She had seen the pictures.

In every account I read of the tip given by the Georgia woman, it varies a little. It doesn't strike me as information of the same caliber. But I'm not privy to the interview with her, either.

The police probably now wish they'd interviewed her a little more closely.

The hollering about the pre-9-11 intelligence failures involves lack of follow-up of tips brought by field agents and diplomats, not restaurant customers. What, we didn't listen to the people who have some judgment in these matters, so now we have to listen to everybody and the family dog?

There is also no evidence that the men detained did anything more serious than say no when police asked to search their car. They were within their rights to refuse.

[speculation] It could very well be that the police had to stretch to find probable cause for a search because the tip had enough holes to double as a sieve, and that this held up the investigation. [/speculation] If the police had obtained a warrant, that is, if they had enough to convince a judge (I find it hard to believe they couldn't have shopped a sympathetic judge with good evidence), no permission would have been necessary. To blame the detained men for exercising their rights when the delay was due at least as much to sloppy procedure is lame.

[speculation] The men had probably been shadowed for hours. The police had to wait for an independent opportunity to pull them over because their evidence was shaky, and the toll booth provided that. [/speculation] Did they pay or didn't they?

I don't think the cops should be punished. They acted within their procedures, such as they are. I don't think the woman in Georgia should be punished any more than she has been. I hope the men are as innocent in fact as they undoubtedly are legally, and that they exercise restraint. They should receive public apologies after a thorough investigation, if such apologies are warranted. (Many a lawsuit is turned back by a simple apology, in spite of legal advice to clam up.)

I do think that police procedures need to be cleaned up for stuff like this, because Arab Americans are Americans too. I also think that this points out just how stoopid the TIPS program can turn out to be.

Accusations need to be vetted, or the wolf alarm will not be heeded when it's real. Aesop taught us that much.

Regards--
Mary Anne