Procedure
I'll acknowledge all the usual caveats about this story in advance:
- I know - running a jail is hard. People in county lockups are not pleasant. Duly noted.
- Law enforcement is all about procedure. It has to be, or cops get raked over the coals in court, which is also all about procedure.
- We have no idea, yet, exactly why the Sherburne county sheriff's office brought Carl Moyle into the county lockup on Monday for not having an insurance card with him.
- When something tragic happens, it's in most officials' best interest to not be especially forthcoming to the media or the public.
- Finally, the best way not to get yourself killed in jail is not to go to jail.
Duly noted.
But the story itself makes me really mad.
While [Sherburne County Sheriff Bruce] Anderson declined to name him, authorities told Moyle's family members that the suspect was Bruce Christenson. He is a 28-year-old inmate at the Oak Park Heights prison who was taken to the Sherburne County Jail Tuesday morning for a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday on an assault charge.
Anderson said that with no known reason to put the suspect in isolation, he was placed in the general population, in a pod of 15 cells where Carl Moyle was.
Another news outlet had an interview with Sheriff Anderson in which it sounded more like (I'm paraphrasing here) "It wasn't my screwup" that put alleged perp Christianson - a piece of human trash for whom being eaten by mice is too good - in a cell with a guy with absolutely no history of violent behavior. Between the lines; "I followed procedure", and "it's not policy to need to know who is in the pokey for what".
Procedure and policy; they exist primarily so that people don't have to think (not always a bad thing; a family fire drill helps the kids get out of the house without thinking). They also exist to cover peoples' asses.
Disgraceful.
Posted by Mitch at
August 10, 2006 12:34 PM
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Didn't the story say that the victim had outstanding traffic violations other than what he got picked up for? (In response to you wondering why he was locked up for no insurance card). What an absolutely horrible thing to happen....sickening.
Posted by: Colleen at August 10, 2006 03:39 PMI was a classmate to Carl Moyle. He was being held for no insurance. There was in fact insurance on his brother's vehicle he was driving, but the card was not in the glovebox. His brother came up to the Sheriff's office with the ins. card, but the doors were already locked a few minutes after 4:30 pm. It is too bad that this happened. And why is a violent felon held in the same "community cell" as those charged with petty misdemeanors?
Posted by: Laurie at August 12, 2006 01:20 PMI moved to Elk River 2 years ago from Plymouth.
Posted by: Ed at August 18, 2006 12:01 AMThe cops here seemed like small-town cops. You know, they'll wave at you, talk with you. I don't think we can put the blame on the cops.
We can only blame the Sherburne county sheriff's department. They screwed up and won't admit it. They're blaming the DOC. The DOC didn't tell them Christenson was a violent pyscho being transfered for court. So what?
There are mutiple cameras fixed on that cell. The jailers were lazy and screwed up. That's it.
Why doesn't Sheriff Bruce Anderson fire some of them just as an example?
I feel terribly for the family and friends of Carl Moyle. I am so sorry for your loss.
I am a Sherburne County resident and I am outraged by the Moyle story.
Makes me wonder what the heck is going on within the system...LIFE is precious---our LEADERS better get that!!!
My heartfelt prayers for the family.
Posted by: Shelley at August 21, 2006 10:55 AM