JADE Has A New Member!

Okay, technically the Task Force has had a new member for practically ever but, aside from a way back when insouciant reference that I’ve known about him, obviously I’ve excluded him from I HeArTE JADE. My excuse reason? I was just kinda savin’ him for a rainy day, I suppose. While today was, honestly, full of showers, I actually have a serious incentive for suddenly identifying their twelfth fellow.

Unfortunately, I guess I might’ve waited a teeny bit too long to introduce him the way I’d intended seeing as how cheezball events have made it so that now I can’t add photographs of him to the site or possibly publish his address. I can, however, post pictures of his car, provide his license plate, give out his cell number, comment on his next door neighbor, et cetera. And maybe I’ll get around to that junk -- plus my grounds for the revelation -- in the future. Right now I’m just going to focus on his name.

When I got word Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement would be hiring a new man, it took me all of five seconds to learn he’d be an addition from the Albemarle County Police Department -- their budgeted fourth. Five seconds more and I found out his name is Tavis Coffin. Turns out Mr. Coffin is known for his, ahem, less than smooth driving abilities. The prime pseudonym for an on-duty officer with that surname who ran his law enforcement vehicle into a ditch? Cruiser Crasher Coffin.

Interestingly enough, I did some research -- curiosity got the better of me -- and I discovered another cop, Jason Lovell, a Lieutenant in Easley, South Carolina, also wound up working narcotics sometime after wrecking his car. (Someone should take a snapshot of Lt. Lovell and give it to the Easley PD since they’re apparently lacking a photo of the officer.)

Since Cruiser Crasher is as brilliant as some of JADE’s other public servants, such as the former Trooper who preferred to shoot a man rather than just let go of him, or the policeman who sent someone to prison for gesturing at him, no doubt he’ll do one hell of a bang-up job.

Ever Wonder What's Coming Next?

Yeah, me too.

Operation "Verification"

Aside from this site, information about JADE personnel can be found on the City of Charlottesville website.

As you can see, they break it down:

Currently the task force is manned by one lieutenant (commander), one sergeant and four detectives from the Charlottesville Police Department (CPD). The Albemarle County Police Department (APD) has one corporal and two detectives. The University of Virginia Police (UPD) has assigned one sergeant and two detectives. The Virginia State Police (VSP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) each has a special agent assigned to the task force. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has two agents assigned to work the Charlottesville area and are stationed within the JADE office, working closely with the JADE personnel and investigations divisions of the three police departments.

Then, I guess presuming you’re too stupid or lazy to figure it out yourself, they total it up: 17.

I found the preceding somewhat early on in my investigation and, using my own style of shorthand, scribbled it down on a notepad I carry with me. I didn’t give it much attention then -- I tucked the details away thinking they’d come in handy later -- but I did note that I was supposed to be looking for seventeen people. By the time “later” came, I had a problem: their list didn’t jibe with my facts.

For one, I definitely didn’t find seventeen people. For another, I had issues like too many sergeants, not enough detectives, and no corporals. Regarding the former, obviously it was possible I just hadn’t rooted out all their men but the latter? I knew I wasn’t wrong about their rankings and titles.

So I found myself in the position of needing to verify the very thing I intended to use as verification. (Yeah, yeah, I know, it would’ve been smarter to do that in the first place.)

I checked the Albemarle County website and while, unlike Charlottesville's, they don’t have a section specifically dedicated to Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement, I did find this organization chart.

Fortunately the University of Virginia site didn’t add to the confusion since it has zip, zilch, nada, about the composition of JADE. (Perhaps because of this critique-inducing drug bust?)

Several phone calls and two in-person visits to two police stations sorted most of it out.

At last armed with correct information, only one man remained a mystery to me. The particulars as I knew them were that he’s a sergeant from Charlottesville and a Task Force member. He became my Tetris game; periodically I’d move him around hoping to get him to fit. When one day out of the blue I accidentally learned he’s with the county and not the city as I’d believed, it all fell into place.

I think the City of Charlottesville should update to:

Currently the task force is manned by one lieutenant (commander), one sergeant and three detectives from the Charlottesville Police Department (CPD). The Albemarle County Police Department (APD) has one sergeant and two detectives. The University of Virginia Police (UPD) has assigned one detective. The Virginia State Police (VSP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) each has a special agent assigned to the task force. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has no one specific agent who works JADE cases. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has one agent who works frequently with JADE but is not stationed within the JADE office.