Good. Neither do I. Seriously this has to be the most unhelpfully named website on the internets.... well apart from Your Right Hand Thief, I suppose, which, let's admit, is just too clever for polite society.
Misleading nomenclature notwithstanding, it turns out that yesterday, we had a real live brush with an honest-to-God librarianship issue. Better yet, it was an honest-to-God privacy rights vs law enforcement issue..... on 9/11 no less. Which I thought was a little too far fetched as well but I don't know who to complain to about predictable plot contrivances in real life so we'll all just have to accept it for what it is.
Here's what happened. Sometime around mid-morning we were visited by a dynamic duo of NOPD's surliest detectives. Badges dangling from their necks and walkie talkies turned all the way up in order to blare the incoherent staticky chatter which I am convinced many officers of the law believe imbues them with an air of authority they sauntered? moseyed? no no.. they actually kind of wobbled up to us in a manner which evoked Star Jones attempting to impersonate John Wayne. The lead detective dropped a stack of library books on the circ desk which she then steadied herself against whilst recovering from the overexertion of ascending the six stairs to the library entrance.
Upon catching her breath she explained that she and her partner had found these books on a burglary suspect they had apprehended and needed to know who they were checked out to in order to continue their investigation. This is, of course, pretty good detective work. Knowing who these books were checked out to can really help the detectives build a case. If they're checked out to a burglary victim then they become fairly solid evidence. If they aren't checked out at all, the suspect could have stolen them from the library.
Unfortunately it's not so simple. A libray patron's borrowing record is confidential information which we simply aren't at liberty to share.. particularly with a law enforcement agency... without at least a subpoena. And one would think that professional detectives would know this. But upon having this explained, the detectives launched into a full ten minutes of staring, eye rolling, sighing and bullying before finally huffing off (our books in tow) vowing to return with their subpoena.
I really don't understand this. Not only should they, as law enforcement professionals, have respect for the need to follow proper legal procedure (and in the process understand ours as well) but also, as adults, they should have no business tweaking out on us like that. I guess I shouldn't expect more. It is NOPD after all. But keeping in mind the fact that is is NOPD I'm not only offended I'm a little afraid as well.
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