cops dont have to obey laws when they are searching for evidence. laws are for everyone else Original Article Ex-police officer pleads guilty in wiretapping case Brent Whiting The Arizona Republic May. 4, 2005 12:00 AM GLENDALE - Illegal wiretapping marks the latest embarrassment in a round of scandals rocking the Glendale Police Department. Michael Duane Manning, a former senior investigator, has admitted blame for electronically eavesdropping on a female acquaintance, authorities said. Manning, 49, a computer expert and nearly 28-year police veteran, retired June 30 after he came under investigation. On April 21, Manning pleaded guilty in Maricopa County Superior Court to a charge of attempted interception of wire, electronic and oral communications. The charge is a felony but can be designated a misdemeanor upon successful completion of probation. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Manning will be placed on probation when he is sentenced May 18. He also will be forced to surrender his peace-officer license. Neither Manning nor his lawyer, Kerrie Droban, could be reached Tuesday for comment on the criminal case. No one answered the door at the victim's home. Lt. Harold Brady, a lawyer who serves as legal adviser to the Glendale department, said the case is disappointing. "The department had no information or reason to believe that Officer Manning would be involved in something like this," Brady said. Glendale has suffered public-relations setbacks since March 21, when Police Chief Andrew Kirkland was placed on paid leave amid allegations of a hostile work environment and an "inappropriate relationship" with a female officer. Kirkland resigned April 8. Four days later, Brad Moore, a veteran police detective, was fired by the city for bungling about 250 domestic-violence cases since at least January 2002. In Manning's case, investigators believe that he engaged in illegal wiretapping of communications by the female acquaintance, then 37, and surreptitiously taped phone calls at her Glendale home in early 2004. Manning came under investigation after a tape recorder and a tape of several conversations were discovered in a police vehicle that had been assigned to him, authorities said. The case was turned over to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, and Manning, who had special training in electronic investigations, abruptly retired in the face of the criminal probe, they said. Reach the reporter at brent.whiting@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-6937.