Reputation of Sheriff's Department

Does anyone care?

I'll bet there are a lot of deputies at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department who care!

About?

About confidentiality. About retaliation, retribution. About job security. And about integrity. Honesty. Truth. Respect. Honor.

On November 23, 2010, Deputy Scott Milliman was deposed in the Federal civil rights' lawsuit of Zane Seipler against Sheriff Nygren, the McHenry County Sheriff's Department and a number of deputies. In a deposition you are sworn to tell the truth.

As quickly as December 3, 2010, the information in the deposition had reached Undersheriff Zinke, who is not a named defendant in Seipler's lawsuit. Zinke wrote to the Chicago FBI office and stated the "allegations" of crimes committed by Sheriff Nygren: corruption, mortgage fraud, trafficking illegal aliens and soliciting murder.

These crimes are the type investigated by the FBI.

It has been said that the best defense is a good offense. When Zinke wrote so quickly to the FBI and wrote, "I assure you these allegations are untrue", was he attempting to influence the FBI or to interfere in its investigation? Did he malign Scott Milliman by stating that Milliman had "a long history of discontent" with the Department?

Did he violate HIPAA by referring to a health condition of Milliman? Did he libel Milliman when he wrote that "we believe he (Milliman) may be experiencing delusional behavior"? When did they start believing that?

No wonder that the sheriff's department attorney was dismayed!

Then Zinke wrote, "The information obtained will remain confidential and not released to anyone further, without your expressed authorization." He must have meant that about the information he hoped to receive from the FBI.

Then how did the Northwest Herald get information from FBI Assistant SAC Angela Byers' January 4, 2011, letter so quickly?

Zinke announced his candidacy for sheriff quite a while back. I suspect that voters will want to consider many facts as they approach their decision in the Republican primary in 2014.