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Police department restructuring; tale of missing Cadillac told
Published Monday, June 15, 2009
Selma City Council members still seemed confused over what happened to a 1991 Cadillac Brougham taken during a 2006 narcotics raid.
Council members received a summary of an investigation into the case, but still seemed confused. The report places the blame on a shift in experienced personnel in the past, causing a lack of supervision to maintaining proper paperwork on seized property. The police department is restructuring its Investigations Divisions with stricter guidelines and policies.
“They don't know what happened,” said Council member Cecil Williamson, who has pushed the issues of missing cars and evidence money for months. “They simply don't know what happened.”
The missing Cadillac is the latest in several instances of cars confiscated by the Selma Police Department under former police chief Jimmy Martin and not returned to their rightful owners.
The investigative report given recently to the city council and obtained by The Selma Times-Journal says the vehicle was towed on Oct. 25, 2006, from Travelers Inn after officers executed a narcotics search warrant on a room occupied by Veronica Barron and Richard Dudley.
Dudley was the focus of the investigation. He was arrested and the Cadillac was towed by Chandler's Towing to the police department. Dudley was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. Barron was not charged, according to the report. The vehicle was held for about a month. It was to be returned to the owner. The towing fee was paid to Chandler's Towing.
“It is unknown if Veronica Barron came to the police department and spoke with anyone regarding the return of the vehicle,” the report states. “It is also unknown if Veronica Barron ever went to Chandler Towing and inquired about getting the car back and if, in fact, she ever did get the car returned to her.”
In April, Barron read about other cars reported missing. She came to the police department to ask about her car.
“Veronica's statement was that 'her mother told her to come up here and find out about her car and see if she could get paid for her car,'” the report says.
An officer asked her if she had tried to locate the car prior to April. Barron told the officer she had spoken with another officer, but didn't say if anything came out of the conversation. She said she had returned to the police department in 2007, but couldn't remember with whom she spoke at the time.
The officer asked about Dudley, who walked into the room about the same time. Dudley said he could not recall who he and Barron had talked to about the car. Dudley said they had driven by for about a month in 2006 and after a month they did not see the car.
Neither Dudley nor Barron could tell authorities why they had waited three years to sk about the car.
The VIN number of the Cadillac showed Barron as the last registered owner. No new owner was listed. Chandler's Towing showed only where the car was towed from Traveler's Inn in 2006 and no more information.
After running all the information, authorities attempted to get in touch with Barron, but could not find her. She no longer lived at the Traveler's Inn. She was not at the address on her driver's license.
“Two separate phone numbers and three different addresses have been checked but there has been no contact with Veronica Barron,” the report states.
Authorities also surmised that Chandler Towing never picked up the car from the police department, but the report says the investigation cannot determine if another towing company moved the car out of the alley or if the vehicle was signed over to the owner by the officer working the case.
Police officers checked all the towing companies in Selma to see if they have any record of towing the vehicle from the police department.
“No wrecker company has been able to provide any written information that suggests they picked the vehicle up from the police department or released the vehicle to the owner,” the report states.
There is no paperwork to follow the vehicle. The keys to the Cadillac can't be found.
“A lack of experienced supervision and a breakdown in the paperwork were reasons this property was not maintained properly,” the report states. “The keys to the vehicle cannot be found, so it cannot be determined if the keys and vehicle were returned to the owner, or if the keys were passed on to another towing company if they were called to come and move the car.”
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Comments
Posted by sinkingship (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 6:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is no wonder the police did nothing to stop cars being stolen and sold for scrap. the police were doing it too.
it is utterly amazing to me that jimmy martin still has a job.
if not totally incompentant then derelect of duty.
Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You can chalk this up to poor leadership that extended from the Mayor's office-over to the Police Chief's office. When you have one incompetent person propping up another incompetent person...that spells trouble. One still works on the force and the other one is running for Congress. Must be great to not hold responsibility for your past actions.
Posted by wisdom (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Whew! Thanks, now we can all sleep peacefully at night! The End!
