Nearly a month ago Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf pledged to investigate allegations that deputies unlawfully entered Leelanau County homes at least five times from 2007 through this summer seeking underage drinkers.
So far, though, the sheriff seems to be taking the classic approach: Shoot the messenger.
In letters dated Oct. 9 and Oct. 21 to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northwest Michigan, Oltersdorf says he can't complete an investigation because the ACLU's original six-page letter doesn't provide dates, addresses, alleged victims' names or other information he needs.
"There is no way for me to substantiate their allegations without their cooperation," Oltersdorf said.
That's absurd. As the ACLU's Steve Morse has pointed out, the group's letter gives plenty of details, including the months and years of alleged incidents, for the sheriff to start an investigation.
"When we say an incident occurred in Leland in June of 2009, it's not as though there were hundreds of situations in which there is a search of a house for a minor in possession," Morse said.
Further, 86th District Judge Thomas Phillips and Leelanau Prosecutor Joe Hubbell both threw out cases cited by the ACLU, leaving a paper trail even a rookie cop could follow. Clearly, the sheriff is not proceeding with what could be called investigative vigor. Though he called the incidents "very, very serious" and even talked about bringing in the FBI to conduct an investigation, he also cited what he called inaccuracies and discrepancies in the ACLU letter as impeding his efforts.
Sorry. He's a police officer and police officers routinely investigate issues in which the facts are not totally clear. Further, the cases tossed out by Phillips and Hubbell are a fine place to start. For its part, the ACLU isn't helping its cause by not doing what Oltersdorf wants -- up to a point, of course. As Morse has pointed out, some of the people who talked to the ACLU are hardly eager to have more dealings with the department.
Fair enough. But if Oltersdorf says he needs to meet with the ACLU first, then meet with him; no one has to reveal any information they feel they shouldn't reveal, and the sheriff will have one less reason to not press a vigorous investigation.
Clearly, the onus is on Oltersdorf to act, and soon. If he feels he has to, he should bring in someone the public can trust, have them investigate what happened and then take the appropriate action.
The sheriff must realize the public won't soon forget the image of armed deputies walking into houses in the middle of the night with no warrant and ordering people around. That's going to stay with a lot of people a long time. The people who elected him and pay his salary want action and they want answers, and it's up to Sheriff Oltersdorf to provide them.
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