My word against the deputy ...

If the case hinges on the word of an “Officer” (Police) and a defendant, courts usually rule in favor of the officer. There is the presumption that all members of the law enforcement community are not only experts but they also have the requisite moral character to be the stewards of the law. The way laws are written right now, the only place that a member of the law enforcement community cannot tell a lie is in the courtroom. While collecting information from defendants, it is permissible for them to use deceit to acquire information.

Enter the incident of the 16th of September (READ BLOG ENTRY). Here’s a classic example of an officer’s word against a potential suspect. While I was under a short side-walk detention, Officer Wagoner of the OC Sheriff's Department took possession of my wallet and when he released me, he failed to return my wallet. He drove off with it still sitting on the hood of the squad car. A call to dispatch asking for the officer to return my wallet was met with a stern and clinical “the deputy advised me that he returned your wallet”.

A few days letter, I retrieved a message on my voicemail from Liza Fadeel from Bank of America at the Aliso Viejo Branch. She said that a customer dropped off my wallet at her branch. She was able to track down my number because the wallet contained an old BofA BankCard. So, here we find two contradicting statements. I said he never gave me back my wallet. He said that he returned it to me. Fact finders will ask, how is it that my wallet ended up with Bank of America? Who, then, was telling the truth?

I added this to my ever increasing inventory of incidents that support my claim under 42 USC §1983.

VIEW PICTURES OF THE WALLET

(PS CHECK OUT AN OLD PICTURE ON MY ID)