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August 31, 2011 in City
Detectives probe cop’s ties to bounty hunter
Veteran officer entering 8th month of paid leave
A senior Spokane police officer has been on paid leave for seven months as detectives probe his ties to a self-styled bounty hunter and convicted felon who’s facing kidnapping and burglary charges related to his apprehension techniques.
Senior Officer Alan D. Edwards is not facing criminal charges, his attorney says, and police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said the case should be resolved shortly, while declining to discuss details.
Kirkpatrick suspended Edwards from the police force on Jan. 23 amid what she said were possible criminal charges and an internal investigation, which Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said is ongoing. The 21-year police employee continues to receive his $76,886 annual pay as the criminal probe continues.
Few details are known outside law enforcement circles about the nature of the allegations against Edwards, but his lawyer, Chris Bugbee, said his client was a witness in a larger investigation into unlicensed bounty hunter Dennis J. Kariores Jr., 40.
Bugbee said he expects Edwards to be exonerated.
“I’ve never seen a police officer who loved and respected his job as much as Alan Edwards, and he’d love to get back out there,” Bugbee said.
Kariores was charged Monday with first-degree burglary, unlawful imprisonment and second-degree kidnapping in connection with two incidents in which he allegedly detained fugitives while acting as an unlicensed bail bond agent. He’s being sought on a $150,000 warrant for his arrest. Three employees of All City Bail Bonds in Spokane are facing similar charges.
In at least one case, a fugitive was located by Kariores in Spokane Valley and taken to Spokane city limits, where Edwards met him and formally placed the suspect under arrest on a warrant out of Coeur d’Alene, according to court documents.
Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Tony Hazel declined to comment Tuesday on Edwards’ involvement in the case, citing an ongoing investigation.
Bugbee said Edwards sometimes got location tips and other information about fugitives from Kariores, as did other officers, which he said is “very common.”
“Bonding agents commonly work with officers in surrendering their clients, and oftentimes those same bonding agents are sources of information,” Bugbee said.
But Kariores is not a state-licensed bail bondsman or recovery agent. Licensed bail bond agents are prohibited from having criminal convictions that “hinder public safety or interfere with the job,” said Tony Sermonti, spokesman for the Washington Department of Licensing.
Kariores has misdemeanor convictions in Kootenai County for carrying a concealed weapon without a license and exhibiting a deadly weapon in 2005. He’s prohibited from possessing weapons because of three felony convictions for forgery, theft, and unlawful issuance of bank checks in 1992 and 1993. Still, he said in an interview earlier this month that he’s worked with local bond companies to find fugitives for the past eight years.
“Everybody knows me, from the tweakers to the police,” Kariores said before the charges were filed against him. “Unfortunately for (the police) they’ve burned a great source of information, because I’ll never tell them (stuff) again.”
Kariores did not respond to emails seeking additional comment this week. Detectives believe he may be in Colorado.
According to court documents, Kariores and licensed bond agents John P. McCormick, 43, and Eric W. Houchin, 40, went to a home in the 1100 block of North Nelson Street in February 2010 to contact suspect Clint Steenhard for failing to uphold his bond agreement with All City Bail Bonds. Steenhard’s wife, Sandra Steenhard, allowed the three inside to look for her husband.
When they didn’t find him, Kariores demanded to see Sandra Steenhard’s phone and refused to let her leave her house, prosecution documents allege. Though none had the legal authority to detain the woman, who was neither wanted by police nor in violation of a bail agreement, Kariores and Houchin wrestled Sandra Steenhard to the bed while trying to grab the phone, authorities allege. Houchin pressed a Taser to the woman’s neck but did not deploy it, according to court documents.
Kariores and Houchin handcuffed Sandra Steenhard “and threatened to have her arrested for assaulting them,” according to court documents. Prosecutors charged Kariores, Houchin and McCormick this week with first-degree burglary and unlawful imprisonment for the incident.
On Aug. 26, 2010, Kariores and licensed bond agent Charles E. Dasenbrock, 26, contacted a fugitive from Coeur d’Alene, Bryan Hamblen, at a home in the 12200 block of East Fourth Avenue in Spokane Valley. The men physically restrained Hamblen inside his apartment and transported him to Hamilton Street and Sharp Avenue, where Edwards met them and placed Hamblen under arrest.
Dasenbrock and Kariores have been charged with second-degree kidnapping for the incident; prosecutors say neither had the authority to apprehend and transport Hamblen against his will.
