New agency takes over homeless abuse inquiry

By April Silvaggio  

DECEMBER 18, 2009 10:12 a.m. (0)

The civil rights unit of the U.S. Justice Department has taken charge of a 7-week-old misconduct investigation involving allegations that at least four officers while working with the Greenville Police Department abused homeless people.

U.S. Attorney Walt Wilkins said this week lawyers assigned to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, headquartered in Washington, D.C., are in Greenville and are making decisions involving both the investigation and the prosecution of the case.

“They are calling the shots,” he said. “We are providing the support.”

He wouldn’t elaborate further, except to say no time frame has been established for its completion.

Meanwhile, an Anderson attorney representing one of four Greenville city police who resigned after the investigation began in late September said it was the “weirdest” case she had ever been involved with.

“I’m mystified,” said Druanne White, a former solicitor for Anderson and Oconee counties who before that served as chief prosecutor at the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, N.C.

White said her client is a young man who was just beginning his career in law enforcement with the Greenville Police Department. He has since found another job in the private sector, she said.

“You’ve got the director of SLED saying they are looking for someone to come forward, so who is making the allegations?” she said. “To my knowledge, no one has yet to come forward to point the finger. That makes it hard to defend.”

Greenville Police Chief Terri Wilfong has said the misconduct was flushed out by an internal system of checks and balances designed to alert department officials to instances where policies and procedures weren’t being followed.

The investigation began in late September, the chief said, when she was notified by one of her commanders that a problem had surfaced with paperwork procedures not matching up.

Along with incident reports, tickets and arrest warrants, city officers are also required to complete paperwork like field interview cards each time he or she has contact with a citizen, the chief said.

Three days into what began Sept. 25 as an internal investigation conducted by the department’s Internal Affairs Unit, the chief said she was told the problem could potentially have criminal implications, she said.

She placed a call to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and asked them to investigate. Agents from SLED took over the case Sept. 29, said Jennifer Timmons, a spokeswoman for that agency. The U.S. Justice Department was brought in at the request of SLED, FBI Public Affairs Specialist Denise Taiste said.

White said her client feels betrayed.

“How would you like it if your employer called you in and made those kinds of allegations and accusations,” White said. “We will be interested to see what the investigation shows. But regardless, I don’t think my client would be terribly interested in going back to work there.”

White would not say whether her client has talked with federal authorities. She did say that inquiries she has made about the case have been short on details.

While SLED Director Reggie Lloyd has not disclosed the details of the case publically, he has said the allegations, if true, are “very disturbing.” He said the allegations were brought to light by individuals within the department.

Greenville lawyer Ryan Beasley, who is representing another of the four officers who resigned, has said his client is cooperating with federal and state investigators.

The young Iraqi war veteran was caught completely off guard when shortly after the start of the investigation he was told to turn in his badge and gun and take a leave of absence or resign, because he believed he was doing what he was supposed to do, Beasley said.