JOSIE PARKER HAS been the Executive Director of the Ann Arbor District Library system for a dozen years. A native of Mississippi, she earned a BA in English from Auburn University. She holds a Masters in Information and Library Studies from the University of Michigan. Parker has a southern accent, and a steely demeanor.

In a tense phone interview, Ms. Parker spoke frankly about Class A drug use and sales in the Downtown Library.   When asked about the use of her flagship branch as a cocaine drop, Parker said, “That was a long time ago, when the Y was still standing”—2008.

She went on to say that in consultation with the AAPD, the library took proactive measures—such as the removal of ceiling tiles and the rearrangement of potted plants outside the library—to thwart the drug trade on library property. However, she’s not at all sure the measures worked.

“Could there still be cocaine use or sales at the Downtown library?” mused Parker in answer to a question, “yes, of course,” she replied matter of factly.

When asked what the AADL’s policy is concerning Class A drugs found on the premises, Ms. Parker paused then said, “I’m not sure. You’ll have to talk to Adella Harden about that. I can’t answer that question.”

Class A drugs include cocaine and heroin. Prison sentences for the possession/sale of Class A drugs can be as long as 30 years and fines can reach upwards of $500,000.

Adella Harden, the AADL Security Director, became flustered when asked what the AADL and her security team’s policies are concerning the handling and disposal of drugs found on library premises.

Multiple security incident reports turned over to The Ann Arbor Independent in response to a Freedom of Information Act request included statements by security staff that suspected drugs and paraphernalia were “disposed of” without calling in police.

When asked why AADL staff were disposing of drugs and paraphernalia rather than turning the materials over to the AAPD, Ms. Parker alleged that AADL staff were following procedures outlined by the AAPD.

“Whatever it says in the incident report was done, that’s what police told us to do.”

However, it’s not clear the AAPD officials did instruct library staff to handle the disposal of drugs or paraphernalia themselves.

“We incinerate the drugs from our evidence room,” explained a detective with the Washtenaw County Lawnet Narcotics Team.

“If drugs are found in a library, what’s a librarian going to do with them?” asked the detective, who asked not to be named.

In fact, Josie Parker could not say exactly what had happened to any of the drugs and paraphernalia found over the past 36 months. That paraphernalia included drug pipes, needles and syringes which were found by library staff and patrons in various locations, including the library’s public bathrooms and in one instance on a window sill.

Diane Brown is the Public Information Officer for the University of Michigan Police Department. While Brown was careful in comparing the public buildings on the University of Michigan campus to the public library, she did say that the University of Michigan Police Department does get periodic calls about substances suspected to be drugs.

“The drugs are tested, if  necessary, placed in our property room and then disposed of,” said Brown, “if there are no criminal proceedings.”

When asked how long the drugs are stored in the property room, Brown said incineration was handled very quickly, whenever possible.

While she said she did not have statistics handy, Diane Brown said she has “a sense” that heroin use is increasing on the University of Michigan campus.

“Our officers have had a few medical runs,” said Brown, “and we’ve encountered heroin.”

She said that U-M does not routinely break out Class A drug crimes, but rather generally records crimes involving any drugs as drug crimes. To find out how many of the drug crimes reported by the U-M Police Department to the FBI involve heroin, would require an officer reading through individual reports and making a tally.

The Ann Arbor District Library employs five full-time and two part-time security staff in the Downtown library, according to Ms. Parker, though she cautioned that the exact number of security staff would have to be confirmed. According to Ms. Parker, the AADL spends approximately $250,000 per year on security for the Downtown branch, and the security team has been in place the entire time she has served as director. The security staff do not work at any of the other four branches.

When asked whether the AADL has a policy that requires specific handling of drugs, Security Director Adella Hardin said “I cannot say anything until I talk to Josie (Parker). I cannot say anything about the library’s policies. I cannot say anything at all.”

Less than 30 minutes earlier, Josie Parker had told The Ann Arbor Independent that Adella Hardin would be the best person to answer questions about the AADL’s security policies.

Ann Arbor Police Chief John Seto has said his department has a good relationship with the AADL’s security staff and that security staff have “handled” many incidents themselves without calling the police.

“We call the police when there are ‘events,’” as she termed the various crimes and incidents which have required AAPD intervention. “We also work on prevention.”

A FOIA of the appointment calendars of Ms. Parker and Ms. Hardin kept between 2011 and 2014 for mention of meetings with AAPD staff turned up seven meetings organized by Ms. Parker with AAPD officials, including Chief John Seto and Deputy Chief James Baird only between March 2013 and October 2013.

A search of the two women’s calendars showed no meetings with AAPD officials in 2011, when Josie Parker sent a January email to the AADL Board of Trustees informing the group about an overdose and telling them that heroin was being sold at the library.

Ms. Hardin organized on meeting with AAPD officials, as well, on October 8, 2013, held in Josie Parker’s office from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. On the same day, Josie Parker arranged another meeting with Chief Seto, Deputy Chief Baird and Adella Hardin between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The October 8, 2013 meeting was three days after a heroin overdose in a library parking lot that resulted in AAPD intervention.

When asked if she had alerted AADL Trustees to the sale and use of heroin in the Downtown library, she replied that Ms. Parker replied that she’d sent them emails.

“Whether they opened and read the emails,” said Parker, “I can’t say.” A FOIA of Trustee emails revealed that Trustee Prue Rosenthal was the only one who replied to Parker’s October 7, 2013 email informing them of the overdose.

Ms. Parker said the fact information concerning drug sales and use in the Downtown Library was not revealed to the public for three years after it was initially discovered met with her approval.

“I told the public,” said Josie Parker without addressing the fact that there was a 36 month lapse between when she discovered the sale of heroin was going on and when the public discovered the Downtown library’s problems with drug sales and use on the premises.

The Ann Arbor Independent used a Freedom of Information Act request to view Trustee emails. One, sent by then AADL Board Vice President Prue Rosenthal to Ms. Parker in January 2011, suggests perception of the library would be adversely impacted if the public were to know heroin was being sold there.

While there is no evidence that library staff had anything to do with the Downtown library being used as a drop spot for cocaine or as a location for heroin sales. However, neither emails, the library’s own incident reports and daily calendars have been produced that corroborate Josie Parker’s claim that the AAPD was involved in investigating the heroin sales and/or use in the downtown library.

The only records of suspected drug and drug paraphernalia handling come from library security reports filled out by the individuals who reported finding (or being alerted by patrons) and then disposing of the substances and paraphernalia.

Emails reveal that Chief Seto was aware of heroin use in the Downtown library in March 2013. However, there were no scheduled meetings between AAPD staff and library security between March 2013 and October 2013. In March 2014, after Parker spoke to City Council, a source within the AAPD says “there was a lot of pressure to clean up the PR mess.”