Two DeKalb County police officers have been accused of running a criminal background check on Barack Obama. The DeKalb County Police Department was informed by the U.S. Secret Service that DeKalb County computers were used to run a query on Obama. It isn't known what motive the officers may have had, but the department says they have both been put on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Perhaps they were bored and thought it would be fun. Perhaps they thought that they might find, with a simple background check, things that thousands of reporters, conservative pundits and, yes, even members of the Democratic Party were unable to find. Whatever the case, it was a stupid move. (Great, the one time Obama could have actually called two cops "stupid" and been correct and he's busy drinking beer with another cop and an old college buddy.)
As a private investigator, I don't know how many hundreds of "backgrounds" I've researched on "Subjects" , as we call them, the hard way - going through court records, talking with friends, family and neighbors, tracking down any scrap of information I could find to piece together a picture of someone I was hired to investigate. Of course, there are online services where you pay a fee to get some information, but it's usually not anywhere near the same information you get through old fashioned "leg work".
That's not the case with law enforcement agencies. They use the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to get a rundown on the person they're investigating. The thing is, they're only suppose to use that system when they are officially investigating someone. It might be as simple as a traffic stop by a uniformed police officer, but there has to be a legitimate reason to "run an NCIC". They are NOT suppose to use the system to just randomly check the backgrounds of individuals...and every cop knows that - every cop. They learn that in the academy about the time they learn to recite the "Miranda Rights".
Perhaps these guys were paid by someone who wanted them to dig up something on Obama. Or maybe they just wanted to see if they could unravel the riddle of where Obama was really born. It doesn't matter; what's done is done. The stupid thing was thinking they could do it and get away with it without anyone noticing. Yeah, there would have been no way for the Secret Service to trace a computer query on the President of The United States... right.
But here's a bigger question. Why is it illegal to check up on the president? Everytime I've ever covered or met with a U.S. President, or for that matter a foreign president, during my years a reporter, I've had to agree to a background check by the Secret Service - every single time. Now, I can understand that for reasons of national security, but if the guy is already sitting in the glass bowl, if he's paid by us and we put him there, what's wrong with anyone having the right to say, "Now, let's just see if you've ever shoplifted a candy bar or embezzled funds from an employer", no matter who he is or which side of the political aisle he comes from. I mean we already have the right to see his personal tax return each year. And I'm certain that the Russians have had ever detail they need about U.S. Presidents and their background information from the get-go. In fact, if you'll recall, we all saw more of Ronald Reagan than we bargained for when he had a colon exam. So, aside from that small matter of violating department policy, what was the real harm in a couple of cops checking up on the president?
Potential abuse - that's the problem. If people wearing sidearms and vested with the power to arrest aren't kept in check, some might take it upon themselves to abuse their power.
I'm a strong supporter of law enforcement. The men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line - that "Thin Blue Line" - everyday to stand between us and evil. So that's why this is important for the DeKalb County Police Department - and just plain dumb for the DeKalb County cops. And it's a real shame.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/30/ga-officers-accused-running-background-checks-obama/?test=latestnews
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