About a year ago, a routine review of an Sacramento deputy sheriff dashboard camera videotapes found something odd. On one tape, Deputy Mike Vale could be seen pulling over a drunk driver, but instead of arresting her, he seemed to be taking his time talking and flirting with her and the passenger. Then he turned off his microphone, sent the drunk driver on her way, and brought her friend into his car.This strange incident set off an extensive internal investigation that would eventually lead to Vales’ guilty plea in a federal court last week to charges of violating the civil rights of four victims, and cyberstalking.
Before he was caught, he apparently had a practice of offering to tear up traffic tickets in exchange for sex acts and groping drunk drivers while they were handcuffed. In the example above, he took cell phone pictures of the woman naked in his squad car in exchange for letting her friend go. In another example, Sacramento Sheriff Deputy Mike Vale stalked one of his victims on Facebook after he had forced her to have sex with him after a traffic stop yielded drugs in her car. He sent her threatening Facebook messages demanding that she send him nude photos of herself. And after sexually assaulting another woman during a drunk driving arrest, he showed up at that victim’s house.
STUDIES OF STALKING AND STALKING VICTIMS’ EXPERIENCES HAVE CONSISTENTLY SHOWN THAT IT IS A VASTLY UNDER-REPORTED CRIME. IT’S AN INSIDIOUS AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AND MANY VICTIMS FEAR THAT IT WON’T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, OR THAT THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH "PROOF" TO MAKE A CASE. Being assaulted or stalked by anyone is surely a deeply disturbing experience; when your stalker is a cop, it must inspire a special kind of terror. Police officers have easy access to all kinds of information, tracking technology, and, don’t forget, weapons. Where do you go for help when the people who are meant to keep you safe are the real danger? Help for Crime Victims.
If you're a victim that has been in contact with deputy sheriff Mike Vale, you are ask to contact The National Center for Victims of Crime has a number of resources available to assist victims of crime. Our National Help Line, VictimConnect, provides help for victims of any crime nationwide, and can be reached by phone at 1--855-4VICTIM (1-855-484-2846) or by online chat.