Across the country cries for criminal justice reform regarding police officers can be heard. From Boston to Philadelphia, citizens are looking to change the way that “problem officer” can be found. Under the current Brady Law, prosecutors are required to share information with the defense regarding officers with credibility issues like lying on police tapes to instances of excessive force. In many cases this information gets lost in the system and never reaches defense attorneys, leading cases where defendants are convicted when the facts don’t quite add up.
For Sean Ellis, finding the facts proved to be tough. Convicted of murder in 1993, Ellis believed that something suspicious happened with the officer who led the murder investigation. After years of investigation, information about the officers who investigated his case was found, showing that they were participating in illegal activity. Due to the discovery of these new facts, a Superior Court judge dismissed his charges in 2015.
Across the United States, similar stories and calls can be heard. These voices want to see the creation of lists containing the names of officers who have exhibited problem behavior or are under investigation. Critics have cited the failure of prosecutors to create these lists or to pass this information on to defense attorneys. Unfortunately, this lists are often not disclosed, if they even exist. Certain jurisdictions have a harder time allowing these lists to be made public since the lists contain information about the officers. In areas where the lists are private, police have taken a stand to prevent the publishing of these types of lists to prevent private information to get out. However, the number of people calling for these lists continues to grow each day. As incidents across the country continue to come out about the wrongful conviction of a person because of the credibility issues of an officer, the louder the cries to increase the accountability of police officers will grow. In many cities where these problems persist, police continue to deny public access to lists with problem officers, furthering the debate and deepening the trench of justice inequality for the wrongfully accused.
It is important to have a relentless criminal defense attorney in any case, especially ones where police suspicions are involved. If you need a criminal defense attorney, call Krizman Law today at 303.529.2677.
Mr. Krizman is a criminal defense attorney in Denver, Colorado. He specializes in providing relentless defense for domestic violence, DUI, and drug crimes. He is a former public defender who has also worked for a district attorney and is licensed in the State of Colorado, and the United States Federal Court, District of Colorado. Mr. Krizman is a member of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Colorado Bar Association, Denver Bar Association, and Arapahoe County Bar Association. A Colorado native, he has a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in Government and World Affairs from the University of Tampa. Contact him today at 720.819.7317.