The Strike Force occupies a large, open room lined with desks and little else. The floor around three desks in particular was littered with a long trail of shredded documents.
That was significant to Omodt, authorities said, because one of the desks belonged to an officer whose responsibilities last year had included overseeing the status of forfeited cars that had not been claimed by people targeted in criminal investigations. And now the legislative auditor had questioned the location and disposition of at least 13 vehicles.
Omodt discovered other shreddings that filled two garbage cans and a Dumpster behind the building, according to his e-mail. He also found that a computer that tracked card access to the building had been powered off.
"My prior understanding is that this computer is not intended to be powered off,'' he wrote. An electronic alarm specialist was called in that night to change the computer card entry lock. The specialist said there was still a chance that a chip in the computer would maintain a record of who had accessed the office.
By midevening, at least three crime technicians had arrived in two brown Suburban mobile crime labs. "They photographed everything, documented it, packaged it, inventoried it,'' one law enforcement source said.
They left after 2 a.m. with at least five bags of shredded documents that could hold answers to what happened that day.
pmcenroe@startribune.com • 612-673-1745 rfurst@startribune.com • 612-673-7382
seems corruption in this city is alive and thriving in all areas. I think the feds should step in and take over the city.
"The findings also prompted questions as to why Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher had opposed the audit. Fletcher's office was the Strike Force's fiscal agent, and Fletcher had hired Ron Ryan, his longtime friend, to command it."
"Shaver spoke by phone with Fletcher, who according to law enforcement sources told Shaver that Shaver and Omodt couldn't deny Strike Force officers access to the building because it was leased to Ramsey County. Later, Fletcher told reporters that the officers were simply cleaning out their desks."
---------------------------------
I don't know about St Paul but, this is pretty damning. The guy in charge of the money tried to call off the independent audit of the money, hired his best friend and employee to run the unit and then instead of disciplining the 'Shredders' he goes to the press and defends them.
If st paul had this type of evidence, there would be two mayors and about nine council members with a dozen DSI employees going to jail. No, they'd be in jail.
I think the city was accused of not turning over emails but they were never found- these guys were CAUGHT shredding paperwork.
Big difference about 5 to 10.
It Bill Finney fault. THis is a setup!!!
"I think the city was accused of not turning over emails but they were never found- these guys were CAUGHT shredding paperwork."
Some of those emails were found.....they were copies in other city files. Ones such as council people using the inspections process to lower property values of owners so neighbor could take over the properites. Others were using bogus criminal warrants as a pretext for searching for code violations, and the list goes on and on and on. So in a way they were caught in the worst way because now the jury is going to use their imagination as to what else the city destroyed. Leave it to governemnt, they always go to the shredder when the heat is on.
People with nothing to hide do not destroy documents and evidence. Although some here think it's OK, go check the comments section of this story at Star Tribune. Almost overwehlmingly people think you're guilty if you're destroying documents. End of story. Only the guilty shred documents.
Any rookie cop knows when you start an investigation, everything is documented- not shredded.
The day they announce there will be an audit and an investigation (stupid Public Safety Commissioner tipping them off), these guys decide its time to clear their desks? bullshit!
Even if they were up to routine desk cleaning after hours, why disengage the computer security system?
People with nothing to hide do not sneak in their own office erasing any trace of them entering the building and then begin to shred documents after they understand there will be an investigation.
to answer 1:11
there were over 1 million emails turned in. No evidence was discovered. Case dismissed. there is no jury from a higher court, its a three judge panel at the appeals level (they lost their jury chance). Judges do not overturn the ruling of other judges without overwhelming evidence of misconduct or ambiguity within the law.
Its frightening to think you like the idea of convictions without evidence. There is no 'imagination' that equals evidence. Its why you need a weapon AND a body to prove murder.
Drew Peterson's wife has been missing for a few years now. Everybody knows he killed her. However, there is no body, therefore no evidence. No matter what imagination the jury uses, it won't fly.
This country is full of the dumbest idiots ever just walking around thinking they are informed.
Lot's of Smoke, but Where's the Fire??
So far, lots of innuendo and speculation, but where is the proof of any wrongdoing? Seems like all the politicians like Campion are jumping the gun. Other reports have stated the supposed 'missing cars' have been found. Let's go with the normal 'innocent until proven guilty' until something criminal is actually proven.
posted by guest1 on Jun. 7, 09 at 12:25 AM |
15 of 71 people liked this comment. Do you?
Yea, Minneapolis police and Ramsey County SO, is around. There is wrong doing there...How many people will get out of jail? all 34 cops should be charged ron too....
posted by wf on Jun. 7, 09 at 12:43 AM |
25 of 40 people liked this comment. Do you?
