Venice on the web
A semi-regular column

I said what? A letter to the Herald-Trib
A little fact-checking goes a long ways, guys
-- John Patten, 03/09/04
-- jpatten@veniceflorida.com

Got a comment? Make it here.

From: "John Patten" <jpatten@veniceflorida.com>
To: <david.hackett@heraldtribune.com>,
<larry.evans@heraldtribune.com>,
<bill.hutchinson@heraldtribune.com>
Cc: "Herbert L. Levine" <lev.herb@comcast.net>,
<jhanks@ci.venice.fl.us>,
<mblack@ci.venice.fl.us>
Subject: Available for comment? Also, the VPD did not lose their certification
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 08:13:29 -0500
Re: newspaper article located at http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040309
/NEWS/403090361/1001/NEWS0105
 

I see Hanks wasn't available for comment, according to your story in this
morning's Herald-Trib. Strangely enough, I was available for most of the
day, but nobody ever bothered to ask me if I had ever made such an
accusation as documented in your article.

"Black said he was concerned that the department had lost its certification
from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement because the chief did not
submit an application on time last month."

I doubt that is what Black said, and this will come as news to the FDLE. The
VPD did not lose its certification with the FDLE, nor has it ever been in
any danger of doing so. Double check your facts. If they lose FDLE
certification, they are not allowed to roll their police cruisers into the
streets, and I think I saw at least a couple of VPD cars on patrol last
night.

You are thinking of accreditation, and no, it is not the same thing as
certification, not by a long shot.

"Treanor said that John Patten, who publishes a Web site about Venice
government, accused Treanor of stealing evidence seized during an
investigation in 2000 of an alleged theft ring at Village on the Isle."

For the record, I made no such accusation. Period.

Treanor has on one occasion questioned me in an official capacity to give up
my sources for stories I have written, this about a year and a half ago,
stating I had no First Amendment protections as I do not work for a news
agency. I maintain that I am protected and I told Treanor that he was free
to try to get a judge to order me to cough up my sources.

"In violation of department policy, Hanks did not request that Patten make a
sworn statement, nor did the chief notify Treanor of the accusation, Treanor
said."

I was never asked to file any such sworn statement. Had I been asked, I
would have flat out refused.

For the record, I have no firsthand knowledge of any such wrongdoing on
Treanor's part, nor have I ever claimed that I had any such firsthand
knowledge. How I would have acquired such firsthand knowledge of theft of
evidence is mystifying at best -- they usually don't let civilians wander in
and out of the evidence locker at will.

My number is in the books, folks, I'm not that hard to reach.