A man who answered the phone at All City Bail Bonds’ office on North Adams Street said Houchin, McCormick and Dasenbrock were not available.
The bond company was fined $500 last month for allowing Kariores and another unlicensed recovery agent to help Houchin force their way into a Moses Lake home last December to look for a fugitive.
Kariores said last week he’s confident he and Edwards did nothing illegal when hunting fugitives.
Although authorities have remained tight-lipped over why Edwards has spent seven months on paid leave from the police force, other details emerged recently in U.S. District Court, where a lawyer representing a drug dealer sought leniency during a sentencing hearing by advising the judge of his client’s cooperation with a police misconduct probe.
David B. Hill, a large-scale methamphetamine dealer arrested by Edwards last summer with the help of Kariores, had knowledge of the misconduct allegations and cooperated with investigators, according to court documents.
Hill’s lawyer, John McEntire, asked for him to receive a lighter sentence because of his cooperation, but a federal judge in June sentenced Hill, 43, to 15 years in prison as prosecutors recommended. McEntire did not return calls seeking comment; Hill has not yet responded to a letter sent to him in federal prison in Sheridan, Ore.
Kariores denied earlier this month working as a police informant as described in court documents; rather, he said, he stays in close contact with law enforcement because of his work as a bounty hunter. He said he has cellphone numbers for most members of the fugitive recovery task force, a federal coalition of local law enforcement, and said he often called Edwards with tips on fugitive locations because Edwards “spends hours and hours seeking people out who are on Crime Stoppers, etc.”
“When he goes out looking for people he looks for them, he doesn’t just drive around in a patrol car killing time,” Kariores said. “Edwards is a great guy. Whatever he’s done it was in a good frame of mind. He’s out there protecting the community.”
Human trafficking suspects released 
valleyman on August 31 at 7:13 a.m.
I seem to recall most departments having a policy against associating with known criminal. If Edwards was associating with Kariores and knew he was facing allegations of misdeeds, then he was in violation of departmental policy and should face sanctions as a result of this. But this is asking an administration who still employees Asst. Chief Nicks to do something about lying and corruption.
I hate to admit it, but it’s looking more and more like SPD doesn’t give a damn about ethics or much else…
misjustice on August 31 at 7:19 a.m.
I’m SURE that officer Edwards did nothing wrong…
wink, wink, wink…
mikeln on August 31 at 7:27 a.m.
He was suspended in january but arrested someone in august? Law enforcement must act within the law at all times. In this case it seems he could have been sweeping floors at the jail or washing patrol cars, not sitting at home getting paid for nothing.
johnclarke on August 31 at 7:38 a.m.
“The bond company was fined $500 last month for allowing Kariores and another unlicensed recovery agent to help Houchin force their way into a Moses Lake home last December to look for a fugitive. ”
What the hell is an “unlicensed recovery agent” ?
lewis8457 on August 31 at 7:46 a.m.
valleyman i agree with you this time
I hate to admit it, but it’s looking more and more like SPD doesn’t give a damn about ethics or much else…
Squid on August 31 at 8:15 a.m.
To catch a criminal, you gotta be a criminal.
The_Seer on August 31 at 8:18 a.m.
What’s the big deal? This simply sounds like business as usual in Spoketucky!
empyrius on August 31 at 8:21 a.m.
If any dudes other than coppers with guns and badges tries arresting me …; well . . .
there will be violence.
Ole Dave Hill got caught up in the meth dealing, sad to hear b/c I always thought deep down he has a good heart: now they dropped fifteen years on him: sad.
Paul and David Hill got the serious “red-haired step-child” treatment by the “authorities” in this city! They were doomed from the start! They already had their prison numbers printed before they even got their first juvenile probation officer . . .
This Edwards copper, doing whatever it is he is doing whlie I pay him 80 thousand a year, seems to be as morally dysfunctional as the criminals he works with on a daily basis, what term do they whip out of their cute little DSMV booklet . . .:
uhhh, yes, that would be SOCIOPATH!
In truth though most the ranks of law enforcement are even more sociopathic than the law breakers they run around chasing: they are programmed to be sociopathic!
Now drop and give me fifty soldier boys!!!!!!!
DickAdams on August 31 at 8:23 a.m.
Agree! wink, wink, back.
brianrbreen on August 31 at 8:58 a.m.
