Oakland Police to 11 Officers: You're Fired

[ozymandius]

Source: msnbc

The Oakland Police Department Thursday notified 11 officers, including two sergeants, that they will be terminated for their involvement in the falsification of search warrant affidavits over the past several months, according to the city attorney's office.

An internal investigation found that the officers knew or should have known that information in their affidavits about the testing of drugs was false.

Officers were also found to have made untruthful statements in response to questions from Internal Affairs investigators, who did determine that allegations against one officer were unfounded, according to the city attorney's office.

....

Many criminal cases have been called into question because of the improper search warrants, and at least several defendants have had the charges against them dropped or reversed.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28691697

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To provide some interesting context to this article read this news about the Supreme Court decision in Herring v. the United States.

Supreme Court OKs use of evidence from illegal search

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that drug evidence found during an unlawful arrest arising from a computer error about a warrant could be used at trial against the defendant.
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When police mistakes that lead to an unlawful search arise from “negligence ... rather than systematic error or reckless disregard of constitutional requirements,” evidence need not be kept from trial, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the 5-4 majority in the case from Alabama. He was joined by the four other conservative justices: Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

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Make you think?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. I will believe it when they are truly off the payroll

something about civil service and union protections.

[HardWorkingDem]

2. Actually, if one thinks about it....

the first article you clipped is the exact sort of stuff that the Supreme Court is saying is not all right. The court ruling is more or less saying some sort of accidental mistake will allow the evidence in, but when it is a systemic problem like the Oakland incidents, then that evidence won't be allowed in.