Posted on 04/06/2005 10:07:43 AM PDT by lainie
Letter To Editor Criticized Use Of Tasers, Sheriff's Weight
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orange County's sheriff may have broken the law when he used driver's license records to track down a woman who wrote a newspaper to criticize his staff's use of Taser stun guns and described him as too fat for basic police work, critics say.Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary had his aides use the records to get the address of Alice Gawronski so he could send her a scathing letter, which some say violated federal privacy law. It is illegal to access a driver's license database to obtain personal information, except for clear law-enforcement purposes, under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994.
"I recently read your slanderous remarks about the Orange County Sheriff's Office in the Orlando Sentinel," Beary wrote Gawronski on March 23. "It is unfortunate that people ridicule others without arming themselves with the facts before they slander a law enforcement agency or individual."
Gawronski said, "I thought I was exercising my First Amendment right of free speech -- expressing an opinion in an open forum about a paid public official." She considered Beary's letter a form of intimidation.
Violators of the driver's privacy act can be sued in U.S. District Court for damages of at least $2,500, punitive damages, attorney's fees and all other relief the court determines to be appropriate.
"If I were her, I'd sue and get him in front of a jury. He'd probably get laughed out of the courtroom," said Chris Hoofnagle, the senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "This is the most common problem with surveillance -- who's watching the watchers."
(Excerpt) Read more at wftv.com ...
Someone probably asked one of the deputies, who decided not to take the fall for Sheriff Fatbody.
But sheriff's officials said Tuesday that it was legal to look up Gawronski's address on the driver's database. Sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said responding to a resident's concern is well within Beary's official duties.
This is wrong. She didn't write to him. If she had written to his office, then yes, it would have been his duty to respond.
Love the Patton picture on the wall. Patton would have drummed this guy out of his Army. ;)
<
Wheeet-woo! What a drape-shape! Drapes over his belt, and hangs half way to his crotch! Oink, oink, sueeeee, piggy!
Is he fat, or is that just stereotypical southern sheriff?
5'-10"/290 = 1" shorter & scores of jiggly-Jello pounds heavier than me...and my doctor labels me obese. Guilty as charged; case closed. Next! Oh, and pass that box of donuts this way, please; it's for his own good.
Good question. With any luck, her address is unlisted.
Wheeet-woo! What a drape-shape! Drapes over his belt, and hangs half way to his crotch! Oink, oink, sueeeee, piggy!
Is he fat, or is that just stereotypical southern sheriff?
5'-10"/290 = 1" shorter & scores of jiggly-Jello pounds heavier than me...and my doctor labels me obese. Guilty as charged; case closed.
Next!
Oh, and before you leave, Sheriff, pass that box of donuts this way, please; it's for his own good.
PUT DOWN THE DONUT AND STEP SLOWLY AWAY FROM THE DESK!!!
If you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear.
Hey, Sheriff. How's about trying a salad? Geez, it looks like you swallow a lot of aggression.
That guy's a pig in more ways than one.
I wouldn't have expected him to know that; he doesn't know the difference between legal and legal use of police databases or the difference between a spudnut and a krispy kreme.
I'm sure he fully understands Krispy Kremes, Doc!
Hook him up with some fries? *shrug*
He should challenge her to run a 100 yard dash.
The loser buys the winner's donuts for a month.
Google “alice gawronski florida” and look at the first entry. I’m not sure that this is the same woman who wrote the letter, but if it is, her address is not as private as she would like to think.
Now it makes perfect sense. It is self sacrifice.
Boss Hogg--I mean Sheriff Beary-- confiscates all the deputies' donuts for himself, and only allows them a bite if they make an arrest.
read the story , seems the sheriff is lieing about his weight. looks to me he could add another 100 lbs. to that 290 lb.
Again, not sure, but it also seems that she's a tri-athlete as well. Look at number five in the female 30-34 age group.
http://www.performancemultisports.com/titaniumman_2000.htm
It’s scary what is out there about us.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.