@valleyman
Police officers have to be involved with known criminals as Confidential Informants on a daily basis, there are however strict guidelines that must be followed when dealing with CIs. I know nothing about the facts surrounding this case nor do anyone else in the public and I will wait for them to come out, but I will point this out. The SPD does have a policy regarding the use of CIs, a Lexipol boiler plate they use, quite similar to the one I wrote way back when. One of a couple of problems with the current policy as I see it is that CI contracts and documentation is centralized in the SIU unit and there doesn’t appear to be any documentation requirement at the unit level. The policy does place supervision of CIs and control officers at the unit level which is appropriate, but unless supervisors and officers are trained extensively in dealing with the problems associated with CIs there will always be problems. Although I don’t know what Officer Edwards documented in his reports, if there were any references to the use of a CI the responsibility for seeing to it that policy was adhered to and everything was by the book lies with those supervisors. If the control officer and his/her supervisors haven’t been trained in the proper use of CIs then problems begin to arise, and that has historically been the case with the SPD.
One of the other things I adamantly disagree with in the SPD/Lexipol policy is the use of Juvenile Informants ( 608.3.1) acting on the behalf of the department in prearranged transactions. When I wrote the policy it prohibited the use of CIs under the age of 18. The purpose was to protect the department from civil liability with respect to the CI contract, and to prevent placing a juvenile in a dangerous situation. There are a number of ways to handle information received from juveniles without putting them in a position where they are acting on the half of the department.
In essence what I’m saying is why not everyone just hold off and see what comes out before taking a run at Edwards. There is likely considerably more to the story, and many of the people commenting don’t know what they are talking about.
Truth_and_Justice on August 31 at 9:06 a.m.
@ johnclarke
An “unlicensed recovery agent” is the same thing as an “unlicensed gun dealer” - - a non-existent figment of a reporter’s imagination. It’s the same kind of thinking that causes “reporters” to refer to “people of color” from England or France as “African-American” because they can’t say “black.”
Marcus on August 31 at 9:29 a.m.
$76,886 annual pay….. I know starting is like 34k but come on average yearly income in the state of Washington is 48-52K yet i see all these government salaries and it’s no wonder why the state is broke.
Note to public…. Unions for government jobs are not protected by Federal Law!
meghannc on August 31 at 9:34 a.m.
The arrest was in August 2010. An unlicensed recovery agent is someone who works as a recovery agent with bail bond companies but is not licensed. All City was cited for aiding and abetting an unlicensed recovery agent.
johnclarke on August 31 at 10:15 a.m.
Um, thanks - I guess I was trying to be funny and failed. The “unlicensed recovery agent” is the same as “some guy” who feels he has the right to kick down your door and detain you. This whole area surrounding bonds and recovery is completely sketchy and should be examined. I fear it’s only a matter of time until one of these Dog the Bounty Hunter wanna-be’s (apparently convicts themselves) start a shooting war some night. All it’s going to take is a mistake on the wrong address, and they will kick down the door of a well armed and trained homeowner.
These guys need to be leashed.
Ron_the_Cop on August 31 at 10:17 a.m.
Meghannc,
Very good article:-) The world of bail recovery agents or probably as more would understand the term bounty hunter. Like the railroad police many have historical arrest powers greater than the average citizen. They are officially sanctioned by state law. I could write a treatise on the unseemly side of bail bonds and the deals that go on in this industry that seldom sees the light of day by the public.
I too like Brian will reserve judgement until more information becomes available. Why this has dragged on for so long is interesting as criminal issues with sources of information in this investigation may be involved.
Brian, we too had CI policies but these were generally for more involved relationships involving paying/benefits in exchange for the information. Also to track the CI if this information was used in later search and or arrest warrants.
I often resorted to calling bonding agents when I knew one of their clients just skipped out on a bond or when a new arrest warrant was issued on someone I was actively working. The bond agents would then call in their bounty hunters to go find the person and deliver them to jail. This protected the bond agent’s posted bail bond and other headaches. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Actually the bond agent and his bounty hunters had more legal authority then I did. In the bail agreements signed by the defendant the bond agent is given many powers beyond that of the police as to entering structures to look for the person that has absconded or revoking the bond for violations of the bond contract. Saved a lot of time if I had to file paperwork with the court to revoke the bond and to issue a new bench/arrest warrant.
Just reading what Meghann has written it seems the agents were justified in looking in the residence. The actions of the unlicensed agent with regard to the phone is at issue depending on what the terms and conditions of the bail agreement provide with uninvolved third parties. The physical force used on this third person is probably an issue too. This is why I will wait for further information.
