Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty/Hacking case in Salt Lake City

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Expert: - 7/30/2004


Question
Dear Officer Toomey,
I am very curious about the recent case in Salt Lake City regarding the Hacking family. As you probably have heard, the poor girl hasn't been found and her husband is assumed to be the "bad guy". According to the news accounts, the police have been searching the area including the city dump while it's been stated that they haven't questioned him regarding the crime. My question is this; why don't they simply ask him about her whereabouts? It seems likely that he might tell them. Why would they spend so much time and resources when simply asking him might produce results? Thank you very much for your thoughts!

Answer
Hi Charlie,

    I know no more about the case than you do and my only source of information is tv and the newspapers.  If the police have truely not talked to the suspect then it is because he has chosen not to speak to them or his attorney will not let him to talk to the police.  That is a fundemental constitutional right of all citizens.  If the police have talked to him he can simply say "I don't know where she is".  Don't believe everything about that you hear on tv or read in the papers.  

Crime & Law Enforcement Issues & Death Penalty

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Jack Toomey

Expertise

Please do NOT ask questions about potential jail sentences that you or your friends may receive in court. There is no way for me to know that. I am NOT a probation officer or a parole officer so questions about those subjects will be rejected. I am a police officer with 26 years experience. Can answer questions about crime, police procedure, investigations, criminal law, search and seizure, traffic offenses. Prefer not to answer questions on the death penalty. Please do not ask homework questions. Remember this. The law in every state is different so questions about laws that are specific to your state could be difficult to answer. I also cannot give you legal advice on what to do or not to do in court. I have worked with authors in the past and will be happy to review scenarios or plots with authors to check for believability or accuracy.

Experience

Police officer with 26 years experience. Ten years in patrol and sixteen years in the detective bureau investigating every type of crime including murder, rape, robbery, theft, fraud, missing persons, etc, etc. Also taught at the police academy in areas such as constitutional law, search and seizure, and lineups.

Education/Credentials
B.S. in Criminology from the University of Maryland.

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