Breaking: Bredesen Administration to investigate the victims of its own illegal activity

Brad Schrade breaks the news of the heavy-handed and extremely unusual way in which the Bredesen administration will be notifying the victims of the THP's illegal background searches. It sounds like they are more interested in investigating the victims than investigating the crimes:

Get ready, Tennessee. A pair of armed Tennessee Highway Patrol detectives may be showing up at your house during dinner unannounced, on the weekend or at some other time in the coming days and weeks.

That's if you're among up to 182 Tennesseans on whom THP Lt. Ronnie Shirley has done unauthorized criminal portal background checks. The identities of those on the list are a mystery to most of Tennessee's 6 million residents because the Highway Patrol's leadership has not released the names, despite calls by lawmakers for their release.

Twenty plainclothes Highway Patrol detectives will be fanning out in pairs across the state to make contact with and interview those whose information was violated by Shirley, who will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

In many cases detectives will try to go to a person's house without a phone call, but some may call ahead, according to patrol spokesman Mike Browning.

He wouldn't answer the question of whether investigators will make audio recordings of the interviews. It is standard in many THP investigations for interviews to be recorded.

This all sounds like the type of investigative technique police use on the targets of an investigation, not victims from whom police are trying to glean useful information, said Nashville attorney David Raybin, a former prosecutor.

The technique being implemented is heavy-handed, and raises questions about the entire investigation and its integrity — and whether it's being designed to fail and gather no useful information, Raybin said.

"To me, it is very intimidating to do it this way," Raybin said. "It could easily be construed they are trying to get no answers at all. It certainly doesn't make me very comfortable the truth is being ascertained."

Raybin said the patrol should notify the 182 victims, either in writing or by phone, let them know what information was violated and ask to set up an interview
after they've digested the news — maybe a couple of days later.

Wow. Is this the way to "notify" people the have been victimized? Remember, if you are contacted, please report it.

UPDATE:
Postpolitics.net
The Tennessean