An unlicensed agent is like being partially pregnant. Most guilds protect their turf and to maintain some degree of professional standards of - doctors, nurses, PTs/OTs, attys, CPAs, contractors et al. I won’t mention “undocumented” workers. Hence my issue with Spokane’s CFO Gavin Cooley for having the professional title CPA after his name on the city’s website. Cooley did have a CPA until 2006 when he for various reasons let it expire. I won’t go into details here but you can read more here:
Gavin Cooley CFO Spokane, WA - Misuse of CPA complaint filed
http://tinyurl.com/ylmmodu
The_Seer on August 31 at 10:28 a.m.
I know this is off-topic, but this thread seems to be getting the most activity today so I wanted to remind everyone about the town hall meeting our representative in Congress is holding tonight at the Lincoln Center beginning at 6 p.m.
Here is a link to the question format her camp has implemented:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/spokane-town-hall-guidelines/10150424250174922
Liberty_Bell on August 31 at 10:51 a.m.
Like the “railroad police” officially sanctioned by state law, in violation of the Constitution’s Clearly written prohibition on armed body of men?
1889, still confusing in 2011, esp. in Spokane County!
Article 1,
SECTION 24
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.
And the guilds of the criminal in action, classics from the clueless a hiring requirement shown best in those local Federal Courts.
Squid on August 31 at 11:04 a.m.
Judging by the picture, the SPD must have suspended their tailor with pay too.
Squid on August 31 at 11:23 a.m.
I was just thinking about how we should be very angry about this story, but it seems to be so trivial, comparatively, and common.
I wake up this morning, read the story….. Ho hum… Another police controversy…. Lying, kidnapping, burglary, unlawful imprisonment, cops working with felons, condoning felonies, suspended with full pay for 8 months. Yeah yeah. I better get another cup of coffee and get ready for work.
It can’t be good when we are no longer surprised or angry.
brianrbreen on August 31 at 11:47 a.m.
@Truth_and_Justice and @meghannc
It doesn’t make a hill of beans whether this guy was an unlicensed recovery agent, a bail bond agent, a heroin addict, a prostitute, a drug dealer, or Whitey Bolger. As the story stands if Edwards was doing as every good cop should do, there is nothing nefarious, and he was trying to develop sources of information but just didn’t know how to go about it in the right way, then the real story is why.
If this case boils down to, as I suspect it might, a case of poor judgment, lack of supervision, poor department policy, and a lack of training then I’ll support this cop 110%. If there is something beyond that I won’t.
Truth_and_Justice on August 31 at 11:51 a.m.
I’m with you Brian. In my experience with him, Ofc. Edwards is a good cop. My comment was only about the choice of words in response to johnclarke’s probably rhetorical question.
brianrbreen on August 31 at 11:53 a.m.
@Truth_and_Justice
I know!
empyrius on August 31 at 12:05 p.m.
Ron_the _Cop does provide some valid points.
I never read any of the paperwork when I got bailed out so I have no idea what their “terms and conditions” were.
I’ll tell ya what though fellow citizens of Spokane: you give me that 80 thousand a year and I will get four meth-heads that are sick and tired of being strung out. and in a year from now we will have at least three of the four in school, working, and generally being positive members of our community . . .:
or you can continue on with your “Hulk smash” type of retributive “justice” and in a year from now be building another prison to house all these people suffering from this most evil DISEASE!
Peace
brianrbreen on August 31 at 12:37 p.m.
@Truth_and_Justice
One of the things that just chaps me is the SPD will assign some of these kids to a joint task force right out of patrol, with limited experience in dealing with CIs, and for that matter limited experience dealing with the feds, it is a disaster in the making and provides a pretty good explanation as to why some of them have been told to leave.
If there is nothing beyond a patrol cop not knowing how to deal with CIs, then I hope Chris Bugbee will see to it that if there is any discipline necessary, that that discipline extends beyond the patrol officer and up the chain of command.
If you say he is a good cop and Bugbee says he is a good cop, until someone proves otherwise, I’ll take it as accurate.
Ron_the_Cop on August 31 at 12:57 p.m.
I agree with Brian. With what’s been reported this doesn’t give me much heartburn unless more comes out with the exception of having an officer off for so many months.
Squid I may be at chatty Cathy’s function too:-)
Squid on August 31 at 1:22 p.m.
Ron, will you ask Cathy any questions, or speak? If so, what will the subject be?
