Press Release
HATHIAN, LA – The Hathian Police Department (HPD) announced today that it has cleared the officer in charge of Operation Stingray, a covert surveillance operation that was to find and arrest suspects involved in drug trafficking and violent crimes.
Hathian PD have conducted an internal investigation after a complaint that the Fourth Amendment rights of the suspects had been violated. The investigation found that the officer acted in good faith and made a minor error in judgment in obtaining information used to obtain a probable cause warrant.
We note that the officer followed the standard procedure at the time and was not aware of the legal implications of the decisions they had made. We also note that the officer had signed a nondisclosure, and was not allowed to disclose Operation Stingrays’ existence or capabilities to the court or the public. It is unfortunate they spoke to the Hathian Observer as citizens could be impacted if Hathian PD is not able to operate covert, legal, surveillance when authorised to do so.
Hathian PD express regret for any inconvenience or harm caused by the operation and assure the public that we respect and uphold the constitutional rights of all citizens. Hathian PD also confirm that we have updated our policies and procedures to ensure full compliance with the law and best practices.
Finally, Hathian PD also wish to commend their officers for their dedication and professionalism in performing their duties and protecting the community.
For more information, please contact: Det. Sgt. Atsuko Nakayama
- The Observer would like to note that your 4th amendment rights are those that protect you against “unreasonable searches and seizures by the government“
- This press release relating to Operation ‘Stingray’ relates to the following operation that was carried out by HPD, including other activities across Hathian that occurred in parallel that our news team was not physically present at
- The Hathian Observer has no issue carrying HPD statements, but our journalists operate independently and where they are made aware of operations in process, or where they see officers out and about they will not fear to exercise their rights as well
