Public Records, Private Lives

Here's how a 22-minute encounter with police led to hundreds of public records in Spokane, Wash.

On the night of March 18, 2006, a call came in to police dispatch: Um, there's some guy and he came up to us when we were at the ATM and he, like, was trying to get in our car and stuff so we drove off … he's walking down Division and he walked off with, like, stuff, like he got money out of her ATM and then when we started coming at him he ran and now he's walking down Division, and I think he took a ton of money out of her ATM.

An officer responds to a north Spokane convenience store. You can see the video here.

(Why was the surveillance tape from a private business released publicly?)

The incident continues here with the view from another angle.

The suspects name was Otto Zehm, a 36-year-old janitor with a history of mental illness. Zehm died after being beaten with a baton, Tasered and hogtied by officers. Police later discovered that no money had been taken from the ATM and no crime committed.

Let's look a little closer at the Zehm case.

Establish Zehm's background. At courts.wa.gov, search for Otto Zehm. What records do you find? (Search your roommate's name.)

A Yakima jury convicted Thompson of excessive force and lying to cover up the events of the night. Why was the trial held in Yakima?

The Spokesman's coverage of the incident can be found here. How many stories have been published?

Let's look at how public documents can tell the story of private individuals.