Published: February 02, 2007 09:48 am            

Proceeding with caution is best possible plan

When it comes to the ongoing investigation of alleged employee wrongdoing at the Clinton County 911 call center, there are only two facts worth knowing:

Fact one: Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf has confirmed he is conducting a fact-finding mission in regard to the allegations.

Fact two: The Clinton County Board of Supervisors has approved Wolf’s request to hire outside counsel for all purposes “in connection with consultation regarding 911 call center discipline issues” and approved a contract with Swisher & Court, PLC, of Waterloo. Wolf said the firm was hired because of its specialized training and expertise in this area of law. The county will pay $175 per hour for the assistance.

After that, everything else is hearsay, rumor and all manner of unproven information. That’s not to say that some of what’s been reported isn’t true, only that we won’t know for sure unless and until investigators are willing to go public with their findings.

Until that point, all we feel right about saying is it’s good to see the attorney’s office taking the allegations seriously, and also to see the decision to bring in a specialized firm to provide consultation. Yes, it will cost money, but there also is something to be said for proceeding with the utmost caution, covering all bases and handling everything as professionally as possible.

Wolf has said hiring the outside firm is an issue of ethics, which is understandable because of how closely the attorney’s office must work with people at the law center. There is no reason to pursue this investigation with anything less than the best possible team of attorneys. We feel confident that our county board would not approve of this expenditure were it not in the best interests of everyone involved.

Perhaps if and when the findings become public and the rumors do or do not become facts, we’ll all be able to see this issue with a fresh perspective. Until then, it’s all conjecture.

        

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