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: Underdog

Eliminating the barrier between cops and criminal defense lawyers.

By Marks & Katz, LLC

  Cops and prosecutors were ordinary people before becoming cops and prosecutors, and that is at least one point of commonality I have with them.   In the District of Columbia Superior Court, I find more cops clam up when I try speaking with them than in any other courthouse where I practice, although there are plenty of exceptions. I do not know how much of it has to do with the high acquittal ratio there for criminal jury trials compared to neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Next comes the discovery desert of Virginia, where many cops -- even when otherwise affable -- insist that I get all case information from the prosecutor rather than from the cop. In Maryland, cops generally are more talkative, and this is facilitated in at least one county where the prosecutor issues a discovery letter that authorizes the cops to get discovery straight to criminal defense lawyers on request...continue to full post

Full post as published by Underdog on January 12, 2009 (boomark / email).