Can anyone tell me why the SPD suspended with full pay? Honest question. What would be the purpose? To make Edwards think? Reshape his thinking process? Setting an example? (Paid vacation is a bad example) It went past the point of gathering information. That would only take a week. Very strange policy.
The_Seer on August 31 at 1:44 p.m.
squid: Tailor? I’d say their dietician and athletic trainer are on leave.
The arrest was made near Hamilton and Sharp…. isn’t that the location of a well known Spokane donut shop?
Squid on August 31 at 2:05 p.m.
I was trying to be nice. Looks like someone poorly photoshopped a linebacker’s head on average Joe’s body. Hope he doesn’t choke to death.
With the limited info in this story, it looks like another management failure to me. Maybe Edwards is a good cop, maybe not. Pretty strange. I think I might have teamed up with a felon to get results, but I sure wouldn’t condone lying, kidnapping, burglary, unlawful imprisonment, and stealing a phone. If he was aware of that, he is just as guilty if he ignored it. Cops committing 5 or more crimes to arrest someone is exponentially worse than whatever the criminal did to get arrested.
brianrbreen on August 31 at 2:06 p.m.
@squid
Administrative leave, which primarily amounts to being told not to show up for work but you will still be paid is SOP for public employees where circumstances arise that MAY indicate the employee violated some aspect of policy, procedure, or law. The theory is not subjecting the agency itself to a situation where the agency allows an employee to continue working during the course of an investigation and that employee becomes involved in another incident that would subject the agency to scrutiny in a civil litigation for allowing that employee to continue working regarding the second incident. It also protects the public employees proprietary rights to pay during that period if the investigation reveals the employee did nothing or little wrong.
In the long run paid administrative leave is the best route for everyone in cases where substantial misconduct is alleged, or the agency ends up paying through the nose if the employee is acquitted by a court of law, or the IA investigation ends up being a matter of limited or no discipline.
Chief Kirkpatrick kinda picks and chooses who she wants to discipline by suspending them without pay, or putting them on administrative leave with pay, or terminating them. This kid has only been off on paid administrative leave for seven or eight months. Karl Thompson on the other hand was on administrative leave in 2006 for awhile, then she brought him back and made him her Lexipol guy, I guess because the SPD doesn’t have a CCU. So you figure it out I can’t.
Squid on August 31 at 2:56 p.m.
That’s a detailed enough answer to help me understand, yet I am apparently as confused as you are about any kind of pattern of policy. Seems like any cop who does something questionable either gets a paid vacation or a promotion. Doesn’t seem to be an effective way to get cops to behave, does it? It just keeps the SPD and the City out of legal trouble in their current situation, but kinda enables and encourages future troubles.
Back in my day, Sonny, we used to get paddled when we misbehaved. Nowadayz, they just pay you to go away. Hell, I’d come back all the time to go away.
Anyone else thinking about Pavlov’s dog?
empyrius on August 31 at 4:22 p.m.
All these lawyers and laws, the public paying not to get sued by a public “servant” …, paid vacations that can last years . . .
Corporate personhood (a very evil innocuous sounding concept); war this war that.
A war on marijuana. A war against “terror” itself (another very, very, evil concept). Wars against this that and even that!
You know what. For the past century every major war on this planet involved the United States of America.
The current generation of non-adult Americans in this nation will know nothing but war.
Pretty trippy stuff man . . .
Ron_the_Cop on August 31 at 4:22 p.m.
Squid,
Brian gave a good overview of paid admin leave for public employees esp., for public safety employees. I only question the amount of time in this case to conclude an IA investigation whether there was any wrong doing of the part of this officer. If so then to decide any disciplinary action to take from a verbal warning, written reprimand, days off and or termination. I also agree that Chief Kirkpatrick seems to be inconsistent with those officers she puts off without pay and those she pay and also who gets separate legal counsel when obvious legal conflict arise with the City Attorney’s Office. After all Chief Kirkpatrick is an attorney too like Mayor Verner:-) At some point they can’t all hide behind unethical practices and perhaps illegal actions - obstruction of justice of Asst. City Atty Rocky Treppiedi and City Attorney Howard Delaney.
I’m speculating this officer’s case is tied up with another criminal case where the SPD admin believes it can’t take disciplinary action until the other case is resolved.
Not knowing anymore than what Meghann has reported as I said this case doesn’t give me heartburn for the reasons I explained above. If the officer however knew these bounty hunters were doing illegal acts beyond what the bond agreements would allow then that’s a different story. Further if a bounty hunter snagged someone I probably would not be in the chain of making the arrest. Bounty hunters can deliver these people where the bond has been pulled by the bonding agent directly to the jail. The jails are generally required to accept these arrests where the bond has been pulled by the issuing agent especially if there are new arrest warrants outstanding of the people.
