Durham city government has been drawn into the controversy surrounding the rape investigation involving three indicted men's lacrosse players as Durham City Manager Patrick Baker has come under fire for his actions.
Last week, Kirk Osborn, defense attorney for junior lacrosse player Reade Seligmann, expressed concern over a series of interviews Baker conducted with Durham Police Department officers involved with the case.
In a motion before the court, Osborn suggested the city manager may have pressured officers to "get their stories straight." Osborn told WRAL that Baker's actions were very unusual and warranted criticism in a May 15 interview.
In response to conflicting reports surrounding communication between DPD and the Duke University Police Department on the night of the alleged rape, Baker-who hires and fires the city police chief-chose to interview DPD officers himself in order to ascertain what information was passed between the two departments.
Recently, Baker also expressed his opinion in another case related to the lacrosse situation. In a May 17 e-mail sent to a town-gown listserv signed simply as "Patrick," the city manager criticized a district judge for dismissing a noise complaint violation against lacrosse players.
"Citizens need to make their voices known on this matter," he wrote. "I have no idea about the facts of this case but I am extremely troubled by the dismissive language of Judge [David] Labarre."
Baker-who could not be reached for comment-has defended his actions.
"As the city manager, the buck stops with me regarding my police officers and the quality of their investigation," he said at a May 15 City Council meeting. "I'm not asking them to get their stories straight at all. But as the chief executive officer of this organization, it's my duty to know what's going on, and I am in touch at all times."
Baker said he sought to investigate criticisms of DPD's handling of the case that arose this month in a report commissioned by President Richard Brodhead that examined the University administration's response to the incident.
The report claimed that Duke officials underestimated the severity of the accusations because Durham police failed to convey the gravity of the situation.
In his own inquiry, Baker said Duke police-who provided information for the report-took conversations out of context, and that DPD did take the accuser's allegations seriously.
Supporters of the lacrosse players have contacted Durham officials with their complaints against Baker, but last week, City Council came to the defense of the city manager.
"I think it's time to express our support for the manager that we have full confidence in what he's doing," said Council member Howard Clement at a council work session May 18. "I think it's important to let Patrick know he's not out there by himself."
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