“Roanoke police officers challenged the city’s top prosecutor Tuesday, rejecting remarks in which he compared a city officer to Barney Fife in open court.

Caldwell criticized police for allowing Workman, an off-duty Drug Enforcement Administration agent, to walk around and speak with investigators after the shooting rather than handcuffing him and isolating him like any other suspect.

Comparing Garrett to the bungling deputy sheriff on “The Andy Griffith Show,” Caldwell described him as “the good-hearted guy who tries to help out, but he doesn’t quite get it right.”

As a former Magistrate in Roanoke City, I have worked with the criticized police officer on many occasions and besides always being extremely professional and competent with me, I found him to always be respectful to those under arrest as well.

In this instance, it seems to me like another opportunity for the City’s elected prosecutor to sling mud and blame someone else for his own office’s blunders. I often found Mr. Caldwell’s office uncooperative (they are charged with advising the magistrates if necessary) and condescending towards victims, professionals and others on more than once occasions. Enough to classify it as an attitude endemic to himself and his employees.

Rather than fighting with federal authorities over which crimes they prosecute, it seems like the CA would want the Feds to prosecute in the cases where the criminals would get more time and therefore keep them out of our community longer. Instead, it smacks of a childish, territorial game played out at the expense and slandering of an otherwise professional police officer.

From Roanoke’s Chief of Police, Joe Gaskins-

Roanoke Police Chief Joe Gaskins said he is unaware of any complaint against Garrett in the officer’s 17-year career with the department.

“Kenny Garrett is a fine officer and for anyone to assume they knew what was in his mind without any proof was erroneous, period,” Gaskins said.