@Squid 1:42PM - a little off thread:-)
Yes, I will get a lotto ticket for a chance to address the Honorable Ms. McMorris-Rodgers. You too should get a ticket. I will be the guy wearing a green large brim Australian Outback hat. Look me up:-)
Ms. McMorris-Rodgers likes to the ride the fence on local issues. I’m going to ask her if she would support our effort to encourage the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of WA to expand their current criminal investigation to include the SPD leadership, the City Attorney and the Office of the Mayor. The US Attorney’s Office should not be content with the low hanging fruit, Ofc. Thompson, but should go after the root cause. After all the US Attorney’s Office is a federal entity within her purview as she is the Vice Chair of the Republican Caucus. Besides her former district manager, Dave Condon, is running for mayor. Might as well give him a little support:-)
brianrbreen on August 31 at 4:40 p.m.
I kinda like the Community Concern Unit (CCU) concept, you take the badge, gun and assign them to a unit that deals specifically with the “Concerns of the Community” like counting paperclips, filing, logging reports etc. I realize it’s pretty high priced gofer duty but it requires them to show up every day, keeps them out of trouble, and off the golf course.
Squid on August 31 at 4:44 p.m.
Ron, that makes sense. I never thought about Edwards having other cases pending. I won’t be able to make it to the shindig. I am far from a good public speaker. I start sputtering and choking. I definitely would have a lot of gripes about WA State business laws that are unfavorable to those businesses. The police controversies are next on my list.
Ron and Brian, do you think the odd practices of suspending or reassigning their jobs might actually make sense from a legal standpoint within the SPD? I guess I’m asking if you think Kirkpatrick might be smarter than she appears? Dumb like a fox for reasons that aren’t public? Maybe she’s just schitzo?
Squid on August 31 at 4:52 p.m.
Hey Brian, maybe there is some way to use the disciplined cops to investigate property crimes? Stick the bad guys in the bottom of the pile and promote others till we have cops dusting for fingerprints again? Promote cops who deserve to be promoted. Just a thought that would really improve things, in my eyes.
brianrbreen on August 31 at 4:55 p.m.
@Squid
Could be smarter then all of us, which isn’t hard in my case. I guess we will have to wait until all of the money is spent defending the civil litigations is over and see if the plaintiff prevails.
Kivaari on August 31 at 4:57 p.m.
From the sounds of things, the city and the bail bond company benefited by getting a bad guy. Unless the city through its agents asked the bondsmen to act illegally, I don’t see an issue. Just because the officer received the prisoner, if he didn’t know of the errors made by the bondsmen who cares. Let the courts find a solution to deal with the private citizens that may have violated the law. It does sound like they screwed up. It doesn’t sound like the officer did. The WA state constitution would seem to be violated by any private security company. Once more Washington leads the way in sloppy laws.
Ron_the_Cop on August 31 at 4:59 p.m.
@Squid,
I’m with Brian regarding CCU/gophers. Might as well get some benefit for OUR MONEY being spent.
Slightlyworried on August 31 at 5:22 p.m.
Regardless of whether this cop did something illegal, we all know that Tucker will not allow him to be charged. If Tucker wouldn’t charge Thompson with a videotape proving he lied, then he is not going to charge this guy. Let’s face it, the cops know they can do whatever they want in this town without any worry of either (a) another cop turning them in, or (b) Tucker charging them.
D Statler on August 31 at 5:51 p.m.
@ Brian, is there a law / rule in Spokane County on using juvenile CI’s ? This along with unsubstantiated testimony sent three innocent young men to prison. I would sure like to find out more from you on the use of informants in Spokane County. I would be happy to buy the pie and icecream.
Back to the subject. These rambo investigators need to regulated alittle better. Too bad Edwards didn’t bring in the whole bunch. He would have been a hero. I don’t know Edward’s history.I do know that he seemed very professional when I met him years back. It does seem that we could have found something for him to do with the 7 months. Once again,seems our leadership has made the wrong decision.
brianrbreen on August 31 at 6:52 p.m.
