“May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.”


"This report is maybe 12-years-old. Parliament buried it, and it stayed buried till River dug it up. This is what they feared she knew. And they were right to fear because there's a whole universe of folk who are gonna know it, too. They're gonna see it. Somebody has to speak for these people. You all got on this boat for different reasons, but you all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than I have before. Maybe all. Sure as I know anything I know this, they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, 10, they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people . . . better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave." ~ Captain Malcom Reynolds

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Painful to watch...

Had one of those long, painful mornings in court today. Not because of anything of mine - I sat around two hours for an attorney to come in & plead his client guilty to a DUI. No, it was painful and frustrating because I watched the whole comedy of errors going on:

  • - Officers who had no idea how to testify in the first place.
  • - Officers who had very obviously not taken any time to review their cases beforehand, so they were stuck fumbling for simple answers when asked the particulars.
  • - Officers who had no system of organization for their cases and tickets, again looking incompetent as they dug through piles of paper seeking things.
  • - Officers (and a prosecutor) who didn't know the elements of their offenses, in order to show the crime committed; another who didn't know case law and policy which made his arrest a valid one when he was questioned; and one who didn't even know which jurisdiction his offense took place in when asked.

Etc. etc. - to the point of the judge just about banging his head on the bench; doing everything but giving hints "sounds like.... might be.... maybe...."

It bothers me when I see things like this too. IMHO, courtroom testimony is one of the most serious aspects of this job. Whether you are affecting someone's pocketbook through a traffic summons, or their freedom through possible incarceration, or ultimately potentially their very life, you owe them your utmost professionalism and preparation. Taking a bit of time before the day to look over your cases; being able to explain what happened to a judge or jury; and simply being on-time, organized, and ready for the day is the very least we can do. Officers who do otherwise are a discredit on the profession, their training and their communities.
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3 comments:

suz said...

Um, what is the point of everything else you do if you can't tie it up in court? Do these officers assume that all of their cases are going to plead out? Who wouldn't want to go to trial if the prosecution can't be bothered to, well, prosecute?

March 17, 2011 at 10:18 PM
Melissa said...

"IMHO, courtroom testimony is one of the most serious aspects of this job. Whether you are affecting someone's pocketbook through a traffic summons, or their freedom through possible incarceration, or ultimately potentially their very life, you owe them your utmost professionalism and preparation."

This. Thank you. Courtrooms and the entire justice system are the butt of so many jokes, but the truth is that they're absolutely critical to our society. There is no freedom without fair trials.

March 17, 2011 at 11:51 PM
Whit Spurzon said...

You are among a very small minority. Few on this planet take any kind of responsibility seriously. I suspect it has always been that way.

March 30, 2011 at 4:48 PM

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