An informal study conducted by two Los Angeles police officers is one that departments across the country could learn from. The officers interviewed numerous former suspects who had been in stand offs with police, asking them what the police could have done better and what they did right—all in an effort to improve police reaction to such situations and learn what really works to de-escalate the suspects in these sorts of cases. [Read more…]
Police Chiefs Don’t Want to be Immigration Enforcement
In the immigration debate we have heard from politicians and leaders in the communities across this nation. We’ve heard from immigrants and people who would rather seal all entry points giving others access to this great country. But one voice that hasn’t been given much attention is local law enforcement. [Read more…]
Future of Policing: Unmanned Drones?
Typically only used in military operations, unmanned drones are seen as the high-tech eye in the sky, a way to wage war without the potential human cost. But now, USA Today reports police agencies across the country are considering the UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for their own domestic uses, estimating they will be employed by various police departments within five to ten years. [Read more…]
Do Innocent People Ever Confess to Crimes?
We’ve all heard of cases of wrongful conviction–of people being freed from prison years and sometimes decades after their trial. But, did you know that in 25% of cases cleared by DNA, the defendant made admissions of guilt?
Why would someone admit to something they didn’t do—spending years behind bars for a crime they didn’t commit? There are numerous reasons that a man or woman suspected of a crime would admit to committing a horrible offense they may have had no part in.
According to the Innocence Project, some of these reasons include: intoxication, threats of harm, coercion, mental impairment, a misunderstanding, threat of lengthy prison terms, actual violence, and simply ignorance of the law. A recent article in the New York Times states that the young, the mentally ill, and the mentally impaired are the most likely to admit to something they didn’t actually do.
But some people state that police interrogators are so effective at getting people to admit, they often pull confessions from innocent people. After spending hours in an interrogation room with no sleep, you might be amazed of the things that would come out of someone’s mouth.
Professor Brandon L. Garrett from the Virginia School of Law states that many cases of false confessions are tainted by facts that police let leak during the interrogation process, allowing a completely innocent subject to confess in detail to a crime they didn’t commit.
In some cases, the confession is so believable that the suspect is convicted of a crime even when DNA proves otherwise before trial. One case, involving murder, caused an innocent man to serve 16 years in prison following a confession he made and later recanted. Though DNA evidence was present at trial to support his innocence, the jury chose instead to believe his initial confession.
Being investigated for a crime is extremely stressful. It seems that the more serious the charges are, the harder the police come down on you to confess. But during the questioning stages, the police must inform you of your right to an attorney. If you are not under arrest and that right is not explained to you, there’s a good chance the statement they are looking for is completely voluntary.
During interrogations following an arrest, you can stop answering questions at any time. You can invoke your right to an attorney and the police must respect this. As stated, ignorance of the law can lead to problems, and knowing your rights is imperative, so having a criminal defense lawyer can help insure that your rights and freedom are protected at every step in the process.
Cops Can Secretly Track You With GPS
A U.S. Court of Appeals decision this week in the 9th District affirmed a previous ruling and stated that the police can track your vehicle with a GPS device and without a warrant. Yes, that’s right—they can come into your driveway at night, attach a GPS and track you–every day, wherever you go. [Read more…]
Drunk Driving Campaigns – Public Safely or Hype?
As we head into another holiday weekend, there is an aggressive media campaign to prevent drunk driving and emphasize aggressive enforcement efforts. But do these efforts significantly reduce incidents of drunk driving? Are they an effective way to promote public safely? [Read more…]
Law Enforcement Agencies Recording Police Interactions with Public
There’s no escaping technology. With each passing day we see more and more and we become more and more dependent upon it. While dashboard police cameras were once installed during “trial periods”, they are now found in abundance. The same is likely to happen with on-officer cameras, recording every interaction the police have. [Read more…]
