A private detective that called Bloomington police Chief Mike Diekhoff “Gomer Pyle” on a New York talk show Friday has apologized to the state and the city.
During a brief radio interview with Don Imus on Monday, retired New York police detective Richard “Bo” Dietl did not specifically mention the comments he made last week on “Good Day New York,” but he did repeatedly say he was sorry.
“I just want to apologize,” Dietl said near the end of the interview, without a prompt from Imus.
The radio host seemed in the dark about what Dietl was even referring to.
“I say some things sometimes, and I really don’t mean it,” Dietl said. “I want to apologize to the great state of Indiana and Bloomington. I apologize to them and that’s all I’ll say, and that’s it.”
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Dietl was hired by the Spierer family to help find their daughter, missing IU student Lauren Spierer, and was being interviewed about the case when he made the disparaging remarks. The investigator has been in similar situations, having previously given public apologies to House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and journalist Katie Couric.
During Friday’s television appearance, Dietl criticized the Bloomington Police Department, comparing Diekhoff to the character Gomer Pyle, a dim-witted, southern auto-mechanic featured in “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Dietl also likened college students to zombies in the film “Night of the Living Dead,” adding that pill usage is rampant at universities and that he believes drug use at IU directly affected Lauren’s disappearance.
Dietl, who became a private investigator and prominent media personality after his retirement, said he and a team of four other retired New York police officers have been involved in the case for some time.
“They’ve uncovered stuff that really is giving us a direction on this case,” he said. “We have a lot of information.”
Dietl said the information will be turned over to the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office and Bloomington police in due time, though he did not have kind things to say about the department.
“I met with the chief, and all I can say is, thank God for New York detectives,” he said.
In an email Monday, Diekhoff confirmed that Dietl’s team of detectives have been in the city and have spoken to Bloomington police.
“They introduced themselves as retired New York City police officers that were hired by the Spierers to privately investigate Lauren’s disappearance,” Diekhoff said. “Bo wanted to ‘partner’ with our department and wanted us to share details of the police investigation.”
In order to maintain the integrity of an investigation, the department cannot reveal pertinent information and files, Diekhoff said. Additionally, he said it is unethical and not normal police practice for a police department to partner with a private agency.
Diekhoff also said the team’s investigation methods did not quite line up with the procedures of the Bloomington Police Department.
“It was evident from the discussion that at least part of their intention was to harass certain individuals,” Diekhoff said. “Obviously, that it is not something that our department can sanction. And, in fact, we have already received complaints that individuals have been harassed by at least one of Bo’s private investigators.”
The chief said Dietl had contacted the FBI and other agencies assisting in the search and was met with a similar response.
“As he did not get the information he came seeking, I can only surmise that is the reason he described me as ‘Gomer Pyle’,” Diekhoff said.
Originally, Dietl said he wasn’t concerned with offending Diekhoff because his main goal is to “find that little girl.”
It’s a goal Diekhoff said the BPD shares.
“Our department is as committed, as Bo professes to be, in finding Lauren,” Diekhoff said