Posted by catchem (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We have gone from the key stoned cops to the "key STONED Council!" Former SPD Chief Robert Green was Jimmy Martin's trainer and is in trouble with the Northport Police Department for using a confiscated BMW for personal use for five years and is filing a civil rights complaint agaist that City. Lets hope Jimmy Martin doesn't try the same thing. Lewellen should have never hired Martin, the former seamstress from Brent, whose only experience was playing snitch for the Bibb County Sheriffs Office in a sewing factory.
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why is a drug dealer's missing car such a long running story? If he is legally due the car and the car can't be recovered, pay him the book value of the car. More than likely, the car was hauled to a junk yard. Just put a system in place where two different officers sign off on a vehicle before it is taken in or released and be done with this.
Posted by monique72 (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I went through a situation like that about my van, it was at a shop waiting to be be checked on, and a scrap place is behind the place, the car shop has to many cars there and placed mines behind the shop which was the owner of the scrap place for cars, so when i called about my van when i heard rumors that they seen parts missing from my van. It was destroyed all the doors miising parts taken off. They asked the owner if he had done this he said yes because it was on his property and he thought it was one of his scrap cars he payed me what it was worth and I was happy because the motor was gone in it anyway.
Posted by nanam (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 10:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How did the City get a good audit from the auditors if they are still missing vehicles? The cover-up still goes on , even with the auditors!
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
nanam, the auditors do an audit on the financial statements of the city. A financial audit has zero to do with cars the city tows away. Be careful when making accusations. The city didn't get a good audit necessarily. They had several findings and the management rep letter (detailing the problems they didn't include with the findings) has not been released.
Posted by catchem (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 11:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
bama: The story should keep being investigated for the integrity of the hard working and honest officers and for the restoring of public trust in our police department. No one crushes a 2006 Cadi. Either the perp took his own car back and should be arrested for false a complaint or someone in the SPD has knowledge and should either come forward or be fired and prosecuted.
Posted by catchem (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 11:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
or a 1991 Cadi in good condition.
Posted by imclean (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If it was a 1961 Chevy missing, they should follow through. Arrogance and corruption is our worst enemy in our Government. Why has the Chief had to be directed upteen number of times to DO HIS JOB???
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
catchem, the city's auditors do not "investigate" for lost cars. That is not what they are required to do by the standards they follow or by the contract they signed with the city. The CPAs are there to audit the financial information of the city; that is it. Too many people are confused about what an audit is. The ABI and internal affairs handles cases of alleged misconduct.
Posted by disgruntled (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think there was so much put into finding this Cadillac because it was one fo the few missing vehicles that was public knwoledge. It makes sense that if they found out what happened with thsi car it may lead them to find out about the other missing evidence. By the way, does anyone know how no one knew who had the evidence room key for almost a year?
Posted by nanam (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 2:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bama- My Husband is and Auditor and has been for 10 years. When they Audit a business they look for everything that comes through that business. If a car was signed at the city hall it should have been signed out.
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
nanam, I too am an auditor. I am not sure what type of audits your husband does, but a governmental finacial audit does not trace every transaction within the city. The auditors take a random sample of transactions. It would be impossible for a group of CPA performing an audit to inspect every single transaction in every department within the city. They were performing a financial audit, not a fraud audit. Those are two very different things.
Posted by imclean (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 4:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BAMA: I don't think catchem had anything to say about an audit, but since you did I think an inventory of City equipment should be included in the asset section of the audit. It has been years since the City has done an inventory. Correct me if I am wrong.
Posted by bamafan (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 5:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe someone needs to check with the Dallas County Court house to see if a tag has been bought or renewed since it has been missing, and this would be at least a lead, if a tag has been bought or renewed by her, then she wasn't being honest!
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
imclean, the city should maintain a fixed asset register (buildings, vehicles, equipment, etc.) and an inventory register (small items under the capitalization limit) by department. It is the responsiblity of the city to maintain these. I assume they do as they would be a material asset of the city, thus requiring the auditors to audit them. Confiscated vehicles would NOT be included in the city's fixed asset or inventory listing because it is not an asset the city owns. The police department should maintain a listing of all confiscated items (money, drugs, guns, cars, etc). The police department can easily run the VIN of the cadillac through the state's system to see if it has been registered.
