Does This Sound Familiar?

The Tuesday, July 24, 2007, online edition of The New York Times leads with an article headlined Spitzer Aides Cited for Use of Police to Tarnish Bruno. The Times article reports how aides to New York Governor Eliot Spitzer "...improperly used the State Police to gather information about the governor’s chief rival, Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate majority leader, in an effort to plant a negative story about Mr. Bruno and damage him politically, according to a report on Monday by the attorney general’s office."

Does that sound just a little familiar?

To refresh your memory, re-read Whitecaps February 7, 2007, post titled Trust and Confidence Violated. It recounts how an Idaho State Police Detective Captain reportedly just couldn't wait to report the juicy details of a citizen activist's complaint and the complainant's identity to (get this!) the Coeur d'Alene City Administrator Wendy Gabriel. Now why would he want to do that, you might reasonably ask. Could it be because her father is a recently-retired state legislator, and his current wife is a state appointee with gubernatorial aspirations? A little nest-feathering, perhaps?

The misuse of law enforcement agencies, information, and surveys for political purposes is at least unethical if not illegal. In New York, it may bring down the Governor and get the acting superintendent of the New York State Police and some of the Governor's aides fired. In Idaho, it may get cops and political hacks promoted.