Mike Madigan
"I'm from Missouri. Show me!"
Sun Aug 17 16:49:00 2003
64.140.158.8

8/17/2003

by Mike Madigan

"I'm from Missouri. Show me!" was one of my father's favorite expressions. He enjoyed smiling broadly and nodding his head as I talked until I ran out of breath. While he was alive, he taught me a valuable lesson. Focus on the proof. Every hour of every day law enforcement officers prepare reports which they hope will result in a criminal filing. Most write what happened, but some lazy ones "throw a bunch of charges against the wall to see what sticks." Those who get filings also get attention and promotions, so it's not hard to see how this problem can bog down court calendars. Some officers think there is no downside risk to enhancing a report, and they may be right. But then again, they may be wrong. Here's a few of the stories we're working on now:

DEA STING

TB has learned that several months ago the DEA reportedly got a tip that an LA area narcotics unit was removing cash seized from drug dealers. They sent in an agent posing as a drug buyer with lots of cash. He was arrested, the money was booked into evidence and he was released. When DEA auditors reviewed the seized evidence, cash was missing. The entire narcotics unit has been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation. Stay tuned.

IS YORBA LINDA THE CAPITOL OF CORRUPTION?

An Orange County Superior Court judge recently ruled that the city of Yorba Linda was responsible for the damage to the disappearing Hidden Hills dream home of Ron and Dawn Muranaka. As their back yard crumbled, the city paid lawyers to delay the case and ignore the sprinkler pipes which hang in the air as a grotesque reminder of the Muranaka's loss. This week, a jury will decide how much to award them. California law entitles the Muranakas to seek reimbursement of all their legal costs. Stay tuned.

THE EXPERT

Bob Mullally spent last week studying to be a certified substitute teacher in Iowa. A hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday at which he will explain why he decided to disobey a protective order and expose rampant domestic violence within the LAPD. This week he was notified by a lawyer representing the school district that in her opinion, the meeting should not even have been scheduled. At this point, it looks like Mullally may have to plead his case in court. Stay tuned.

DRIVE BY SHOOTING

We recently reported that late one night a police officer traveling with several Orange County gang prosecutors shot his service revolver out the window of a Chevy Suburban in Compton. TB has learned that the Santa Ana police officer is being dealt with by his department and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has not yet completed it's investigation. Fortunately, an officer who initially said he was sleeping, came forward. The elite prosecutors were given a chance to do the right thing, but they remained silent. Larry Yellin, Allison Gyves and Mark Geller tell juries that when a shot is fired, everyone in the car pulled the trigger. What were they thinking? Stay tuned.

WHISTLEBLOWERS

TB is pleased to report that response to our message board for Whistleblowers is growing. We will do our best to feature at least one story per month.

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