"Oh, one other thing. If there is 'regular' pergery [sic] going on, it's going on in front of a judge, prosecutor, and possibly a jury. What are you doing about that?"
1) Juries can't do anything about perjury. They can't charge anyone.
2) Prosecutors DON'T do anything about police perjury, even after complaints about it. Their CSC and other 'real' felony cases rely upon dirty cops coming across as clean officers. They are disincentived to prosecute cops.
3) Judges can't sua sponte charge someone with perjury. They can't charge anyone, either.
So you tell me, what should be done about such a situation?
The worst thing I've seen about it is that the police I've seen obviously lying about their recollection would have the benefit of the doubt from the judge or jury anyway. If these cops would simply admit they don't remember all the details, or screwed up somehow, and simply tell the truth to the best of their recollection instead of the best of their fabrication, they'd make the system look good at the same time they're convicting the crooks.
(1) I'd like to know (In a general sense) where all this is going on. I’ve never worked in an area I would consider “corrupt”. To me, from your comments, it sounds like systemic corruption.
(2) Virtually every prosecutor's office, police department, etc, has an office of professional responsibility, Internal Affairs or the like.
(3) Then there is the media. Reporters are dying for stories documenting police corruption.
(4) "Juries can't do anything about perjury." They can ACQUIT the defendant(s)!
(5) If you've ever been in chambers with a judge, might be surprised about how much the judge can get done.
(6) “The worst thing I've seen about it is that the police I've seen obviously lying about their recollection would have the benefit of the doubt from the judge or jury anyway.”
If you’re not a judge, defense attorney, court reporter, prosecuting attorney, bailiff, habitual offender, etc, why are you spending so much time in the court room that you’ve seen so many cases of perjury? (sp?).
(7) As to the “unspoken” rule about “no erring cop EVER is to be held accountable by other cops is absolutely horrifying.”
The “Blue Code of Silence” does exist in some organizations. It is because the people in these organizations have the same dilemma everyone else does: Where do you draw the line? We ask this question every day. The classic question goes something like this; If you and your partner are dispatched to a burglar alarm and find the window of an ice cream store smashed. You go in to find the phone number of the proprietor. Your partner sticks his finger into an open container of ice cream and puts the ice cream in his mouth. What are you going to do?
The classic response is a “deer in the headlights” look from the person asked a hard swallow followed by a pause and a stumbling answer, attempting to talk his way out of the dilemma. On the one hand, "this is the same partner who covers my back in tight situations, the same partner who has a family he/she has to support, who knows some of my inner thoughts and secrets". On the other hand, "it makes me/us look bad. It’s stealing, it messes up the rest of the ice cream".
The answer is framed as follows: We all stand on top of a hill. The top of the hill is safe, but the sides are very steep. It’s raining and the slope is muddy. Do you want to step off the top and go down the “slippery slope”? When framed like this, the answer is usually “No, but…” To which the response is “NO BUTS”. You either uphold the ethical standards or you are unethical yourself.
In the LAPD, there is a charge called “Acquiescing” that means if you saw or aware of something wrong and did nothing, you are guilty also. In other words, you can’t look the other way.
What should be done about such a perjury, lying, corruption?
Like I said: Engage, fight back., If one approach doesn’t work, try another. We, the citizens are (or are supposed to be) in charge. A letter to the editor, a letter to the chief of police, a complaint to the office of professional responsibility, to the Attorney General, to the bar association, show up in court and monitor and then write down what you see. Expose corruption to the light of day.
One of the most serious problems faced by the law enforcement community is supervision. Being promoted to sergeant does not make one a leader. Leadership must be learned and practiced. All too often, this axiom is forgotten, or never even known to begin with. If there is weak leadership in an organization, there are going to be problems. Last night, where my wife works, (federal level) they dropped the ball. Let some bad guys get away with something. When she came home and told me about it, I was appalled. There problem is they are a bunch of mostly competent people, but they lack leadership, so no-one is in charge to break the ties, make decisions on behalf of the group. LACK OF LEADERSHIP!
I could write a book about it, but I’m too old and worn out.
If our Founding Fathers had the b@lls to take on the British Crown, can’t we do a little to save ourselves?
“I would rather face an army of lions led by a lamb than an army of lambs led by a lion.” Winston Churchill.