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Mr.C
Abolitionist
Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 451
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 Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:58 pm Post subject: Dallas Sheriff Allows Armed Robbery To Protect Snitch |
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Dallas Auto Theft Task Force agents knew that one of their snitches was going to rob a tractor trailer with $1m in cigarettes. The police, not wanting to ruin their important investigation, told no one.
This robbery took place in Waxahachie, in Ellis County. From DMN-
When several men broke into a Waxahachie truck terminal last October, tied up a security guard at gun point and crashed a semi-trailer loaded with $1 million in cigarettes through the front gate, they didn’t know one of them was a snitch for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.
A sheriff’s detective who was in contact with the informant that night said he didn’t know the crime would turn into an armed robbery. But the informant was surprised to be arrested months later, saying the detective knew for weeks what he was planning.
The Sheriff’s Department launched an internal investigation of its auto theft task force after local police officers complained that the detective hid key information from them to protect his informant.
That investigation cleared task force officers of any wrongdoing..
Task force detectives knew days in advance that the truck heist was going down at the Celadon trucking terminal in Waxahachie. They did not intervene and, in fact, weren’t even at the scene.
The investigation cleared task force officers of any wrongdoing. Why am I not suprised?
What would motivate law enforcement to allow crime? Bureaucrats are predictabty self interested actors. Government always acts to serve its own interest, not those of the public. This Auto Task Force wanted to bust a car theft ring, not prevent armed robberies.
Snitches are a disgusting reality of law enforcement. They pollute the integrity of the system. Snitches are most prevelant in drug cases. Someday Texas will ban police collusion with criminals. Until then, don't count on the Dallas Sheriff to protect you from their snitches.
Make sure a read the whole article for a great quote by Grit's own Scott Henson. It's good to see that Mr. Henson is recognized as the expert on Texas snitches. Way to go Scott!
http://www.dallascriminaldefenselawyerblog.com/2008/04/dallas_sheriff_allows_snitch_t.html
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full article http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/043008dnmettruckheist.b1733259.html
By KEVIN KRAUSE, SCOTT GOLDSTEIN and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
When several men broke into a Waxahachie truck terminal last October, tied up a security guard at gunpoint and crashed a semi-trailer loaded with $1 million in cigarettes through the front gate, they didn't know one of them was a snitch for the Dallas County Sheriff's Department.
A sheriff's detective who was in contact with the informant that night said he didn't know the crime would turn into an armed robbery. But the informant was surprised to be arrested months later, saying the detective knew for weeks what he was planning.
The Sheriff's Department launched an internal investigation of its auto theft task force after local police officers complained that the detective hid key information from them to protect his informant.
That investigation cleared task force officers of wrongdoing, but it exposed what critics called sloppy procedures by the Sheriff's Department and lack of controls over the use of informants.
Some local and national law enforcement experts say the Waxahachie case is a prime example of the unregulated and sometimes messy relationships between police and informants that can lead to abuses.
The Ellis County district attorney, for example, questioned the auto theft task force's judgment in allowing a violent crime to occur and then withholding important information from officers who were closing in on its informant.
"Informant use is really the dark underbelly of police work," said Scott Henson, former director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Police Accountability Project in Texas. "This is where so much police misconduct and corruption comes into play because it's vastly unregulated."
For Ladaryl Kelly, 31, a convicted felon with a record dating back to the 1990s, the Waxahachie truck heist wasn't the first time he had been involved in a crime while serving as an informant for the sheriff's North Texas Auto Theft Task Force since 2006.
Task force detectives knew days in advance that the truck heist was going down at the Celadon trucking terminal in Waxahachie. They did not intervene and, in fact, weren't even at the scene. The plan was to find out where the stolen cargo was headed. But it was thwarted when Dallas police were alerted to the abandoned truck.
Assistant Chief Deputy Jesse Herrera, who supervised the task force at the time, said his officers acted properly in their dealings with the informant. At the same time, he said some procedures may be reviewed and the department might consider revising its standard informant agreement.
Tim Randall, captain of the task force, was transferred to one of the jails earlier this month and replaced by a captain with investigative experience. Sheriff's officials said the task force needed a "different direction."
When reached Friday, Sheriff Lupe Valdez said she hadn't read the 10-page report, which she described as a "special assignment." She said she was satisfied with the task force's performance based on the staff briefing she received and doesn't see the need for changes.
"The informant did what he had to do," she said.
But Ellis County District Attorney Joe Grubbs said officers cannot have an agreement to permit someone to break the law.
"The danger in having a crime like that is that you don't know how far it could go," said Mr. Grubbs, whose office will handle prosecutions in the case.
Terri Moore, who is Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins' second in command, agreed that police cannot allow informants to commit crimes.
