More cops are being indicted, but why all the secrecy with grand juries?
Ken Ervin stood before a group of reporters this past February, fellow attorney Doug O'Connell at his side, and talked about the Austin Police Department officers indicted by a grand jury convened by District Attorney José Garza. The city had been shocked days earlier when Garza charged 19 officers with assaulting protesters during the May 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in front of APD headquarters at I-35 and Eighth Street.
• After APD officers Chance Bretches and Gregory Gentry were indicted for assault in January 2021, in relation to an arrest made in 2019, the attorneys wrote,"We are forced to conclude the grand jury that heard this case was only given information calculated to produce indictments." So there's a pattern here, a pattern that includes the words"grand jury." Which begs the question: What is a grand jury?It's a pretty significant part of the American system of criminal justice."A jury of one's peers" refers not only to the trial juries who hear cases in court, but to grand juries that decide whether those cases proceed to trial in the first place.
"These are citizens," said Margaret Moore, Garza's predecessor as Travis County D.A. from 2017 to 2021."They typically do not have any particular knowledge about criminal law. They have to get their advice from the prosecutor. ... The prosecutor issues the subpoenas, assembles the evidence, calls the witnesses.
To back up that charge, O'Connell and Broden released an affidavit from APD Detective David Fugitt, who had investigated the case. In it, Fugitt claimed that Garza instructed him to leave out information favorable to Perry. He accused the D.A. of witness tampering – itself a felony – and O'Connell and Broden took Fugitt's affidavit to District Judge Clifford Brown, asking for the case against Perry to be thrown out.
"Historically, here in Travis County, and in the state and around the country, the district attorneys have always manipulated the grand juries in favor of the cops – there is just no question about that," said civil rights lawyer Jim Harrington, who has observed the workings of the D.A.'s Office since the 1970s."That was particularly true, I know for sure, here in Travis County.
So perhaps Ervin and O'Connell's complaints about access to the grand jury work on two levels. For those unfamiliar with how the process works – almost everyone – they may sound like persuasive evidence of misconduct, or serve as talking points for police backers in the way that partisan media outlets provide arguments for their viewers to reiterate.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Jury awards $21M to family of pregnant teen shot by Fremont policeA federal jury awarded $21 million to the family of a pregnant teen who was shot and killed by undercover Fremont police officers five years ago, attorneys said.
Leer más »
Jury Awards $21M to Family of Pregnant Teen Shot by PoliceA federal jury has awarded $21 million to the family of a pregnant teen who was shot and killed by undercover police officers in Northern California five years ago.
Leer más »
Dallas Cop and Trump-Backed State House Hopeful Indicted for 'Impersonating Public Servant'On Friday, a grand jury in Collin County indicted Dallas police officer and Texas House candidate Frederick Frazier on a third-degree felony charge of impersonating a public servant, the Dallas Police Department confirmed by email. Frazier, who works for the Dallas Police Department and is vying for House District 61’s...
Leer más »
Donald Trump’s Tech Merger in Jeopardy as Grand Juries Subpoena SPAC PartnerDigital World Acquisition Corp. says the federal investigations 'can be expected' to delay, if not end, its merger deal with Trump's company.
Leer más »
Ask Amy: Young dater worries about 'love bombs'Dear Amy: I am 21 and just getting into the dating game.
Leer más »
A Black police graduate says he was racially profiled by Texas cops. His bodycam video went viral.The officers demanded to see Michael McQueen's identification and told him he looked suspicious because he was wearing his police academy uniform with his duty belt equipped with his gun. McQueen captured the May 22 incident on his body camera.
Leer más »