EDITORIAL: Chief of Police Needs to Keep Council Apprised
WARD 3 COUNCIL MEMBER Stephen Kunselman’s comments at a recent City Council meeting—about what some believe is a hushed-up, long-term problem with Class A drug sales and drug use in the AADL library system—illustrate a breakdown in communication between the Chief of Police and the 11 people who hired him. According to both the director of the AADL and the city’s police chief, the AAPD and the AADL have been working together since 2011 on Class A drug crimes involving cocaine and heroin in the Downtown library. Penalties for Class A drug possession and/or sales include fines up to $500,000 and prison terms of 20 or more years.
A 2011 email sent from a library trustee to the AADL director in response to information that heroin was being sold in the Downtown library suggested it was better the public remain unaware of the problem. Library trustees did not discuss at public meetings the problems with drug sales, patron drug overdoses or years of AAPD involvement. This newspaper has called for the resignation of the elected trustee who sent an email in which she fretted about the library’s image rather than the public health and safety of those who visit the AADL Downtown library, including thousands of small children and teens.
In an interview with The Ann Arbor News in response to Council member Kunselman’s comments, Chief Seto was unable to provide basic information about what his department has done over the 36 months to deal with the use and sale of Class A drugs in the Downtown library.
“Seto couldn’t say whether any of the people caught using heroin at the library were arrested or charged with a crime. He said it’s possible, but he didn’t have that specific information readily available.”
“He also declined to comment on whether police are actively investigating drug activity at the downtown library.”
“Asked whether heroin is a growing problem in Ann Arbor, Seto said he suspects heroin use is on the rise, but he didn’t have specific data.”
“Seto said sometimes police are able to initiate an investigation (into the sale of the drugs) and sometimes they aren’t, and he couldn’t comment on specifics.”
Not only did the public have a right to know that the AAPD was working with the AADL security staff to address a serious drug crime problem, —including the use of the Downtown library as a cocaine drop spot—the public has a right to answers to each of the questions posed to the Chief, above.
Library Director Josie Parker’s public comments about Class A drug crimes at the Downtown library over the past 36 months have opened the door to questions about not only the AADL Board of Trustees’ actions, but those of the Chief of Police and his department, as well.
There have been repeated allegations by multiple officers that the AAPD manipulates crime reporting to manipulate crime statistics—putting politics before public safety. Council member Kunselman alleges that AAPD officers who responded to heroin overdoses may not have charged those in possession of heroin with drug crimes or investigated from whom the drugs were purchased. These allegations must be addressed and if, indeed, drug crimes were incorrectly classifieds, Council should demand an audit of the AAPD’s crime reports going back to at least 2009.