People make mistakes, even really bad ones sometimes. Some of my own mistakes are the stuff of legend, or would be if I was sure the statute of limitations had expired, but the Albany Police Department’s mistakes make anything I’ve done pale in comparison. The most recent, as reported in The Albany Journal, involves police locking a “person of interest” in an interview room overnight. Apparently, they just forgot about them
In and of itself, that’s pretty bad. But the City of Albany’s response? Cricket’s chirping, that’s what.
Al Lott, the Albany city manager, has not responded to the Journal’s Georgia Open Records Act requests. That’s not unusual, though. I can’t recall him responding to one in the last year and a half that I’ve been covering the comings and goings of the city. Chief John Proctor is mum, as well. In fact, the only word that’s been received was word that there would be no word until ten days after an investigation has concluded.
Of course, that word came four days after the request, when three is the limit allowed by law.
Now, mistakes happen. Even huge ones. But this continues a pattern that has involved police officer misconduct for some time. Officers have run shoplifting rings, broken into auto parts stores for car parts they didn’t want to buy, stolen money from a motorcycle riding accident victim, and the most recent of an officer taking home records with personal information and then just tossing it in the trash.
In this case, the individual in question was brought in for questioning, but never charged, in regard to a string of burglaries. Somehow, he was left locked in an interview room overnight for somewhere between eight and fourteen hours with no access to a bathroom or anything. It wasn’t until the next morning that a captain allegedly heard a tapping on a window and investigated.
The Journal’s sources wish to remain anonymous, but my own sources confirm the story. They screwed up. Now, it’s time for a cover-up. Despite the City’s claim that they don’t have to release any information due to the investigation, they kind of do. You see, the correct timely response is to confirm that this incident is alleged and it’s being investigated. You see? No confirmation that anything happened, but you’re also not hiding anything. Holy crap! It’s a miracle. I could figure out something that all the legal minds at the City couldn’t? Not surprising really.
We’ll see if the City will step up and do right. What I suspect is that the City’s investigation will reveal that they did nothing wrong. Internal investigations are usually suspect, though. After all, it’s hardly being investigated by a disinterested observer. It’s being investigated by people with a vested interest in the City being found innocent of any wrongdoing, so it probably will be.
Got to love it. If I didn’t, I’d probably cry.
Written by Tom Knighton. Read his blog at TomKnighton.com, as well as SWGAPolitics.com. A lifelong political junkie, Tom started out his adult life as a journalism major at Darton College before leaving school to serve his nation as a U.S. Navy Corpsman. Through the years, he has watched government from outside and inside. A former Reagan supporter, then later a Democrat, Tom now finds himself quite comfortable as a card carrying Libertarian and currently serves as Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Southwest Georgia.
