Alaska State Trooper's-another bad apple?

[M4fulltime]

Fairbanks Newsminer newspaper arcticle:

FAIRBANKS -- An Alaska State Trooper based in Fairbanks has been charged with forging prescriptions for narcotic pain medications, according to a trooper news release.

According to an investigation that began when a doctor alerted authorities to the forgeries, Scott Ide forged prescriptions four times between January and March 2008 and attempted to forge a fifth prescription in April. Ide told investigators that he needed the pain medicine due to an injury he sustained while serving in the U.s. Army.

Ide was charged with one count of having “intent to defraud, made or caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise,” which is a class C felony offense.

Ide, 43, was hired as a state trooper in August, 2004. He was initially posted in Palmer and transferred to Fairbanks in January 2008.

State Trooper's news release:

Location: Fairbanks
Type: Forged Perscriptions

On April 7, 2008 the Drug Enforcement Administration - Diversion Unit,
working in conjunction with the Alaska State Troopers Bureau of Alcohol
and Drug Enforcement, began an investigation into a report from a
Fairbanks area medical doctor regarding what appeared to be forged
prescriptions.

The joint DEA / AST investigation showed that Scott Ide, a state trooper
posted in Fairbanks, had forged prescriptions on four separate occasions
between 01-24-08 and 03-07-08 and had attempted to forge a fifth
prescription on 04-06-08. All the forged prescriptions were for
narcotic pain medications. Ide told investigators that he needed the
pain medicine due to an injury he sustained while he had been in the US
Army.

Ide was very cooperative when contacted by investigators. On May 21,
2008, after the investigation was completed, the case was referred to
the Alaska Department of Law's Office of Special Prosecutions and
Appeals, as usually happens when law enforcement officers are subjects
of criminal investigations.

Today, in Superior Court in Fairbanks, the Office of Special
Prosecutions and Appeals filed an Information charging Ide with one
count of having "intent to defraud, made or caused a false entry in the
business records of an enterprise," which is a class C felony offense.

Ide, age 43, was hired as a state trooper in August, 2004. He was
initially posted in Palmer and transferred to Fairbanks in January,
2008.
Received Friday, August 22, 2008 1:22 PM and posted Friday, August 22, 2008 1:37 pm

[Kodiak PA]

This is just one cop. People try to illegally get narcotics all the time. The only difference is that when a police officer does it, it hits the news. The dozens of other people I have seen have flown below the radar and you never hear about them.

If you think about it, relatively few officers get in trouble.

[SkepticAlways]

I feel sorry for him and his family. Wether or not he's found guilty the guy's career is over. And he and his family still have an addiction to deal with.

[M4fulltime]

This is just one cop. People try to illegally get narcotics all the time. The only difference is that when a police officer does it, it hits the news. The dozens of other people I have seen have flown below the radar and you never hear about them.

If you think about it, relatively few officers get in trouble.

Just one cop.....A cop is in a position of trust and authority. The crackhead or car salesman on the corner is not and that is the reason you don't hear about them. I am 100% pro-leo and 100% against bad cops. He is facing federal charges. He admitted to forgery. He is not a good cop. Granted he likely has an addiction, but that should rule him out of LE.

Sounds like AST should be conducting better background checks.

[Kodiak PA]

Just one cop.....A cop is in a position of trust and authority. The crackhead or car salesman on the corner is not and that is the reason you don't hear about them. I am 100% pro-leo and 100% against bad cops. He is facing federal charges. He admitted to forgery. He is not a good cop. Granted he likely has an addiction, but that should rule him out of LE.

Sounds like AST should be conducting better background checks.

\
My point is that it is one trooper out of a bunch of troopers and people should not associate all troopers with this one guy. That's my point, not that he shouldn't be held to a higher standard.

His career is hosed. He now needs to get some help. He will probably go to jail.

This also may not have anything to do with a improper background check, either. Many people become addicts or alcoholics after they get on the job.

[SkepticAlways]

To clarify, it is a state charge, not federal.

[alaskariverguy]

With regards to the background check, no police department or in fact any employer in the world has a perfect system. The CIA has probably the most thorough selection process in the country and they have had people go bad as well. Unfortunately it only takes one incident like this for people to make assumptions about an entire agency or law enforcement in general.

