Don't bother looking cause I am no expert and I read this entire thread, post by post and have many mixed feelings. However I do have a strong LE background to include Detention officer and Corrections officer.
I can say most Road Officers when they bring in the subject do bring in a bag with all their belongings. Since her offenses were not huge, I don't know if this made a difference. Or if Statutes and Policy and Procedure differ in Cali, but just saying most times the do bring in the purse and the cell. Why they would allow her to leave them in the car is beyond me, because once impounded their is liability for the contents of the car. Has anyone seen a property list from her booking, are we sure these were left in her vehicle?
Now, when they bring someone in for booking, you dress them out, print them, take mug shots and put them in a cell. The fact that she was not bondable when brought in in the evening from the restaurant and suddenly bonded makes no sense. There are offenses that you can P.O.R. aka PR bond also known as ROR (depending on your part of the country) only on certain offences. All others must bond in morning either through the clerks office or must see a judge prior to bond being set. So, this in itself confuses me. Why could she not bond then she did bond. I am assuming it was a 2500.00 PR bond, which is fine, except, I do not understand why the officer on the phone did not say that to her mom. Example, Yes we are booking her, the process can take anywhere from two hours to four hours depending on how busy we get, but she will be released sometime tonight on PR Bond. I just know that it was a case of someone new not knowing this was PRable. IMHO
When you dress someone out, you take their clothing, you issue them oranges and shoes, you place all in a locker. Filling out property sheet that they must sign, then you lock it. Then you take their wallet, Identification etc, cell phone, keys to car, all the jewelry and put it in a lock drawer with a number, you place the key to their clothes locker in it. So their is no forgetting to give them these items, you must then do a property form for these in the drawer. But you cannot dress them out the door until you open the drawer up to return them their valuables. So the phone and purse bugs me bad.
Now, yes she is an adult. And MY GOD yes many have mental issues and don't act right. Many are so upset, even normally normal folks can have mental issues when arrested, even on small infractions. I would not call mental health in in the middle of the night to do an eval for them unless I felt they were going to possibly hurt themselves. But... if the mom called me and it was an adult. First upon release I would say, your mom called, so wondering if their was a change of shifts and no briefing was conducted as the second shift did not know the first shift had spoken to mom. I can see this happening.
I am trying so hard to put myself in the shoes of Malibu LE on that night. Okay, so I don't know mom called. So I am PR bonding her out, would certainly ask her to make a call for a ride, she says I am hooking up with friends, oh good. Are they waiting in lobby or do you need to call them to hook up. I too have offered to let people sit in the lobby til morning male and female, sadly I could not allow them to sit in the office. We had NCIC computer as well as other confidential items and I could not sit with them, I had to work. Now if a minor, yes we must sit with them until their parent or guardian comes.
Now, she tells me no to the phone call, I know its late and its desolate. I am not kidding when I say I am a pain in the arse. I would want to know how and when she was hooking up with friends. I would ask her to call someone and sit in lobby for me. But if she left, yes would worry but I could not stop her.
Now, if I took the call from mom, if she would not call mom back and would not allow me to call mom, I would not be able to, due to privacy act. But, ummmm..... you can stall a release..... I mean you cannot stall one, when released you must release them. But you bring them down, put them in holding. Get busy with something else, remove them, start bond paperwork, someone else comes in, back in holding, pull them out, dress them out, need to finish paperwork, back in holding. I am not saying I have done this, but saying its doable, but believe it or not, you can get in trouble for it. That I will tell you. I have questions about this too, but would need to know truelly all circumstances about it to give full opinion. I however agree, she should not have been out on those streets, there is always something you can do that is above and beyond, so it pisses people off, but your integrity stays intact. Very sad for her and her family....