@undooly_prosecuted
There is a difference between juveniles testifying in a criminal case and the use of juveniles as confidential informants who participate in investigations on behalf of a police department. My position is that when anyone under the age of 18 is participating on behave of a department in the evidence gathering process the risks outweigh the benefits regardless of whether there is parent/guardian consent. Even though the SPD policy articulates the use of juvenile informants should be an exceptional investigative technique in my view it should be prohibited by policy and very strict guidelines established as to when the extremely rare occasion arises that there is a need to utilize a juvenile in that capacity the decision to use a juvenile in this way in my view should be made well beyond the “Bureau Commander” level. That just makes things simpler for cops to understand. I don’t know what the Sheriffs Office policy is.
I am not a lawyer but I’m not aware of any law prohibiting the use of juvenile informants it just ain’t a good idea.
The SPD Policy Manual is posted on their website and the section regarding Juvenile Informants is 608.3.1 if that is of any help.
GaryP on August 31 at 8:20 p.m.
Fact- Edwards is a good, hardworking cop that has arrested a lot of very bad people that need to be in prison. He may need some additional training on working with CI’s but that’s another matter. He is getting railroaded. There aren’t going to be any real cops left to arrest bad guys unless Kirkpatrick is dealt with. She is incompetent. She was weeded out when she tried to be a real cop, then became an attorney. She became chief of different departments only because she is a woman with a “law” degree. Pathetic
D Statler on August 31 at 8:23 p.m.
ThankYou :^)
lewis8457 on August 31 at 10:50 p.m.
Brian sorry but in my eyes we have no good cops at the SPD, they high five the likes of Karl Thompson and Dan Torok as long as the murders get to stay on the force i figure every damn one of them is bad.
look how many more are popping up lately, are there really ANY good cops in Spokane? Could it be the one that tried to run me down in the crosswalk the other day or the one i just followed up Monroe at 50 miles per hour?
Show me Brian where the hell are the good cops?
Squid on August 31 at 11:13 p.m.
GaryP, “There aren’t going to be any real cops left to arrest bad guys” Now….. Before you change my tentatively positive opinion about Edwards back to negative, what suspended, retired, or fired cops do you consider to be real?
Jay Olson? Al Odenthal? Jason Uberuaga? Neil Gallion? Joe Peterson? David Frietag? Jay Mehring? Jon Smith? etc….
Ron, did you see the Facebook page for Thompson? The comments from the cops sicken me.
Squid on August 31 at 11:20 p.m.
Oops, I meant Lewis. Here is the Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Support-Karl-Thompson/130290690659
brianrbreen on September 01 at 7:05 a.m.
@Lewis8457
I understand, and I know there is not much I can do to convince you otherwise. I mean this in a nice way! I hope for the sake of you and your family you and they are never in a situation where you have to meet one of the real good cops down there. I would just as soon you continued to think they are all bad then to have something bad happen to you or your loved ones that they had to get involved in.
@Squid
You might notice that the last post on that Facebook page was back in April. Everyone has a right to a position regarding anything. There were many cops on the SPD that originally believed the Zehm case was an attack on the SPD by the Feds, and there are still those who think Nicks is lying now and not then, but as facts begin to come out more and more cops are beginning to realize they too may have been hoodwinked regarding what happened. The ship is beginning to empty. One officer who castigated me a while back for some of the comments I have made regarding the Zehm case did as I suggested and read the governments 2010 proffer. Recently the same officer told me they had read it and weren’t aware of a lot of things in it. We went on to have a little discussion about Ferguson testifying she was directed by Odenthal to edit the video favorably for Thompson prior to the investigators and brass meeting regarding the investigation and the involvement of Rocky Treppiedi . We had a chuckle about what the likely testimony would be from both Ferguson and Odenthal. Don’t think for a minute they are all believers down there. The big thing right now for many of them is how do we regain our credibility and at the same time protect ourselves from brass that have demonstrated a lack of integrity.
brianrbreen on September 01 at 7:46 a.m.
@Truth_and_Justice
BTW, I hope you took note of the fact that I did every thing I could to point out that the Chism case was all Thurston County. I even called the paper, but apparently didn’t do a very good job of explaining myself. Do I at least get an attaboy?
tomnsahl on September 01 at 9:12 a.m.
Interesting article … how such little information brings out the anti LE broad brush and judgment should remind us about stone throwing when we all live in glass houses. I especially get a kick out of sympathy for the Hills, while labeling most cops as sociopaths :))
I’ll wait for the results of the investigation and more facts, even though others have already extrapolated and agendized the outcome they think they know so much about. Oh well …
Here is a link some may find educational - page 14 has “the rest of the story” http://www.spokanepolice.org/Documents/SPD%20Newsletter/06-07%202011edition.pdf
BB - I so appreciate the restraint you show Lewis & others. As always, you inspire me. How do you keep from gagging, as you bite your tongue? Coffee soon - I hope - on me.
brianrbreen on September 01 at 9:23 a.m.
