Not that I am venting, mind you, but here we have a policeman who had the horrific misfortune of having a son die in the line of duty end up on the honor scrapheap. It appears to me that he bargained that misfortune of his son for a nice series of cushy jobs for himself. In the end he betrays all of the sympathy and all of whatever honor the gang taskforce might have had by not "snitching" on the members of a force he himself allowed to run totally amok.
In the end he is just one of scores of nervous little dogs infesting and infecting the law enforcement agencies across our nation.
Am I the only one that still has questions on how one officer, who was surprised and killed, received the lion's share of attention rather than the other officer? That other officer was also killed by the same madman, along with his service dog, while hunting down that said madman. I would bet that the majority of Saint Paul citizens would remember the first victim's name, but not the second one. I would bet that comes down to the politics of "Dad".
http://www.twincities.com/ci_16022828?nclick_check=1
Quote:
No members of the disgraced and disbanded Metro Gang Strike Force will face state criminal charges for their conduct, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said today.
In essence, the strike force's sloppy records and its members' silence "did not produce sufficient legally admissible evidence to charge any individual with any state crime arising out of the matter," Freeman wrote in a report issued today.
Freeman cited the strike force's "disorganized, incomplete, haphazard, substandard, and at times inaccurate record keeping, evidence-handling and evidence disposal practices."
He said the investigation was also frustrated by "by the refusal of certain of MGSF members, including its commander (Ron Ryan) to speak with investigators."
Freeman's report was critical of Ryan:
"While not criminal, ultimate responsibility for the clerical staffing, record keeping and evidence handling practices at the MGSF rest with its commander."
It said it was "a tragedy, that the commander's failure to meet those responsibilities unfairly tarnished the reputations and careers of the many able and professional officers who served on the MGSF. Those officers and the public deserved better."
In May 2009, the state legislative auditor issued a report about the strike force, saying the agency couldn't account for more than $18,000 in seized cash and 14 seized cars. A state-ordered review released in August 2009 found perhaps a dozen strike force employees engaged in misconduct, and some in criminal acts, by taking seized goods for their own use. Minnesota's public safety commissioner asked the FBI to investigate. The Hennepin County attorney's office took over the investigation, federal and state sources said.
In essence, the strike force's sloppy records and its members' silence "did not produce sufficient legally admissible evidence to charge any individual with any state crime arising out of the matter," Freeman wrote in a report issued today.
Freeman cited the strike force's "disorganized, incomplete, haphazard, substandard, and at times inaccurate record keeping, evidence-handling and evidence disposal practices."
He said the investigation was also frustrated by "by the refusal of certain of MGSF members, including its commander (Ron Ryan) to speak with investigators."
Freeman's report was critical of Ryan:
"While not criminal, ultimate responsibility for the clerical staffing, record keeping and evidence handling practices at the MGSF rest with its commander."
It said it was "a tragedy, that the commander's failure to meet those responsibilities unfairly tarnished the reputations and careers of the many able and professional officers who served on the MGSF. Those officers and the public deserved better."
In May 2009, the state legislative auditor issued a report about the strike force, saying the agency couldn't account for more than $18,000 in seized cash and 14 seized cars. A state-ordered review released in August 2009 found perhaps a dozen strike force employees engaged in misconduct, and some in criminal acts, by taking seized goods for their own use. Minnesota's public safety commissioner asked the FBI to investigate. The Hennepin County attorney's office took over the investigation, federal and state sources said.