Because Chief Ken Miller continues to drag his feet on calling for an investigation and the City Manager's office seems intent on covering up the Great Greensboro Records Release, aka Oops! I decided to do some investigating of my own. It's amazing what you can find when you go poking around in the City of Greensboro's servers. From the GPD Directives Manual published by none other than the Greensboro Police Department:
"10.4.2 DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this directive, the following definitions apply:
Case File: The investigative file, including all reports, forms and notes used in the follow-up investigation of a case, maintained and stored by the investigative unit responsible for the follow-up investigation of that case.
Field Notes: Any written notations pertaining to a case under investigation, regardless of who recorded the notes or the manner in which the notes were recorded.
10.4.3 FIELD NOTE PROCEDURES
It is established by North Carolina General Statute 15A-903(a) that all records of a criminal investigation for an alleged felony must be readily available, upon request, to both parties of a criminal proceeding. This includes not only official investigative and supplemental reports, lab reports, etc., but investigative case notes as well. The following procedures shall be adhered to in regards to the maintenance and submission of all felony investigative notes:
• All officers shall record their investigative notations on the “Greensboro Police Department Field Notes” forms created expressly for this purpose. (If emergency circumstances result in the notation being recorded on anything other than these forms, the same procedures contained in this directive shall be followed.)
• As soon as possible after completion of the required official reports, one copy each of all field notes must be forwarded to the following Divisions:
Division of Information and Technology-Records Management Section, and
The division responsible for the follow-up investigation, (i.e. Metro CID, Southern Division Investigative Unit, etc.)
"10.4.4 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND CRIME STOPPERS CONSIDERATIONS
Nothing in the “Discovery Laws” is intended to compromise the confidentiality of informants and “Crime Stoppers” callers; however precautions must be taken to insure the identity of these sources is protected.
It is essential that current procedures for the handling of Crime Stoppers tips and confidential informants be adhered to. Under no circumstances should a confidential informant be referred to by name on any field notes. If, in the course of an investigation, an officer learns of the identity of a crime stoppers caller, the identity information should not be recorded on any field notes, or the Crimes Stoppers Tip Sheet."
So in other words, if in-fact Greensboro City Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter is a Confidential Informant then Officer Richey was in violation of North Carolina General Statute 15A-903(a) when he e-mailed that information to another police officer.
So the question remains, is Marikay Abuzuaiter a Confidential Informant or is she not.? To determine that we must first know the definition of a Confidential Informant according to the Greensboro Police Department. Again, from the GPD Directives Manual:
"11.7.2 DEFINITIONS
Informant - A person who provides information or investigative assistance and who receives confidential funds, a recommendation for a reduction of charge or a reduced sentence, or any other special consideration or action by a law enforcement agency.
Citizen Source of Information- A person or organization, not under the direction of a contact officer, who provides information without becoming a party to the investigation itself; or, a concerned citizen who witnesses an event of interest to the Department and provides information without the expectation of a recommendation for the reduction of charges or reduced sentence, or any other special consideration or action by the Department."
Okay, Chief Miller, since you will not allow anyone from the media to interview any of the police officers involved in the Yes! Weekly article that accused Marikay Abuzuaiter of being a GPD Confidential Informant perhaps you would like to answer the question yourself:
Taking into consideration the stated definitions as quoted from the GPD Directives Manual, is Marikay Abuzuaiter a Confidential Informant or is Marikay Abuzuaiter Citizen Source of Information?
It's your job, Chief.
By the way, there's one more thing I've been wondering about: Were the CDs given to Eric Ginsburg by the City of Greensboro rewriteable? Are you sure? Are did someone just run out to Office Depot and pick up the first thing you saw on the shelf? Would anyone from the City of Greensboro care to answer that question for local reporters?
Note: I didn't really hack the GPD, I simply used the search feature on the GPD website.
"10.4.2 DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this directive, the following definitions apply:
Case File: The investigative file, including all reports, forms and notes used in the follow-up investigation of a case, maintained and stored by the investigative unit responsible for the follow-up investigation of that case.
Field Notes: Any written notations pertaining to a case under investigation, regardless of who recorded the notes or the manner in which the notes were recorded.
10.4.3 FIELD NOTE PROCEDURES
It is established by North Carolina General Statute 15A-903(a) that all records of a criminal investigation for an alleged felony must be readily available, upon request, to both parties of a criminal proceeding. This includes not only official investigative and supplemental reports, lab reports, etc., but investigative case notes as well. The following procedures shall be adhered to in regards to the maintenance and submission of all felony investigative notes:
• All officers shall record their investigative notations on the “Greensboro Police Department Field Notes” forms created expressly for this purpose. (If emergency circumstances result in the notation being recorded on anything other than these forms, the same procedures contained in this directive shall be followed.)
• As soon as possible after completion of the required official reports, one copy each of all field notes must be forwarded to the following Divisions:
Division of Information and Technology-Records Management Section, and
The division responsible for the follow-up investigation, (i.e. Metro CID, Southern Division Investigative Unit, etc.)
"10.4.4 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND CRIME STOPPERS CONSIDERATIONS
Nothing in the “Discovery Laws” is intended to compromise the confidentiality of informants and “Crime Stoppers” callers; however precautions must be taken to insure the identity of these sources is protected.
It is essential that current procedures for the handling of Crime Stoppers tips and confidential informants be adhered to. Under no circumstances should a confidential informant be referred to by name on any field notes. If, in the course of an investigation, an officer learns of the identity of a crime stoppers caller, the identity information should not be recorded on any field notes, or the Crimes Stoppers Tip Sheet."
So in other words, if in-fact Greensboro City Councilwoman Marikay Abuzuaiter is a Confidential Informant then Officer Richey was in violation of North Carolina General Statute 15A-903(a) when he e-mailed that information to another police officer.
So the question remains, is Marikay Abuzuaiter a Confidential Informant or is she not.? To determine that we must first know the definition of a Confidential Informant according to the Greensboro Police Department. Again, from the GPD Directives Manual:
"11.7.2 DEFINITIONS
Informant - A person who provides information or investigative assistance and who receives confidential funds, a recommendation for a reduction of charge or a reduced sentence, or any other special consideration or action by a law enforcement agency.
Citizen Source of Information- A person or organization, not under the direction of a contact officer, who provides information without becoming a party to the investigation itself; or, a concerned citizen who witnesses an event of interest to the Department and provides information without the expectation of a recommendation for the reduction of charges or reduced sentence, or any other special consideration or action by the Department."
Okay, Chief Miller, since you will not allow anyone from the media to interview any of the police officers involved in the Yes! Weekly article that accused Marikay Abuzuaiter of being a GPD Confidential Informant perhaps you would like to answer the question yourself:
Taking into consideration the stated definitions as quoted from the GPD Directives Manual, is Marikay Abuzuaiter a Confidential Informant or is Marikay Abuzuaiter Citizen Source of Information?
It's your job, Chief.
By the way, there's one more thing I've been wondering about: Were the CDs given to Eric Ginsburg by the City of Greensboro rewriteable? Are you sure? Are did someone just run out to Office Depot and pick up the first thing you saw on the shelf? Would anyone from the City of Greensboro care to answer that question for local reporters?
Note: I didn't really hack the GPD, I simply used the search feature on the GPD website.