Tom,
Who is that old women with Captain’s Bars? For that matter who are all of those old people?
kennyhuston on September 01 at 12:22 p.m.
Too bad we don’t have Dave Pfeffer around anymore - HE could have avoided this whole mess, (ever since Kirkpatrick joined that is).
Squid on September 01 at 2:20 p.m.
Tom, just what does your reference to glass houses mean? Will you get revenge for throwing stones? “Instigate, Escalate, and Perforate.” You’re at the first step. What’s next?
Brian, you get an “atta boy” from me. You seem to be one of the few cops that actually see reality and is actually concerned about how screwy things have become.
empyrius on September 01 at 9:01 p.m.
“I especially get a kick out of sympathy for the Hills, while labeling most cops as sociopaths :))” . . .
Har har har har
Good stuff huh
How about Captain Planet!
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/5876f2aced/don-cheadle-is-captain-planet?playlist=featured_videos
Keep it green Washington State and plant a marijuana plant today!
peace
Ron_the_Cop on September 02 at 12:13 p.m.
If there is anyone still reading here I’ve posted my solution to things SPD, City Attorney and the Office of the Mayor on my blog:
Mayor, City Attorney and Police Chief now implicated in Zehm death cover up (Spokane, WA)
http://tinyurl.com/3mu2edv
Liberty_Bell on September 04 at 10:20 a.m.
Seems that U.S. Department could need a statewide review of the criminal syndicated police guilds.
Kinda like that State Patrol, shown best with kidnappin, false arrest, and making up another fictional account, from the departments of no reality whatsoever?
Why is it that only the criminal element is required to get a police job in the State of Cnfusion?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016104467_spdoverview04m.html
mustang50L on September 04 at 2:38 p.m.
It’s unfortunate that only certain stories we’re made public. I have had the pleasure of having these riff-raff force there way into my home looking for a wanted person (Chris Hardwick a.k.a. “Trouble) that was trying to exchange his freedom for some made up bulls**t to get my roomate in trouble, (thats why officer Edwards was there!). The only thing that ended up happening was them piling up a bunch of our stuff and my 13 year old son’s touch-screen cell phone, 2 zune’s, and my hand held scanner we’re stolen from my home. It’s pretty bad when the cops come into your home without warrant, to aprehend someone thats not even there, then feel it’s ok to take what they want (even from a child). I hope that officer Edwards and his 73k a year salary are enjoying their summer off. Why isn’t the criminal investigation continuing to focus on Edwards?, he was well aware of the situation…he sat and watched!!!
brianrbreen on September 04 at 4:50 p.m.
If that is the case, he stood by and watched and used the old, let the bond jerks do it, then I’m on your side. He probably didn’t know that he was immune if they boot the door. If the deal was just delivering him/her to me and there is nothing else involved, including any kind of a piece of the bond money then so what, except the County SO might get mad because they didn’t make the pop. If he was smart enough to remove himself from all that BS involving the entry and what happened after that, then go punt. Like I said the biggest issue is what the brass knew and when did they know it. I suspect that there will be a big issue about what the brass knew and whether or not they were there when the exchange took place, a lot of experience as Far as that is concerned
Use your head, cops have to deal with crud all the time, its part of the job, and a lot of times they aren’t sure just what to do so they along with their supervisors need training
March will give you a bigger percentage, and I don’t care, just don’t try and screw anyone else to try and prove something. Take your licks and enjoy what’s left, it ain’t that long, and beyond that no one will care
brianrbreen on September 04 at 6:39 p.m.
@Liberty_Bell
Ordinarily I don’t respond to your posts, but in this case you provided a pretty good link. If people read it they may begin to understand not only how hard it is to get the feds involved, but also what a fraud the Spokane Police Ombudsman is. Read about the Seattle OPA, and just how effective it was and is. Many of us knew, and when Chief Kirkpatrick was able to push a sale that would look good for her she called upon her old buddy from the WSCJTC. Sandra “Sam” Pailca, and according to Kirkpatrick “She is the best there is!”. So we paid Pailca for a consultants report, some people got real excited, and of course those that know just laughed.
Last I heard Pailca is working for Microsoft.