Tom Fudge: Relations between San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre and Police Chief Bill Landsdowne have been stormy in the past. And their ship hit a very gnarly shoal last week when the police department refused to execute a search warrant, requested by Aguirre.
The warrant, which was issued by a judge, was aimed at searching the offices of the Sunroad development company. The city attorney has sued the developer for defying the FAA, by putting up a building that's higher than what's considered safe for air traffic. But no criminal charges have been filed against the company. The police chief refused to execute the search warrant because he didn't believe it was legitimate.
In the meantime, Sunroad has agreed to turn over the documents Aguirre wants. We don't know what those documents are because, so far, the search warrant is sealed.
It's very unusual for a city attorney to request a search warrant. And it's very unusual for a police department to refuse to execute one. Joining These Days to talk about this very strange matter of politics and criminal procedure is Michael Crowley.
Guest
- Michael Crowley, criminal defense attorney and adjunct professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
