Dateline NBC's IRE award-winning investigation of a Louisiana sheriff department's illegal use of drug forfeiture money - "Probable Cause" - started with a ski trip in Aspen. It ended with a cardboard box filled with photocopied checks and a Microsoft Access database.
It was a week-long luxury ski trip. Four Jefferson Davis Parish police deputies rented a condo, bought ski clothing in ritzy boutiques and took to the slopes. Police billed the trip as "deputy training."
All expenses were paid with money police seized from alleged drug dealers in Louisiana, mostly along Interstate 10.
Louisiana Legislative Auditor Daniel Kyle investigated this 1990 ski trip and found that not only was it bogus but an illegal use of drug forfeiture money. An additional $200,000 was missing. One [continued on page eight]
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in ways they haven't. David Washburn can be reached by e-mail at david.washburn@mcall.com or by phone at (610) 820-6584.