Prosecutors Willing to Fight Police Corruption?

Kimberly M. Gardner

St. Louis Prosecutor Says She Will No Longer Accept Cases From 28 City Police Officers

"August 30, 2018 ... St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner will no longer accept criminal cases from 28 city police officers and is reviewing their open cases for 'viability'.

Gardner delivered the 'exclusion list' to the police department and in a written statement said, in part, that prosecutors have '...the responsibility to protect the integrity of the criminal justice system...and the credibility of the police is one of the most important attributes of the job...A police officer's word, and the complete veracity of that word, is fundamentally necessary to doing the job. Therefore, any break in trust must be approached with deep concern."

Gardner's predecessor, Jennifer Joyce, similarly refused to take cases from officers when their credibility was in question. Other prosecutors, Brendan Kelly and Bob Haida have also done the same for police actions including but not limited to: botched investigations, mishandling of evidence, reckless use of firearms and criminal conduct.  (Article linked here.)

BDN Article Linked Here.

"Attorney General Janet Mills said she’s concerned with the dramatic rise in the number of people shot to death by Maine law enforcement officers this year but is satisfied with the standards her office uses in deciding whether fatal force was 'justified.'Twice as many people have been fatally shot by Maine police so far this year as in all of 2016 and 2015 combined. The attorney general’s office since 1990 has been in charge of investigating such cases and has never found a shooting unjustified."

Brian MacMaster, the director of investigations since 1984; a Maine certified law enforcement officer since 1969.  Office of the Maine AG link here  .  (See Police Fatal Shootings in Maine, link here.)

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Unless now censored, YouTube is and has been replete with videos of police brutality and harassment, and to deny this type of brutality and police action occurs is to deny truth. This does not mean all law enforcement officers are engaged in such actions. After watching several videos it becomes apparent the ubiquitous use by some law enforcement officers of such phrases as: "stop resisting", "he's going for my gun" even when apparent no such behaviors are exhibited by the alleged perpetrator(s). Kudos to all citizens willing to video document and show these police incidents and how LEO in their areas engage the public.

We cannot hope for change without citizens' awareness, documentation, willingness and courage to speak.

"Sheriff Dunning said his conduct was shocking...  law enforcement officers are here to protect the public not prey on them."

Article link here .

Disclaimer: In no way is this post an implication that all police officers/law enforcement officers and/or prosecutors are corrupt. Recognition is given to those LEO and prosecutors who abide by the rule of law and do their best to uphold the laws with humility and earnestness while cognizant of the powers entrusted to them. However, it's also reasonable to agree with the statement that many law enforcement officers, police chiefs and prosecutors are, in fact, fully aware of those LEO operating under the color of law and are, therefore, complicit.

Washington Post article, 2018 Police Shootings Database, interactive map link here.

Let's get serious about cleaning up the swamp, including at our state and local levels:

"As a component of the Obama Administration's initiative to improve transparency and open-access to the Federal Government and the information it produces formally introduced upon taking office in late January 2009^[2] and as a result of an agency-wide review and recommendation process ordered in May of that same year,^[3] the issuance of EO 13526 was ultimately prompted by several factors. One factor was the large backlog of documents scheduled to be automatically declassified on December 31, 2009 and how to deal with that reality.^[4] Another factor was delivering on a campaign promise.^{[5]"  Wikipedia link here.}

"Executive Order 13526
Sec 1.7
'Classification Prohibitions and Limitations. (a) In no case shall information be classified, continue to be maintained as classified, or fail to be declassified in order to:
(1) conceal violations of law, inefficiency, or administrative error;
(2) prevent embarrassment to a person, organization, or agency;
(3) restrain competition; or
(4) prevent or delay the release of information that does not require protection in the interest of the national security.'
Q"

Cumberland County DA Stephanie Anderson's motto?

In the microcosm, even small communities such as Brunswick, Maine are no different than Kimberly Gardner's St. Louis. It appears several law enforcement officers, including Chief Rizzo (see previous posts), are well-aware of police fraud and corruption. Could it be these actions remain unaddressed for the simple reason any/all such involved LEOs' cases would require review for "viability" and cause chaos to Maine's judicial system? Time for transparency to be more than just a word.

And it'll take more prosecutors like Kimberly Gardner, Jennifer Joyce, Brendan Kelly, Bob Haida and law enforcement officers stepping up to the plate to clean up this swamp. Much appreciation to Kimberly Gardner and those with the integrity and courage to do so.