It is irrelevant if it was a media outlet or not. While the media is an important part of the fabric of American society, it is not above the law.
The media can request lawfully information that they deem necessary for the public good just as the police chief can initiate lawfully a search for such documents that he deems necessary to protect the integrity of GPD. The question is, in this case, if the chief of police initiated such a move because he was more interested in covering the “paper trail of mistakes” regarding a personnel matter than he was in recovering stolen items.
Because the judge approved the search warrant, and was willing to give the chief the benefit of the doubt, there is nothing legally wrong with what the chief of police did.
Now politically, whether this kind of a legal maneuver would cost the governor and lt. governor at the polls in September, and possibly November, is another question.
Which is why I advocated for an elected police chief position, whomever that person might be in the future, and even elected justices in a recent opinion piece because of the close-knit nature of our community. Moreover, an elected police chief would be more sensitive to public perception and know that he or she would be held to a higher standard in the court of public opinion than someone who was appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature.
MATT PHILIPS
Mangilao, Guam
//
