Police Corruption: Letter to Archangels of Justice

Dear Archangels of Justice,

I’ve been following Archangels of Justice’s blog. In fear of retaliation by the offending entities, I’ve remained behind the curtain watching as these warriors expose statewide corruption. However, after reading the  article out of Ocala.com titled Bondi objects to lawsuit, by Bill Thompson, my “curtain” is unveiling in hopes that sharing my story will bring forth awareness on the abuse of power taking place amongst us.

Police officers are violating a federal law that Attorney General Pam Bondi not only declines to enforce but has a gross lack of empathy for the impacted victims.

Bill Thompson writes in his Jan. 2, 2014 article, “Attorney General Pam Bondi asserts in court documents that law enforcement officers throughout the state can freely snoop into the records of 15 million licensed Florida drivers — so long as the prying is not done for economic gain.”

If Attorney General Bondi believes law enforcement should not be held accountable for misuse of drivers databases unless used for “economic gain”, not only is she in violation of law herself, she’s committing a great injustice to victims of Stalking/Harassment and their families. Her belief defeats the purpose of why the Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) was established in the first place. It’s enactment had nothing to do with economic crime; It was specifically created to protect people from violent crime- Stalking and Harassment in particular, as it falls under Title XXX of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and was later amended to reflect stricter guidelines and punishment following the 1989 Homicide of Rebecca Schaeffer, an innocent actress/model killed by a stalker who used the driving license database to locate and murder her.

So… back to Archangels of Justice and my story-

I am a former Deputy Sheriff and although still certified am unable to ever work again.

The irony of Attorney General Pam Bondi “objecting to lawsuits” as stated in the above article is compelling. I know of one lawsuit in particular that wouldn’t even exist had Pam Bondi taken appropriate action following the written request for help she received.

In 2011, Bondi was one of 18 different government entities and agencies I contacted for help in fear for my life after learning more than 120 Law Enforcement Officers from 2 local Sheriff Departments used their federally funded computer database, known as DAVID, to allegedly  obtain my personal information in excess of over 500 times. These same officers then used my information to also illegally obtain my husband and two sisters private information- information protected under the DPPA Amendment- nearly 300 times.

After an entire year of reaching out for help with negative results, I filed a Federal lawsuit against the offending entities. This was a last resort effort for help.

For anyone insinuating my lawsuit to be frivolous- perhaps you think I saw it as an opportunity to “get rich”, well you are sadly mistaken. I ask you this, “If you were a victim of a crime, who would you call for help? The police, right? Well who do I call for help if the police are the ones committing the crime?” I was left no other choice but to hire private investigators and pay thousands of dollars to attorneys in effort to seek help and protection for my family.

They advised me that by filing a lawsuit it would expose the behavior and perhaps motivate the police to stop the harassment in fear of consequence- wrong; there was no consequence, but rather conspiracy.

I’ve learned the “good ole’ boys’ network” goes far and beyond 2 local Sheriff Offices. Of the 18 agencies I pled to for help, including Pam Bondi and her Victims Advocacy Division, not a single one of them would help me. Instead, I was told to report my allegations to the offending Sheriff Offices’ administration. Since when are criminals permitted to investigate their own crimes? As crazy as it was, my husband and I did as instructed. We reported our findings and expressed the severe distress we were suffering as a result to both Sheriff Offices.

The corruption continued and a conspiracy began to evolve.

Mock Internal Affairs investigations were allegedly staged, deputies fabricated [verifiable] lies under oath, I.A. reports had a “copy & paste” effect duplicating multiple deputies’ statements. Investigators made no attempt to verify the statements given or cross reference dates/times & method of database inquiry with DHSMV’s computer records. The security breach committed against my husband was never even addressed despite formal request. And the big question to this day still remains- Why? I have yet to know the reason WHY mine, my husbands and my 2 sisters’ privacy have been so brutally violated.

Why are we being stalked and harassed by local law enforcement? My sisters did not even reside in Florida during the majority of the 200+ DAVID inquires made against them. I am a mother in my 30’s and have no criminal history whatsoever. Many of these deputies were my co-workers- surely they already knew what I looked like, so why the need to access my driver’s license photos dozens of times? My poor husband….Apparently being married to a female cop means you relinquish any expectation of privacy.

What’s even more disturbing is the fact that every single deputy who abuses DAVID is doing so with deliberate intent to break the law. Access to DAVID and similar databases designed for Law Enforcement purpose requires training and certification. During that training, I and every other deputy were specifically told, “DO NOT access DAVID for personal use.”