"You've got to draw a line between you and a snitch somewhere," she said, declining to comment specifically on the Waxahachie incident.
Chief Herrera said his department doesn't give informants carte blanche to commit crimes.
"We don't actively say, 'Go out and break the law,' " he said. "Our main goal is to identify who the main targets are."
Chief Herrera also said task force members didn't try to hide information. He said they assumed a Waxahachie investigator already knew about the informant's involvement from another officer.
But Dallas Police Lt. Charles Grayson said the task force was less than forthcoming with information when his investigator was looking for Mr. Kelly and his cohorts.
"They just weren't real cooperative in helping them identify or take this guy into custody," he said.
In the Waxahachie heist, the thieves had to drive the stolen truck past a manned security gate. Had the security guard been shot during the robbery, the Sheriff's Department would have had some difficult questions to answer, experts say.
"When there is a known risk of harm to innocent victims, that crosses the line," said Gerald F. Uelmen, a Santa Clara University law professor and former federal prosecutor.
Detective Lonnie Cole, a 22-year Sheriff's Department veteran, said in the sheriff's report that if he knew someone would be tied up, the task force would have nullified the informant agreement with Mr. Kelly. Detective Cole did not return a call seeking comment.
Police say dealing with informants is a necessary evil needed to help break up large criminal enterprises.
Ronald E. Brooks, president of the National Narcotic Officers Association Coalition, said police allow informants to participate in crimes to gain information.
Informants are used, he said, to infiltrate gangs and theft rings to get the "big fish." Mr. Brooks, a 34-year California narcotics officer, said it's more difficult to arrest people for planning a crime. It's a balancing act, he said, in which risks must be weighed against any expected gain.
Mr. Kelly, who is out of jail on bond awaiting trial, could not be reached for comment.
Celadon trucking company spokesman Craig Coven declined to comment, saying the case is still under investigation. But he said the company was unaware that sheriff's investigators knew his firm's Waxahachie terminal was targeted by thieves.
Mr. Uelmen, the law professor, said most police departments spell out in writing what informants can and cannot do.
The sheriff's auto theft task force's standard agreement does not, but it notes that "any violation of law may result" in the informant's arrest and prosecution. The department did not release a copy of Mr. Kelly's agreement.
No crimes allowed
Assistant Chief Ron Waldrop, commander of the Dallas police criminal investigations bureau, said its confidential informants must agree in writing not to participate or engage in crimes. If they do, they are required to notify the department immediately. The agency's informant agreement was tightened following its 2001 fake-drug scandal.
It is unclear how many times Mr. Kelly participated in crimes for the task force or what he received for his work as an informant.
His criminal history dates back to 1996, primarily for theft-related offenses. Last year, the Dallas man was charged in three armed robberies during a three-week period, court records show. In each case, Mr. Kelly was accused of pointing a gun at the victims and demanding cash. The victims later picked him out of photo lineups.
But the Dallas County district attorney's office dropped all three charges against Mr. Kelly at the same time he pleaded guilty in August to a weapons possession charge, for which he received probation.
During the Waxahachie truck robbery, it was Mr. Kelly's associates who tied up the security guard at gunpoint, one of the suspects told police.
The thieves abandoned the truck hours later in Dallas. A cargo theft detection company reported it to Dallas police before the task force could set up surveillance, the sheriff's report said.
Closing in
The morning after the heist, Detective Cole of the task force called Waxahachie police Sgt. Todd Woodruff about the crime. He told Sgt. Woodruff that a man known as "Bird" was involved but had no other information.
Meanwhile, Dallas police Detective David Wallace met with Sgt. Woodruff and recognized a man in the Celadon surveillance tape, which led them to identify three of the suspects, including Mr. Kelly.
By February, the Waxahachie detective had enough information to issue arrest warrants for Mr. Kelly and two other suspects. Around the same time, nearly four months into the investigation, the task force finally confirmed Mr. Kelly was its informant.
Sgt. Woodruff's distrust of the task force was so great by then that he had Mr. Kelly's warrant removed from a state law enforcement computer so task force members wouldn't know he was being sought, the sheriff's report said.
He could not be reached for comment.
While clearing its own officers, the sheriff's internal investigation blamed Detective Wallace, of the Dallas police commercial auto theft unit, for the interdepartmental distrust. The report said he has interfered with task force investigations and falsely accused the task force of having an improper relationship with its informant. |
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shortyflow
M.I.A.M.I
Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 554
Location: Porter Pot in Brazil
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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| i dont think they were trying to protect the snitch as much as they were trying to keep there case together. It is shitty though. |
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progrocker
Antiprohibitionist
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 95
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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| honestly, I think we are going to see more and more cig-related robberies. When you charge too much for something, an underground market WILL be created. |
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