[Note: Friends of Justice is a personal blog. I speak only for myself.]
Scott Dalton for USA TODAY
“In a case that came down to one man’s word against another’s, jurors believed the police officer. Because of his prior offenses, Vara was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
“What happened to Vara has been unconstitutional for more than 50 years.
“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1963 that prosecutors must tell anyone accused of a crime about all evidence that might help their defense at trial. That includes sharing details about police officers who have committed crimes, lied on the job or whose honesty has been called into doubt.”
Read the article by Steve Reilly and Mark Nichols in USA Today.
I spotted this in USA Today over the weekend. I am very glad to see you promoting it, Bob. Up in New Hampshire there is something called “Laurie’s List.” It is a list of police officers whose integrity has been compromised by perjury, lying in police reports, hiding evidence, planting evidence, or other offenses. The Attorney-General there has recently blocked the public from having any access to the list. I believe a judge has overruled him, but the list has still not been made public. That said, there is one police officer in NH who has brought hundreds of convictions, the vast majority through plea deals, based on very questionable tactics that include various levels of entrapment. I have written of one of his more egregious cases involving a client of the NCRJ, here: http://thesestonewalls.com/gordon-macrae/metoo-himtoo-jonathan-grover-father-gordon-macrae/