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The death of a Chandler Police Officer, during an undercover operation
Has sparked an investigation by the Goldwater Institute.
It stems from an incident last summer in Phoenix.
Officer Carlos Ladesma was killed and two others were seriously injured
During a reverse sting.
That's where the cops bring the DRUGS and the suspects bring the MONEY.
Well, the controversy is all over money.
As Patty Kirkpatrick explains in tonight's 9pm EXTRA
The operation had the potential to net the Chandler Police Department
A Quarter Million Dollars.
When the deal goes down, the police move in and the suspects are arrested
At the end of the day the Police get to keep that money.
We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How? It's legal under Arizona's forfeiture law.
During last summer's reverse sting, Chandler's team had planned to sell five hundred pounds of marijuana
For a quarter of a million dollars.
Mark Flatton, with the Goldwater Institute
Recently examined Arizona's forfeiture law
And discovered that Chandler police department made more than three million dollars
In reverse stings last year.
There were only two cases where they ran a traditional sting outside of the city limits
Outside of the boundaries of the city
In a year's period, whereas reverse stings, where they get to keep they money
They did it twenty times.
Chandler Police Chief, Sherry Kiyler disputes the suggestion
Money motivated Chandler to leave its jurisdiction twenty times last year.
Nothing, absolutely nothing that we do is profit motivated when it comes to
these operations, absolutely nothing.
We do not use forfeiture funds for personnel costs, for salaries, for benefits,
Basically for anything that has an ongoing attachment to it.
We use it to buy, for example, surveillance equipment for our detectives,
For large vehicles, for big operations. Chandler is not an island.
And just because the operation isn't, today, in my city, does not mean that my city isn't impacted.
And that's not true of just narcotics, that's true of anything.
We asked several other Valley Police Departments to comment on how often they
conduct reverse sting operations.
Phoenix told us, since they're the lead investigative agency
In a July 2010 deadly shooting of Carlos Ladesma, they will not grant interviews.
Glendale PD quote "Respectfully declined our request."
Scottsdale doesn't, quote "Publically discuss undercover operations"
And Tempe declined our request, quote, "Primarily because it relates to tactical operations and officer/community safety."
The Goldwater Institute, along with the Institute for Justice, believes Arizona's law
Needs to be reformed to put forfeiture money into a general fund in order to
Eliminate speculation about policing for profit.
By giving them the ability to keep the money that is seized injects this impermissible taint.
There would be no question about their motives if the money that was taken
Was deposited in a neutral account, governed and controlled by somebody other than
The local law enforcement agency that is seizing the money.
Chief Kiyler supports that idea.
To a degree...
I don't have a problem with that I will tell you however that the money
Absolutely should be used for law enforcement operation.
Now the Institute for Justice took a look at forfeiture laws across the country
And gave Arizona a grade of D minus
You can find more information about that report and read it for yourself on our website.
AZFamily.com