Andi Elliott: It’s Only Just Begun


By Andi Elliott
Having read the Jefferson STAR 25 April editorials by Ryan Brown and Gayle Stofey about Sheriff Olsen, I’m prompted to write about my most recent experience regarding our Sheriff.
Because of the testimony that was presented in my successful suit regarding a false complaint filed against me under pressure from the Sheriff’s Department, I decided to file an ethics complaint with the Idaho Police Office Standards and Training or POST, as it is commonly called. So, about 4-6 weeks ago, I contacted Mr. Flink, POST Division Administrator. No response. One week later, I contacted him again. No response. One week later I called and was referred to an Investigator, Mike Dillon, and left a message. One week later, I called him again and when he learned who I was, he immediately asked me for my phone number and said he would get back with me. That didn’t happen. So, one week later, I began calling on a daily basis and finally after a couple of days, Mr. Dillon returned my call.
He was quite frank…told me that it was “too early” for POST to act. I responded “too early” when I have sworn testimony about what happened. When the judge directly questioned the witness about his testimony to make sure that he was absolutely clear about what he was testifying too and when the charges, after six months in court, were dismissed without reason…it is “too early”. He said it was.
My response… I know you have talked with Blair Olsen (Olsen holds the position of Chairman of POST). Talk with him again and he will tell you that when I know that I am in “the right” that I will not give up and you will be hearing from me again. We left it at that.
Several folks have contacted me over the past few years about suits they have filed because of misuse of power in our county. Next week, I’ll be filing a Freedom of Information request for a list of those suits that have been brought against Jefferson County because of inappropriate actions by the Sheriff’s Department. (County taxpayers are sometimes kept in the dark about these suits as the county often includes a clause that prohibits the plaintiff from disclosing any information yet we taxpayers get to foot the bill.) I met with my attorney yesterday; we will be initiating a suit against Jefferson county.
If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to the full-feed RSS.
Posted in Constitutional Issues, Guest Posts, Politics in General, Taxes | No Comments »