M4fulltime, I hope you reconsider your assumptions and remember that cops are people too, even we can have a bad day now and then. We all try our best, which unfortunately sometimes is not good enough, but that's life. If you think you have what it takes step up to the plate and apply to be an officer/trooper in your community.

Steve

[M4fulltime]

With regards to the background check, no police department or in fact any employer in the world has a perfect system. The CIA has probably the most thorough selection process in the country and they have had people go bad as well. Unfortunately it only takes one incident like this for people to make assumptions about an entire agency or law enforcement in general.

M4fulltime, I hope you reconsider your assumptions and remember that cops are people too, even we can have a bad day now and then. We all try our best, which unfortunately sometimes is not good enough, but that's life. If you think you have what it takes step up to the plate and apply to be an officer/trooper in your community.

Steve

I am a LEO in Fairbanks. I have worked with this Trooper that is being prosecuted. He was a good Trooper. I have worked with 3 Fairbanks based Troopers that in the past 2 years have been prosecuted for breaking the law. I am not saying that AST is in any way bad or that any other Trooper is breaking the law. I am just pointing out that AST seems to have more Troopers in “trouble” in comparison with other departments in the state. I love that cops defend each other. I love to be defended. But at the same time we must be able to look at a mistake and call it a mistake. Calling a spade a spade. There is a time to defend other officers and there is a time not too.

[jstuart99705]

Every "Company" as their bad employees, well not bad but individuals who made a poor choice in life. I am in the Air Guard and know several LEO officers, be it FPD, AST, or NPPD and overall all the organizations are very good agencies. I work with the Active Duty Air Force Cops and overall majority are fine individuals but there are the bad apples. The issue is that had this occurred in any other job the public would not hear about it. I want to be a civilian cop, hopefully NSBPD here in the next few months, I have made some bad choices in life, like every single person here. I admitted those mistakes to the Chief of NSBPD and to AST when I applied a few years ago. Does this make me a bad person because I made some bad choices? No, I learned from them and was truthful with NSBPD.

AST conducts very good background checks. I have been through the entire process. Don't assume an agency is bad because a few individuals in an agency made very bad choices and broke the law.

[355sigfan]

Its not just the Troopers everyone is having to lower standards right now due to not being able to attract good applicants due to the new Tier 4 401 K retirement. They need to get that fixed. The state has the money to make it happen.
Pat

[akflyer]

Its not just the Troopers everyone is having to lower standards right now due to not being able to attract good applicants due to the new Tier 4 401 K retirement. They need to get that fixed. The state has the money to make it happen.
Pat

I share your disdain for Tier IV, but your logic does not apply to this situation. Ide was hired in 2004 and Tier IV was not implemented until 2006. I can't think of any "bad apples" that are/were Tier IV.

[fishAK]

The one bonus of being a former State employee and leaving my retirement intact when I left...if I get hired by LE up here, I'm still in my old retirement tier so I don't have to worry about the crappy Tier IV.

[355sigfan]

I share your disdain for Tier IV, but your logic does not apply to this situation. Ide was hired in 2004 and Tier IV was not implemented until 2006. I can't think of any "bad apples" that are/were Tier IV.

I am just talking in general terms about who we have applying for our openings now vs when I first started working 9 years ago. The quality of people is not the same in my opinion. I am Tier 3. If I were Tier 4 I would move on too.
Pat

[jstuart99705]

I haven't spooled up yet on the Tier system but is there a "buy back" option for military time? I have between Active Duty Army and AK Air Guard, almost 6 years federal active military service. I found the PESA web site but noticed the agency I am applying wasn't on there, is that specific or as the name implies for all Pubic Safety (Ie. North Slope PD)? I also found the PERS web site, so basically I have to do 25 years in LE to get medical (and 10 years PERS) correct?

[alaskariverguy]

The one bonus of being a former State employee and leaving my retirement intact when I left...if I get hired by LE up here, I'm still in my old retirement tier so I don't have to worry about the crappy Tier IV.

You only have until 2010 (I think) to get back into the old system. There is a cutoff date at which point all new employees (regardless of whether or not they had prior pers) all go into Tier IV. Hopefully we can get the retirement system switched back before then but I wouldn't count on it. Maybe the next governor will be a little more employee friendly.

Steve