Posted On:
September 8, 2010
SC police misconduct update
A Marion County deputy has been charged with criminal domestic violence after being accused of throwing a computer at a woman, and resigned from his job this week.
An Anderson County deputy has been fired for an "undisclosed policy and procedure violation," amid an internal affairs investigation and an ongoing criminal investigation by SLED. The deputy was a member of the DUI enforcement team.
A Swansea police officer (Lexington County) has been arrested and charged with misconduct in office after being accused of selling drugs that he was supposed to be using to train his K-9.
Comments
Regarding the Marion County deputy, it seems to me that police are often acquitted of charges or charges are dismissed NOT because they are being shown favoritism by police/prosecutors, but because they know enough to do what's best for them from the get-go: deny and ask for an attorney.
Posted by: JW | September 9, 2010 8:07 AM
I think so. And if an officer's case gets to a jury, there is a bias in favor of the officer - same as when an officer is testifying for the state, in general we give them the benefit of the doubt quicker than the average citizen.
Posted by: BFrederick | September 9, 2010 8:16 AM
I don't know, I mean if I was sitting in a jury box and there were a line of police coming in to testify AGAINST one of their own, I would weigh that pretty heavily against a uniformed defendant -- In that I would be MORE likely to believe police testifying against one of their own rather than someone off the street.
I can imagine police either getting the wrong guy or framing a random individual rather than one of their own. Not that I think police framing is common at all, mind you.
Posted by: JW | September 10, 2010 7:31 AM