BATON ROUGE – Seasoned authorized consultants and auditors instructed WBRZ Wednesday that Louisiana State Police violated legal guidelines when the company allowed high officers to get their cell telephones wiped within the wake of Ronald Greene’s demise.
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“The interval for sustaining public data is three years so if you destroy or sanitize a cellphone these are public data and that is a violation of state legislation,” stated Rafael Goyeneche, a corruption watchdog and former prosecutor. “It is much more troubling when it is the chief legislation enforcement company of Louisiana.”
Retired Legislative Auditor Darryl Purpera additionally echoed these sentiments.
The WBRZ Investigative Unit uncovered final week that State Police’s No. 2 man, Doug Cain, obtained his cellphone wiped one yr after Ronald Greene died. Initially, State Police didn’t need to present a date of when that occurred, claiming the company saved no data. Nevertheless, WBRZ requested State Police to test with Cain, who estimated it occurred in February 2020. That month is critical as a result of it is the identical month that the FBI acquired the case notes from the Ronald Greene investigation.
Greene, a Black man, led State Police on a high-speed chase within the Monroe space. Physique digicam footage from state troopers confirmed Greene was brutally overwhelmed. Greene died of their custody. When his household was instructed about his demise, troopers claimed he died in a crash, however video reveals Greene was alive and apologizing when troopers pulled him out of his automobile.
Amid the investigation it appeared physique digicam movies had been hidden, and now we’re instructed State Police had cell telephones “sanitized” for his or her high officers throughout that point.
“It’s extremely problematic that Doug Cain had his cellphone wiped,” State Consultant Edmond Jordan instructed WBRZ final week. “I’ll let you know, in gentle of the revelations of the textual content messages that had been uncovered by you guys final week, that could be a actual risk that at minimal he needs to be positioned on depart.”
Jordan stated he additionally requested concerning the sanitization of cell telephones at State Police across the similar time the WBRZ Investigative Unit started asking questions. Jordan stated the order got here from the highest.
“Kevin Reeves and Faye Morrison,” Jordan responded when requested who gave the order.
“Nothing what State Police have achieved in latest previous has been prudent,” Goyeneche stated. “I feel their skill and credibility to conduct inner investigations and maintain troopers accountable is problematic at finest.”
Goyeneche stated the legislative inquiry scheduled to start quickly, coupled with a federal investigation into Ronald Greene’s demise, will air out the reality.
“Louisiana State Police have achieved a poor job fulfilling their oath of workplace which is to uphold the legal guidelines of Louisiana, which they clearly violated,” Goyeneche stated.
We reached out to State Police for a response on this story. WBRZ didn’t hear again.