The most bizarre aspect of the dozens of recent cases is that the media and the public pretend to be surprised, even shocked by the corruption if not by the brutality. I realize that the American media and, to and even greater extent, the American public are astonishingly gullible. If they aren't, how can you explain debacles like Reagan or George Gekas or Tom Ridge? What I have a problem swallowing is that any part of the public over the age of 7 can pretend that cops are honest.
I see email and items in the media which claim that "the vast majority of police officers are decent, honest, good people." That's just plain bunk! Who has ever investigated or tested "the vast majority" of cops?
In every one of the thousands of criminal cases I've been involved with, the cops were liars and anything but "good."
I'm sure that there are some cops who are decent and honest, maybe even "good," but there are damn few of them!
Cops habitually lie. If a cop is on the witness stand in a criminal case, you can rely on the fact that much of the critical evidence he/she gives is false. In modern time the lying hasn't been left to chance. Cops are systematically coached by their superior and by prosecutors on how to lie from the witness chair. In much of the large jurisdictions such as Philadelphia and Harrisburg, cops are even given formal training on how to lie most effectively. It's become such a well recognized science that cops are no longer said to "testify." They "testi-lie!" Their objective is to railroad the defendant.
Sometimes a defendant is guilty. Sometimes he's not guilty. To the cop and the prosecutor the distinction is immaterial. The cop arranges the "facts" and his story to fit the prosecutor's goal; conviction of the sucker they arrested. If cops were to suddenly tell the truth, there would be very few convictions.
I urge defense attorneys to recognize the fact that police witnesses lie about critical, pivotal evidence. The defense lawyer should attack the cop's credibility. Generally speaking cops don't expect to be challenged. They aren't too bright. They are seldom coached much beyond the stories they have rehearsed. A defense lawyer can often tie up a cop on the stand and show his dishonesty.
I was involved in a case in which a Dauphin County, Pennsylvania detective engaged in a lot of illegal activity: illegal wire taps, false search warrants, and so forth. He was astonished when I unraveled his dishonesty on the stand.
Police testi-lying will continue, but it can be used to a defendant's advantage simply by exposing the lies.
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