Posted by wisdom (anonymous) on June 16, 2009 at 10:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OMG! It's a 1991 Cadillac. That would make it old enough to vote! Bama, I'm with you. Who cares about a drug dealer's lost car anyway?! Hey, why not pay him back for his drugs too?!
So much energy in Selma is wasted on stuff that doesn't matter. Then there's not enough left to accomplish the things that do. First get a grip, then let it go!
Posted by grandmaduck (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 5:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I personally have to wonder why our somewhat new police chief would lay back and let his dept take such a beating. If he is such a manager and officer of officers I for would think he would have a press conference RIGHT now and tell the people of Selma, this is old news, it was under the watch of another chief. Not only is Jimmy Martain (who was supposedly retiring to be with his church and family) being placed on administrative leave until these issues are resolved but this deptartment is being cleaned up picked up and restored to a law enforcement agency, No longer is it a law avoidment agency. Point out what is being improved, changed and checks and balances being put in place to avoid the pitfalls of previous years. Yet you never hear ANYTHING out of this guy. How are the people of Selma suppose to trust a man they NEVER hear from. If that was MY department I would NEVER miss a chance to show how I am improving my deptartment or miss the same chance to praise the work of my dept. Instead Im not sure Chief Riley REALLY exsist. Maybe he is a ghost figure. If he really exsist aand had any faith what so ever in his officers and/ or his policies he should be out there fighting for his dept instead of hiding in his office.
Posted by Wedgie (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Have you ever considered that no matter what he might have to say or anyone else says there will still be nay sayers and continued accusations. Sometimes it isn't worth responding to ignorance for it only makes you look ignorant yourself. How can someone explain something that some will never absorb and continue to harp on for eternity. JMO
Posted by imclean (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BAMA: neither I or catchem had anything to say about confiscated vehicles being in the audit. I'm talking about other missing City property which has been brought to the attention of City Officials. How much do you charge for an audit? I need to replace the three firms I presently use to do my audits with you, since you don't micro inspect and just take the word of the one who pays you. Would love to hear from you.
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 11:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
imclean, you should be more clear in your posts. You didn't mention missing city property in your previous comments. I have no idea of when an inventory was taken of city property, but an inventory register should be maintained on a continuing basis for a city the size of Selma as inventory may be a material asset. Perhaps you should ask your three auditors about requirements for audits conducted in accordance with GAAP instead of making assumptions on the internet.
Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 3:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think Selma should have an SPD show like Montgomery Police Dept. The cops could generate revenue through selling advertising spots to the business they are supposedly protecting. You can't tell me everybody in a 100 mile radius wouldn't watch that show. They would NEVER run out of episodes either with all the crime around here.
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cops in Montgomery did a couple of episodes in Selma in the mid-90s. They actually showed them pulling up to the pavilion by the stadium to run high school kids off on a weekend night.
Posted by imclean (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 4:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BAMA: GAAP has cost me dearly in extremely higher audit costs, so don't think I don't know. On the second thought, I wouldn't hire you as an account, if you are one, because you seem to be too biased toward City Government or too knucle headed to understand a point. I will settle with my CPAs who go into detail and keep me safe from the long arms of the IRS.
Posted by bama (anonymous) on June 17, 2009 at 5:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think you should re-read my comments as they went way over your head. LoL
Posted by SpeakTruth (anonymous) on June 18, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I bet the very ones acting like they never got their cars back from the SPD took the cars, sold them, or did whatever with them and now acting like they don't know whats going on. Then once they post something in the paper bought money having to be paid for missing cars, all those low lives go and lie about never receiving their car back. Some of these people will do anything for money and they shouldn't pay them anything. Most of them got their cars back and now want to get money just cause the paper has released a statement saying SPD does not know where the cars are.
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