Saturday, January 9, 2010

Shades of the Rampart Scandal

The Baltimore Sun is reporting on the decision of Circuit Court Judge John P. Miller to toss the witness identification evidence against Christopher Robinson, 19, who allegedly shot Brian Kinyon in retaliation for quitting the Black Guerilla Family.  Robinson is jailed, unable to make bond set at $800,000.  According to Robinson's attorney, the witness identification evidence that ahs been excluded, is the only evidence linking his clinet to the shooting. 

Why is this witness identification evidence being tossed?  The police officer who obtained the witness identification altered the photograph.  That's right, folks--a potential killer will soon be free to wander the streets of Baltimore because the police cheated.  Who did they cheat?  They cheated you!

Tricia Bishop's article at the Baltimore Sun is worth reading in its entirety.

In the 1990s Los Angeles had the Rampart scandal.  The police were horrible disgraced by one of it's anti-gang units located at the LAPD's Rampart Division.  Ultimately more than 70 LA cops were implicated in beatings, fabricaaton of evidence, planting of evidence, and faming of criminal suspects.  The city paid more than $105 million dollars in setlement sand more than a 100 wrongful criminal convictions were overturned. 

That's Law and Order, baby!

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