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| NEWS > 11 August 2007 |
Other related articles:
Police face action on NY killi
Eight New York police officers face disciplinary action and could be fired over the killing of an unarmed black man, officials have said.
Police confirmed that three men acquitted last month over the shooting are among those facing disciplinary charges, the Associated Press reported.
Sean Bell, 23, was killed in a hail of 50 bullets as he left a strip club in late 2006, hours before his wedding.
The case had generated accusations of police racism and brutality.
In a trial that ended last month two detectives, Michael Oliver and Gescard Isnora, faced char... Read more
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 Article sourced from
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WJZ - Baltimore,MD,USA
11 August 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Baltimore City Police Departme
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State Police Take Over After E
Missing evidence in several serious police misconduct cases sparks a major change in who's taking care of it.
In at least two recent cases of officers accused of rape, key evidence has gone mysteriously missing before their trials. Now state police are taking over.
The rape trial against Baltimore City Police Officer William Welch was supposed to begin this month. Instead, it was postponed when key evidence, including soiled clothing, a rape kit and other items, mysteriously went missing.
In the wake of the disappearance, city police are turning the responsibility of evidence handling over to the state in cases involving serious police misconduct.
"Certainly having that evidence stored in another police department may assist them in making sure they're able to move forward in the investigation and prosecution of those types of cases," said Greg Shipley, Maryland State Police.
The turnover comes on the heels of not one but two high profile cases involving officers and missing evidence. Months before the recent Welch case, key evidence went missing in the rape case against officer Jemini Jones: surveillance video showing his accuser entering the hospital. The evidence never turned up and Jones was acquitted.
"People say congrats on beating the charges. I didn't beat anything. Nothing ever happened," Jones said. "I don't think that stigma will ever leave."
The agreement between city and state police is in the early stages. At this point, nothing is in writing. Prosecutors are reviewing it to determine whether it's legally sound.
"We are reviewing it and we are looking at it to determine whether it is legally sufficient to allow for all the necessary legal loopholes that could be viewed in a potential chain of custody question," said Margaret Burns, City State's Attorney's office.
"Obviously there's an issue of some missing evidence in one specific case and we want to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest when we're dealing with evidence involved in a crime," said Sterling Clifford, Baltimore City Police Department.
Welch is now scheduled for trial in October.
City police asked for the turnover.
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