Local authorities are investigating a highway-patrol scandal, but their perverse incentives mean federal authorities need to step in.
The story the court documents tell is alarming.
After an automobile crash, a young woman suspected of drunk driving was getting checked out for injuries. A California Highway Patrol officer, five-year veteran Sean Harrington, had her cell phone. He found a photo of her in a bikini. So he allegedly sent the image to his own phone, and then, though already guilty of criminal conduct, he forwarded the image to another California Highway Patrol officer. “Taken from the phone of my 10-15x while she’s in X-rays,” he texted. “Enjoy buddy!!!”