This Traffic Stop Put Officer In Bad Position Police Reports Give New Details Of Special Treatment For Assistant Chief’S Daughter

A Spokane police officer who pulled over his boss’s daughter last month said he initially wanted to “go by the book,” according to special police reports released Monday.

But soon after Assistant Chief Al Odenthal arrived on the scene - telling officers, “I don’t want my daughter to go to jail” and “Whatever you do, don’t tow the car” - the officer decided going by the book could be “political suicide,” the reports say.

Odenthal’s daughter was released and her car was not towed, although she was driving with a suspended license and there were two warrants for her arrest.

Odenthal received a five-day suspension and a $2,000 fine last month for influencing officers to violate department policy. He is able to parcel out the punishment and financial impact over several months - an option extended to all police personnel facing time off without pay. Odenthal has apologized in a written statement but declined interview requests.

The two rank-and-file officers involved in the traffic stop had to file special reports with Police Chief Roger Bragdon, explaining what had happened and how Odenthal had acted.

Bragdon announced the suspension Aug. 22, saying he was disappointed in Odenthal’s behavior at the traffic stop. City Manager Hank Miggins agreed with the punishment.

The officers’ reports were obtained by The Spokesman-Review through a state Open Records Act request.

The reports provide a level of detail that was absent from initial news accounts of the traffic stop and Odenthal’s suspension.

Cpl. Tom Lee stopped Odenthal’s daughter, Colleen, on Highway 195 near Thorpe Road for speeding.

It was 1:10 p.m. on August 11.

Lee’s radar report shows the 24-year-old was going 71 miles per hour in a 55 zone, behind the wheel of her blue 1991 Honda Civic.

With driver information in hand, Lee returned to his patrol car, “aware that I’d likely stopped the assistant chief’s daughter.”

He planned to call to Odenthal later that day, out of professional courtesy, to tell him what happened.

Since Odenthal’s license was expired, Lee ran her name through department of licensing records. He found the license had been suspended in July for traffic violations. She also had warrants for her arrest, for driving-related offenses. One required a jail appearance.

“I did pause for a moment thinking about the possible ramifications of arresting this woman,” Lee wrote in his report.

But he still followed procedure and sent a typed computer message to a radio operator asking for backup and a tow truck, preparing to move ahead with the arrest.

Lee then called the police records office to confirm Odenthal’s outstanding warrants.

“Upon confirmation, I asked her (the records employee) not to say anything to anyone for awhile because the situation was still unfolding,” Lee wrote.

He began to fill out traffic tickets, wondering what his future relationship with the assistant chief would be like, according to his report.

“I was searching for ways to give Ms. Odenthal a break without sending her the message that she has privileges,” Lee added.

Soon, Lee’s backup arrived. That officer - whose name and rank were blacked out in the documents - seemed very aware of what this could do to his standing in the department.

Lee’s name was also blacked out on the reports, but he is listed as the officer who issued the tickets to Odenthal. His badge number also appears on the radar report.

The second officer “was concerned, just like I had been, about the political ramifications of this arrest,” Lee wrote.

But both agreed they had a job to do.

Odenthal’s daughter was placed in handcuffs and seated in the back of a patrol car.

Lee told Odenthal her car was going to be hauled off and stored in an impoundment lot.

“Although I could easily skip towing in this case as a favor, it goes against policy and, should word get out, would create more bad press,” Lee wrote.

A state law - adopted by city police and the county sheriff - requires the impoundment of all vehicles driven by people with suspended licenses. The law had come under criticism and been the subject of news reports during the previous weeks.

The two officers had almost finished searching the Honda, when Al Odenthal arrived, creating an air of discomfort, the officers said in their reports.

“What’s going on?” Odenthal asked.

Lee asked Odenthal whether he had heard about his daughter’s traffic stop or was just passing by.

Odenthal said he was on his way to Meadowlane Road, which is off Highway 195. Odenthal had been tipped off by a communications supervisor about the traffic stop, Bragdon said in a recent interview.

Odenthal suggested ways to avoid an arrest - such as his daughter making a court appearance the following Monday and bringing paperwork to Lee, proving she had appeared.

“I don’t want my daughter to go to jail,” both officers remember Odenthal saying. But they also recall Odenthal saying he did not want to interfere with their decisions.

Lee then backed off on the arrest.

“I saw the benefit of making the (assistant chief) happy, ” Lee wrote. “I agreed to what now seemed like a good solution for her and a way to stay in somewhat good standing with the (assistant chief).”

But because Colleen Odenthal’s license was suspended, Lee still planned to have the car impounded.

Al Odenthal objected: “God no! Whatever you do don’t tow the car,” according to the backup officer’s report.

Lee said if the car was not towed, the department would be opening itself to the risk of bad publicity.

Odenthal continued to express concerns about the length of the impoundment and how much it would cost to retrieve it from a towing lot - a minimum of $100 given that his daughter had no prior convictions for driving with a suspended license.

“I very reluctantly said that I felt we had no other choice” but to impound the car, Lee wrote. Odenthal “said no more and I returned to my car to complete the citations.”

Moments later the backup officer approached Lee’s patrol car and leaned in the window.

The officer told Lee that he was committing “political suicide” by impounding the car and suggested he was making a big mistake.

“As I listened to (the backup officer) and recalled (Odenthal’s) words and body language, I changed my mind and canceled the tow,” Lee wrote.

Odenthal was told about the decision and a relative was called to pick up the car.

Colleen Odenthal was then issued tickets for speeding, $119; having no proof of insurance, $480; and driving with a suspended license.

“She left with her father and the car remained,” Lee wrote.