I believe we are going with innocent until proven...
guest1. That's why there's an investigation. But seriously, do you know anyone that shreds evidence by the dumpster-full when they have nothing to hide?
posted by woodtick57 on Jun. 7, 09 at 1:01 AM |
60 of 66 people liked this comment. Do you?
woodtick57 wrote:
"guest1. That's why there's an investigation. But seriously, do you know anyone that shreds evidence by the dumpster-full when they have nothing to hide?" Well, my question is, how do you know it was actually 'evidence' that was shredded? You are assuming that they shredded evidence of wrongdoing. It is possible they simply were shredding lots of routine stuff they had accumulated for 11 years that was confidential and had names of informants, and other things they did not want to fall into the wrong hands. The act of shredding documents by itself should not cause you to assume what was shredded was 'evidence' of wrongdoing. Let's let the investigation play out. It just does not seem likely to me that dozens of cops and supervisors who worked in this unit
were somehow all corrupt, and all conspired to cover up evidence of criminal activity on their part. If it turns out they were all corrupt, then we have a far worse problem than shredding.
posted by guest1 on Jun. 7, 09 at 1:17 AM |
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and they decided to shred ...
All those, at night, just as the investigation they had tried to stall several times was going to happen. Yeaaaaah....I'm leaning towards the 'far worse' scenario you laid out. Again, a fair and legal investigation will tell all.
posted by woodtick57 on Jun. 7, 09 at 1:43 AM |
53 of 59 people liked this comment. Do you?
Huh?
They were about to be investigated. WHY WERE THEY SHREDDING ANYTHING when they were about to be investigated? Standard procedure when an investigation is about to begin is to save and document EVERYTHING - NOT SHRED IT !!!!!
posted by chesterakl on Jun. 7, 09 at 1:44 AM |
55 of 57 people liked this comment. Do you?
This is very disappointing, unacceptable and tarnishes ......
the great Public Safety network this state has. I hope that the FBI is able to get to the bottom of everything and punish anyone that committed criminal offenses. I also hope that people realize that this is not indicitive of all Public Safety agencies. We need to keep government in check and this includes law enforcement entities though and I fully support investigating this and similar acts rigorously. We have to make sure our Public Safety entities are held to the highest standards and they can be trusted. We pay them well & give them good benefits and in return we should expect nothing but the most professional results.
posted by inreality on Jun. 7, 09 at 1:55 AM |
35 of 38 people liked this comment. Do you?
wow suprise ,suprise
wow really the pigs are corrupt ..wow how strange...these dirty little piggies ..oh how stinky the little piggies are
posted by poopyshoes on Jun. 7, 09 at 2:03 AM |
19 of 57 people liked this comment. Do you?
in reality...
It is NOT indicative of all our law enforcement agencies. One of the main problems was in allowing the strike force to keep and use the money and items they confiscated. There is no system of checks there and, people being people regardless of their job, that just opens the door for unchecked abuse.
posted by woodtick57 on Jun. 7, 09 at 2:31 AM |
45 of 49 people liked this comment. Do you?
People who shred evidence are hiding something
These are educated people that are trained in procedures for evidence handling and investigations. If there was nothing to hide they would not have done this knowing full well they were creating an enviornment of suspicion. Only guilty people destroy documents. People with nothing to hide want to preserve those documents so they can prove their innocence.
posted by nichole1957 on Jun. 7, 09 at 2:32 AM |
53 of 60 people liked this comment.
I think that 3 judge panel is going to give them their jury chance back on a silver platter.
6:32
It is never going back to a jury- that's called double jeopardy and its anti-constitutional.
You think there is a jury at the appeals court level?
You are asking for a process that is against the law and 230 years of precedence, to a court set-up that doesn't exist.
are feeling stupid yet? i mean can't you see that its completely possible that your the type to work for Bob Fletcher?
Go buy yourself a clue or get out of the country. You don't understand our system anyway.
"It is never going back to a jury- that's called double jeopardy and its anti-constitutional."
First you fool, double jepordy is for criminal trials and not civil trial and secondly if the appeals court send it back for trial which I am certain they will after reading some of the fact issues in what Bob had posted, they WILL send it to a jury for a decision.
It's non of your business who I work for and I have a very good handle on our "system" and how it functions.
Where IS Repke when the city needs HIM? If there is a way to wiggle out of this Repke should be able to Twist logic on its head and BS us to let these crooked cops out of this one! Con't wiat to see how he twists this!
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