Proficient police work is priceless

This nightmare is true; it happened last week to someone I know well. Before you read on, take careful note: it happened neither in Idaho, nor anywhere near this region. I have no wish or cause to disparage local law enforcement. The story I'm about to tell will make you appreciate a good cop.

It might also make you see "most wanted" lists a bit differently.

A young man - I'll call him "Jordan" - went to another state's wildlife department to pay for a fishing license. Jordan has no criminal history. He is a smart, educated professional with a full-time job. His job requires an online presence; he's not exactly a low-profile guy, so he's easy to track.

At the wildlife office Jordan was suddenly arrested. He was taken to jail and held pending extradition to a different state. Why? Jordan has been on that state's Top 10 Most Wanted list for nearly a year - a "fugitive from justice" for three counts of dealing meth. I still see his driver's license photo and name on that site. They updated it. It says "captured."

Imagine being Jordan now. Terrified in his inmate orange jumpsuit. Confused. Pleading his innocence, but who believes a jailbird who pleads innocence? Jordan was allowed to use a phone (collect) a brief period each afternoon. Unless that's when they brought dinner; if he missed it, he didn't eat. Not that he could.

Fortunately for Jordan, his parents immediately found and could afford a good criminal lawyer in the state of extradition and with buddies in the district attorney's office. If not for that, Jordan's imprisonment would have been extended. Connections and money speed things up.

What this boiled down to hasn't yet been fully explained. Luckily Jordan's employer required staff to clock in and out, and kept year-old records, so time cards proved Jordan wasn't even in that state on the dates of the alleged drug deals (nor years before). He was working 11-hour days far away.

I wouldn't have been able to prove that, had it happened to me. No time cards. What if Jordan had no family, no money, or no one who knew the system and could work through it fast? If release eventually occurred, without these it could have taken weeks or months longer. Prison is no place for the innocent to wait.

Makes you wonder who is.

Turns out that the small city from which the charges stemmed has a special drug task force investigations team. That particular "DOI" - department of investigations - has a nickname at that county DA's office. They call them the department of incompetents. The D.A. there has much greater respect for other police teams in their county, but this one is known for (I quote) shoddy police work.

We were shocked at how easy it was to put someone like Jordan's name and likeness on a most wanted list. Worse, how simply that led to incarceration and extradition, when even the tiniest effort (again, a Google search proved where he could have been found for questioning or to show he was out of state at pertinent times) might have prevented the whole nightmare. Someone's freedom should be worth that much effort.

So I'd like to thank each and every conscientious law enforcement professional who might read this. You hold our trust. I know most of you earn it with responsible and careful work. This story has made me appreciate you all the more.

Jordan did manage to retain his sense of humor. His first words when we spoke to him after his release: "Just call me Hambone."

Sholeh Patrick is an attorney and a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email [email protected]