Anyone remember the Gonzalez case that I blogged about a few weeks ago? Remember how I have been saying that the War on Drugs has been *ahem* "problematic" for police professionalism and ethics? Well, once again, I was right:
Dallas County Sheriff Brian Gilbert insisted Friday that he can carry out his elected duties despite a judge's order that he hand over his gun and stay away from several county buildings until his felony theft case is resolved.Judge John Lloyd on Friday banned Gilbert from the sheriff's office, jail and courthouse "unless accompanied by his attorney for purposes of his own court appearances."
Gilbert also was ordered to surrender his passport and turn over any firearms to his attorney.
Gilbert faces a first-degree theft charge over an estimated $120,000 that allegedly disappeared after a March 15 traffic stop along Interstate Highway 80. Iowa state auditors are said to be in the final stages of a complete review of the Dallas County evidence room. State authorities have said they could consider additional charges, and take steps to remove Gilbert from his job, depending on the results of that audit.
It does say that they later found more money in the guy's car and therefore he very well may have been a drug dealer, but I don't think that that has any bearing on the issue of how the police handled the money or the due process issues inherent in this case. The fact remains that police were allowed to take money without due process restrictions, and this could happen to anyone. You will find a lot of stories of people having money seized at air ports because they failed to report it and things like that. Bottom line is that regardless of what the guy is guilty of, these rules apply to everyone with large amounts of money on them.
Things like these theft charges are bound to happen when you have a lot of money that can be taken without accountability. Growing up in a law enforcement family, I heard some stories every now and then of shady dealings wherein money would disappear from an evidence pile and end up in the hands of an informant and things like that. The accountability problems are real, and they grow when the restrictions are fewer and farther between.
But that's all ok because he is apparently a swell guy:
Art Catron, Gilbert's 80-year-old neighbor, said Friday that he believes the whole issue is "stupid," "idiotic," and "a waste of time." He also criticized the Register's three-month investigation of traffic stops, among other things.Gilbert did nothing wrong, Catron said.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's a top lawman and a top officer all the way around."
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