Bob Fletcher Must Go

Regular readers of Daughter Number Three know that I'm a fan of The Wire, and an ex-fan of Law & Order. But we here in the Twin Cities have been watching our own little police drama unfold, as our metro-wide Gang Strike Force has been found to play fast and loose with confiscated money and vehicles.

Heads will roll, and the timeline of activities makes it clear that long-time Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher's is one of the heads that no longer should be responsible for enforcing law and order. (For those of you outside Minnesota, Ramsey County is home to St. Paul; Hennepin County is home to Minneapolis. Like other siblings living in close quarters, the two counties sometimes don't get along.)

Based on multiple articles from the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Minnesota Public Radio and several other media outlets, here's what's happened, and what's known so far about Fletcher's role in it.

Background

• Fletcher's Ramsey County Sheriff's office acts as fiscal agent for the multi-county Metro Gang Strike Force.
• Ron Ryan, a longtime officer and friend of Fletcher, was hired as commander of the Strike Force and served in that role beginning in 1997.

___________

October 2008
The state public safety commissioner ordered a review of the Strike Force's cash-handling procedures and record-keeping.

November 2008
A preliminary review finds $300,000 in cash in a Strike Force safe and writes that "the record-keeping system is inadequate."

December 2008
Hennepin County Sheriff's captain Chris Omodt is appointed to take over when Ron Ryan retires.

March 3, 2009
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher writes an email to the Strike Force advisory board complaining "it would be a shame" if an audit was based on "political motives." Later, he denies that his office (fiscal agent for the Strike Force) has any responsibility for overseeing money seized by the unit. He blames his friend Ryan's "bad bookkeeping" for the problems.

Meanwhile, the Legislative Auditor's audit gets underway, despite Fletcher's resistance.

March 22 - 27
Six Gang Strike Force officers attend a conference in Hawaii, paid for with $17,000 in forfeited cash, without approval of the Strike Force's advisory board.

The unit had nearly $400,000 in seized cash on hand, some of it connected to cases dating back to 2000. Informant cash had been used for things like buying a vacuum cleaner, beverages and $72 worth of donuts for the unit.

May 20
A busy day in the life of the Strike Force.

The state's legislative auditor releases his report, finding the unit lacked internal financial and property controls. It couldn't account for $18,000 and at least 13 vehicles. It also couldn't document that it had made proper notification in 202 cases where people had the right to try to reclaim seized property and cash worth as much as $165,000.

The unit's new commander, Omodt, tells members of the Strike Force that the investigation will continue for at least another week "while a former assistant U.S. attorney and a retired FBI agent...tried to sort out everything and offer new policy guidlines." Omodt then goes home for the day. This is when all hell breaks loose at the unit, apparently.

Omodt gets a call from a source saying several Strike Force officers have arrived at the Strike Force office in New Brighton and removed files, as if they were packing their desks up.

Omodt calls West St. Paul police chief Bud Shaver, who is head of the Strike Force's advisory board. Shaver volunteers to go to the office, since he is closer.

Shaver arrives in the parking lot of the building. He sees cops boxing up files. He writes down license plate numbers of cars in the parking lot. More Strike Force officers arrive and remove files.

Shaver confronts some of the officers, and "an angry exchange followed." Shaver orders them to stop.

Shaver calls Fletcher, who says that Shaver can't deny officers access to the building because it is leased to Ramsey County. Quoting the Star Tribune, "Later, Fletcher told reporters that the officers were simply cleaning out their desks."

Shaver speaks with Omodt, and they agree Strike Force operations have to be suspended.

Omodt goes to the office and finds that the areas around three desks in particular are littered with shredded paper. One of the desks belonged to the officer in charge of overseeing the forfeited cars. Shredded paper filled two garbage cans and a Dumpster behind the building.

Omodt also finds that the computer that was supposed to track card access to the building has been turned off.

The crime lab is called. Lab technicians stay until 2 a.m. on May 21, photographing, packaging, and inventorying everything.

May 21
The FBI opens a probe of the Strike Force. Results are expected by the end of June.
___________

Do I think Fletcher himself was involved in anything illegal at the Strike Force? No.

But he has been trying to cover up the actions of others, first by fighting the audit, and then by insisting that the unit's own advisory board chair didn't have the right to stop the cops from destroying evidence of their activities.

He should have the good grace to resign, but I doubt he will. If not, it will be up to the voters of Ramsey County in 2010.