How to testify
Brian Tannebaum has a post about Michelle Santamaria, the daughter of Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria, who got a plush gig with Palm Beach County teaching a class to officers on "how to testify." Brian's point in the post is that, while the news is debating the ethics of the Commissioner's daughter teaching this class on the taxpayer's dime, no-one is saying a word about the ethics of officers taking classes on "how to tesify."
"Did you see the elephant walk out of the room while you were reading about the mice?"
Law enforcement officers in South Carolina take this class as part of their training at the Criminal Justice Academy, and in every trial I ask the question "did you take a class on 'how to testify' while you were at the academy?" At which point the officer always turns in his seat to face the jury, makes eye contact with the jurors, leans forward ever so slightly in the witness chair, and responds, "yes I did."