Funded by taxpayer dollars, DAVID was not designed to be used as a “Facebook for Cops.” Looking up the address of a girl you find attractive is NOT permissible under the DAVID User Agreement- the same user agreement officers must click an acknowledgment icon before accessing. So why knowingly break the law? Evidently, the law doesn’t apply to the “good ole’ boys.

Despite several cries for help, little to no discipline was imposed on the 120+ offending deputies, let alone criminal charges. I was a victim of a Federal Felony yet the State Attorney ruled that the 800+ unexplained DAVID inquires made against us were “not criminal” and should be dealt with “administratively” by the sheriff’s office themselves. However, this same State Attorney ruled in a coinciding case involving a female deputy that it WAS “criminal” when she used the database to look up her child’s father and his affiliates following ongoing harassment surrounding their custody dispute. Surely that complainant was not in fear of his life… so why did the State Attorney’s office investigate his accusation and not mine? Why was that female deputy persecuted to the point of being fired, yet male deputies, some in which searched me over 20 times each, were given no more than a verbal warning?

What adversaries fail to realize is the life-altering physical and emotional impact this has had on my life. One afternoon in particular, my 6-year-old son was playing outside when we noticed an intruder on our property. It was a large, angry man (whom I didn’t know) at the foot of our driveway acting aggressive and appeared to be under the influence. I quickly grabbed my son and ran inside to call 911. I then thought, “I can’t call 911; I can’t have those deputies come here!” Thankfully, the intruder wondered off without further occurrence. However, that incident made me realize the severity of what we’re dealing with. I wasn’t comfortable calling the police in an emergency situation and that is dangerous!

I live in constant fear and paranoia every day. My social activities have become virtually non-existent. My depression is unbearable. I suffer such severe nightmares that I’m reliant on anti-anxiety and sleep-aid medications. I have frequent flashbacks of the constant harassment I endured while working as a deputy. Any reminder of my former work in Law Enforcement triggers post-traumatic stress. I have chronic diarrhea, debilitating migraines, suffer severe nail-biting, teeth grinding, skin rash, insomnia at night and extreme fatigue during the day.

Patrol cars routinely creep past my house on a quite dead-end road forcing me to keep video surveillance. My husband has received harassing emails that traced back to a sheriff’s office computer IP Address.

The 24/7 stress of the ongoing lawsuit and legal process in itself is the most stressful thing I have ever experienced in my life. The effect it has had on my marriage and family makes me question, “Is it even worth it?” But then I reflect on everything they’ve done and realize there’s no telling what else they are capable of. I have to protect myself! And I’m going to need the public’s help in order to do so.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I discovered that in addition to my 2 former employers stalking me, several other surrounding agencies were also violating my right to privacy. Officers I had never even met had also searched my husband and I on DAVID numerous times. Again, the question remains- Why?

My health continues to deteriorate. Regretfully, we were forced to relocate out of Florida. We left behind our beautiful home on 2 acres, many close friends, our loving family- including our beloved grandparents who may not have much longer to live, and our pet horse- a retired champion race horse who we loved dearly. My husband had to leave behind his career (our only source of income). And our son left behind his private Christian school and wonderful teacher. We literally are starting all over in another state, away from the warm Florida weather we so enjoyed. And for the record… we have NOT received a single penny of compensation from the offenders. This entire move was paid for out of pocket.

Despite being nearly 1,000 miles away now, I still hyperventilate every time I see a patrol car. Will I ever be able to live a normal life again? Will the intense fear & paranoia ever subside?

I don’t know which is scarier… Being stalked on a continuous basis by a Sheriff’s Office I haven’t worked for since 2006 or desperately seeking help from government agencies supposed to protect me but instead I watch as they protect the stalkers.

It’s bad enough that the Sheriff’s Office unjustly robbed me of my lifelong dream in becoming a police officer; but to further terrorize my family and I, destroying our lives- placing fear and confusion in our children without consequence, brings this to a whole new level of battle.

If it weren’t for Archangels  Salvatore Rastrelli and Ira B. Robins standing by me since day one, assuring my family and I that “justice will be served, I don’t think I could ever survive this nightmare.

Thank you, Archangels of Justice, for your continued dedication in unraveling a pervasive epidemic of Official Misconduct throughout Florida. Thank you for helping protect my family from an army of attackers. I pray that one day, very soon, all of your courageous hard work will result in the political change you strive for. Above all, I pray something this horrific never happens again to anyone else, especially at the hands of what should be our “protectors.”

Signed,

Former Deputy Sheriff  behind the curtain

Ira B Robins and Salvatore E. Rastrelli

Ira B. Robins and Salvatore E. Rastrelli have decades of law enforcement experience, both worked as police officers and private investigators and consultants. Their cases have frequently have been on national television and they continue to work for those who don’t have a voice and are often a victim of a system that fails to protect the innocent.