Wrongful Acquittals Are Far More Common Than Wrongful Convictions
This is the title of a great editorial written by Frank Sedita, the Erie County, New York District Attorney. Mr. Sedita defends the work of prosecutors and police officers who work up felony cases. He explains that the rate of wrongful convictions are exaggerated and that a bigger problem lies in people getting off on crimes they really did commit. Sedita puts it like this: "I agree that the system is flawed, but in a manner that benefits the accused." Here are some highlights from Sedita's editorial:
Our policy of critically and repeatedly reviewing cases at the pre-indictment stage has resulted in some cases being dismissed because the defendant is innocent. Since January 2011, my office has reviewed 4,764 potential felony cases for presentation to the grand jury or other disposition. Thirty-three of the defendants (0.7 percent) charged by the police were probably innocent. One such defendant was exonerated after indictment but well before trial. The remaining 32 defendants were exonerated before they were indicted by a grand jury.
While no one can deny that wrongful convictions have taken place, their rate of occurrence has been obscenely exaggerated. In reality, wrongful acquittals are much more common than wrongful convictions. I can point to at least four trials this year alone in Erie County that resulted in an acquittal despite overwhelming evidence of the defendant's guilt. Post-indictment dismissals, usually because of technical procedural issues or because the court suppresses key prosecution evidence at the request of the defense, are more common still. Citizens are amazed to learn that under our legal system, the prosecution can rarely appeal a dismissal and can never appeal an acquittal.
Sedita raises a very important issue with our system and a flaw we see nationwide. Murders, rapists and other criminals walk free from crimes they committed. That's wrong. What comes next is not only wrong, but appalling. These same people who beat the system, then try to make money by suing the police who investigated those crimes. The wrongful acquittal leads to a wrongful lawsuit. That's wrong.
September 15, 2012 Is National Tell A Police Officer "Thank You" Day!
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The Whole Truth Project has declared that September 15, 2012 is National Tell A Police Officer "Thank You" Day. We believe we often take our police officers for granted. A simple way to show appreciation and gratitude to all law enforcement officers is by a simple "thank you." We encourage each and everyone to go out of their way to say "thank you" to a police officer on September 15th. Let's show our support for police officers and the difficult job they do protecting us and our communities. To find out more information on how you can support National Tell A Police Officer "Thank You" Day visit the Facebook page of the Whole Truth Project where you can learn how to sign up to be a Team Captain in your hometown. Together, we can make September 15, 2012 a very special day!
Robber's Family Sues Kroger - Really???
Six months ago Jeremy Atkinson was shot and killed by a Kroger store manager during an attempted robbery. The prosecutor's office ruled that the store manager's actions were justified to prevent the commission of a forcible felony. Atkinson, no surprise, was a convicted felon. Now, Atkinson's mother has sued Kroger in a wrongful death lawsuit? Really? It's Kroger's fault your son was shot when he tried to rob their store? Read the story HERE.
DNA Test Shows Rapist Is A Huge Liar
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For 25 years, Curtis Ferguson claimed he did not sexually assault a postal carrier at knife-point in Flint, Michigan. He insisted on DNA testing. Well, he got his wish and the DNA testing showed he's GUILTY!
Read about it HERE.
Latest Excuse - Arrested NATO Protester Didn't Mean What He Said - He May Have Been Drunk - Really?
It keeps getting more ridiculous - now Melinda Power, an attorney for one of the arrested NATO protesters (the guy who threatened to blow up a train overpass), is claiming that perhaps her client was simply drunk and didn't mean what he said. Really? Her client, Sebastian Senakiewicz is a member of the Black Bloc anarchist group. Read the story HERE.
Just Beer Making Equipment, Really? Apparently Not
Three NATO Summit protesters apparently had a lot more than beer-making equipment, contrary to what their attorneys had been claiming to the media. Surprise surprise. Chicago police officers infiltrated the group in recent weeks, watching as the members made molotov cocktails. Cook County State's Attorney called them "domestic terrorists" and three were charged with felonies today. Among the items recovered from the subject apartment were a mortar gun, swords, a crossbow, throwing star, ninja knives, and written plans for the assembly of pipe bombs. Just beer-making equipment? Really??Read the full story HERE.
Colorado Man - Robert Dewey - Exonerated By DNA, But That Does Not Mean Mesa County Sheriffs Did Anything Wrong
The Daily Sentinel has reported that Robert Dewey is being released from prison after serving 16 years for the rape and murder of a Palisade, Colorado woman. Jackie Taylor, age nineteen, was slain in June 1994. Her body was found in her Palisade apartment, naked from the waist down in a half-filled bathtub. She'd been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled with a nylon dog leash.
Dewey, who was staying nearby with the family of Taylor's roommate, immediately became a suspect in the crime due in part to blood found on one of his work shirts. DNA testing on the garment convinced some investigators that the blood was a combination of Dewey's and Taylor's, while other experts believed the fluid could have come from literally thousands of others. In the end, Dewey, whose was convicted and given life in prison.
Dewey may be innocent and, if so, should be released from prison. However, that does not automatically mean that the police officers who investigated his case did anything wrong. Nevertheless, the news reports suggest that Dewey plans on filing a civil suit against Mesa County Sheriffs.
When Dewey files his lawsuit, Mesa County must demonstrate that the sheriffs did their jobs and that there was probable cause to arrest and charge Dewey with the murder. Simply because Dewey was exonerated, does not prevent the officers from winning this case.
Our firm successfully defended several retired detectives who were accused of fabricating a case against a person who was exonerated based on DNA. Jerry Miller was convicted in 1982 of a brutal rape in Chicago. He was convicted based on the testimony of two eyewitnesses who identified Miller as the man who attempted to drive his rape victim's car out a parking garage where they worked at the time. The parking lot attendants foiled the rapist's escape by preventing him from driving the car out of the parking garage. Miller spent 26 years in prison before being released in 2006 based on new DNA testing which showed that Miller was not the rapist. That DNA testing lead to the real culprit, Robert Weeks. Despite that, we were able to show that the detectives did nothing wrong and a Federal Court in Chicago granted summary judgment for the retired detectives.
More Police Are Being Killed Each Year
According to FBI statistics, 72 police officers were killed by perpetrators in 2011, a 25% increase from 2010, and a 75% increase from 2008. Astonishingly, 2011 marked the first year more police officers were killed by suspects than by vehicles. Read the New York Times story about the rise in police shootings HERE.
