Early today posted on the
Orlando Sentinel the lawbreaking sheriff Kevin Beary issued the standard non-apology apology, I apologize...BUT I didn't do anything wrong.
Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary apologized Wednesday for rebuking a woman who criticized his deputies' use of stun guns -- and his physical condition.
But Beary defended his use of a restricted database to obtain the home address of Alice Gawronski to write her last month.
"I never, in any way, sent that letter to you with the intent of intimidating you or diminishing your desire and right to openly express yourself," Beary wrote to Gawronski on Wednesday.
"Please know that I remain confident that I was within the purview of the Florida Public Records Law when I obtained your mailing address," Beary added in his most recent letter, which he released to the media.
Much more below the fold....He just keeps digging a hole.
In the same article now the cops are out covering each others behinds.
What is an allowable law-enforcement use of restricted records remains unclear.
The state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has not responded to requests to provide a definition of what is and what is not a permitted use.
Its Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) contains a digital photograph and biographical information about every licensed driver in the state. The public is denied access to these records in order to protect privacy.
Some police officials say the answer varies from agency to agency.
"The definition of law-enforcement purposes is pretty much defined by the chief of the law-enforcement agency," said St. Cloud police Chief Patrick Kelly, who thinks Beary acted within the law.
For the full story visit the link above.
To add insult in the same Sentinel, columnist Mike Thomas rips Sheriff Beary a new one. First on the comment about his weight.
Beary obviously is in denial. Last year, he claimed to be about 290 pounds and 5 feet, 10 inches tall.
As for his alleged height, he must use the guy who measures college-basketball players. I am about 5 feet, 10 inches and had to divert my eyes down about two inches when I met the sheriff.
As for guessing his weight, I'll leave that up to the guys at the county fair. I can say he was less than 290 pounds when I watched him work out in a gym back in 1999.
"Beary has lost 30 pounds, taken six inches off his waist and dropped his body fat by 15 percent," I wrote at the time. "He's back to hefty and headed toward big-boned."
Since then, it seems, Beary has fallen off the exercise wagon and boarded the chuck wagon.
Then more importantly about the blatent abuse of power.
However, it is not his choice to use police powers to dig out private information on people and send intimidating letters on department stationery.
If Beary has a problem with Gawronski's opinion, he can respond in the way every other public official responds to criticism: He can write a rebuttal letter to the editor.
Cops are not allowed to tap into drivers-license records except when pursuing legitimate law-enforcement matters. Unless Beary can produce a grainy video image of Gawronski knocking off a convenience store, he was way out of bounds.
Then he stops, just short of asking for the sheriff's resignation, but makes it clear he should be out of law enforcement and possibly prosecuted.
This is the kind of arrogance you get when a sheriff has been in the job too long. This is what gives all of us pause when we see law-enforcement officials compiling more and more personal data on average citizens in the name of homeland security.
It is frightening that Beary and his staff maintain this was a legitimate use of his authority. It sends a very chilling message: If you publicly disagree with Beary, he'll have his goons get on the department computer and track you down.
Beary's decision to apologize to Gawronski is hollow without admitting that what he did was an abuse of his office. That he doesn't understand this demonstrates an alarming lack of judgment for someone in his position.
Someone needs to reassure the public that this won't happen again. If Beary won't do it, then it is time for Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar, Attorney General Charlie Crist or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to step in and set him straight.
For the full column go to Thomas: Powers don't extend to public's insults
Also a good editorial in the same Sentinel asks for a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation.
The real problem remains Mr. Beary's arrogant abuse of the driver's records to bully a critic. How does the public know that Mr. Beary isn't using other crime-fighting tools to search for dirt on people he considers political enemies?
There are several public records Mr. Beary could have utilized without any problem to find the woman's address. But Mr. Beary's staff admits that the driver's license information was used. And yet a spokesman insists that the sheriff didn't do anything wrong.
Mr. Beary's actions warrant a serious investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Link for the
editorial
Send the the sheriff some mail and ask for his resignation. thesheriff@kevinbeary.com
I would also like to thank everyone for the comments, links, and mojo from the
original diary. "Thanks Everyone" If you missed it please visit.