Breach of Trust, the Evidence

The original search warrant and the warrant and inventory for a second search after the shooting are available through the Virginian Pilot web site. See under the picture at

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/01/all-officers-were-wearing-body-armor-during-shivers-shooting

These documents raise several questions as yet unanswered.

First, the amount of marijuana recovered was not enough for dealing, and was recovered from in the house, not the garage. The police knew the night of the raid that the indoor pot farm they were seeking was not there, yet the amount of marijuana recovered was not made public until Fredericks was arraigned two weeks later. What purpose was there to concealing the fact the he was not the felon he was suspected of being?

The search inventory specified the items recovered from the garage, including lights and containers. But the contents of those containers was not specified. Combined with the statement that marijuana was found, with no indication of the quantity, this allowed the false impression that the suspected marijuana growing operation was real to persist for two weeks. Fredericks claims the containers held cold sensitive plants, bananas and Japanese Maples, being wintered indoors. If those were the plants in those containers, that fact should have been made public immediately. Again, having the truth come out later only increases the growing distrust in the Chesapeake Police leadership.

Most damningly, the inventory reports that 3 shell casing were recovered, 2 .380 ACP casings and one .223 casing. Frederick had a .380 pistol, but no AR-15 or other rifle to account for the .223. Police often carry such rifles in SWAT type actions.

The police have made no statement admitting that one of their officers fired a shot, nor has any explanation for that rifle casing been offered. It would be no surprise, and no indication of additional wrongdoing, if one of the officers fired his weapon in the course of the incident, so why let these weeks go by with that casing unexplained? The result is that something that might well be entirely reasonable takes a on sinister appearance. Further, posts on the Virginian Pilot blogs pointing out that irregularity have been quickly removed, adding to the appearance of a cover-up and eroding our trust in the Pilot as well.

If there is nothing wrong about that .223 round, then doggedly refusing to address its existence creates the impression that there is. Who fired that shot, and where did it go?

There may be nothing more here than incredibly bad public relations, but trust has been so badly eroded at this point that a trusted outside voice will be required to restore it.