tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368160828091722393.post178262263981418907..comments2024-03-08T01:54:55.870-05:00Comments on Baltimore Criminal Justice Blogger Page Croyder: The Mindset of Judge Williams, and the Hypocrisy of Doug ColbertPage Croyderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005710168659844334noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368160828091722393.post-65593053717547455392016-01-17T22:11:44.279-05:002016-01-17T22:11:44.279-05:00The law is not black and white it is "Gray&qu...The law is not black and white it is "Gray". Almost every argument favored the prosecution. This is troubling when case law supports the defense arguments. Justice in this case is truly "Gray". Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205446926235106547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368160828091722393.post-60692926474101772352016-01-12T17:41:40.860-05:002016-01-12T17:41:40.860-05:00John Burge, Drew Peterson. Two cops convicted in C...John Burge, Drew Peterson. Two cops convicted in Chicago in the last ten years. half of all convictions in the last ten years? I think not.<br />His statistics are highly suspect, and the only way I can figure he got those is:<br />1) A conviction does not count until all appeals are exhausted.<br />2) A conviction which happened before the time frame does not count even though appeals are not exhausted until the time frame.<br /><br />Notice how he compressed the time frame there?<br />3) All convictions for off duty crimes, don't count. Even if being a cop is central to the crime. For example, extorting a criminal in off hours.<br />4) All prosecutions where the officer pleads guilty don't count as convictions.<br /><br />I suspect that cops seeing the system up close are more likely to work out some deal and plead rather then go to trial, unless they have reason to believe the prosecution can't prove their case. That alone would skew statistics.<br /><br /><br /><br />MouseTheLuckyDoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13276011599991139852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368160828091722393.post-69001566834893639262016-01-12T12:59:37.291-05:002016-01-12T12:59:37.291-05:00Doug Colbert is no defender of the rights of those...Doug Colbert is no defender of the rights of those accused of a crime. Doug Colbert is interested in promoting only one person--Doug Colbert.<br /><br />When I was a student at the University of Maryland School of Law many years ago, the professor who spent the most time and effort protecting the rights of the accused was Professor Michael Millemann. He took on the cases no one else wanted to -- and achieved many impressive victories at the U.S. Supreme Court. He extensively published but wasn't known outside the legal community. Why? Because Professor Millemann never promoted himself; he spend all of his time and energy promoting the rights of the under- and unrepresented.<br /><br />I am wrong in referring to Micaael Millemann in the past tense. He's still a professor at the UM law school and still putting his time and energies in representing others. If anyone every asked him to comment on the Freddie Gray trials, he would no doubt candidly respond that he had better things to spend his time and breath on. Now that is what makes an expert, a law professor -- and a great role model for the rest of us.Politically Disgustedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04856386731617202890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368160828091722393.post-66151230709720479492016-01-12T12:42:24.561-05:002016-01-12T12:42:24.561-05:00How can Stanford "Neil" Franklin be call...How can Stanford "Neil" Franklin be called as an expert as to the existence of any practice in BPD as to "rough rides"? He was a Maryland State Trooper for 23 years until he was recruited by the Baltimore Police Dept. as head of Education and Training. He never spent a day on the streets of Baltimore as a police officer, never arrested anybody, was never a wagon master.<br /><br />Legally speaking, the practice of "rough rides" is an urban legend. Does anyone doubt they happened? No. Can anyone prove in a court of law they happened? "Rough rides" by definition mean that the wagon master intended to drive in such a way to scare or injure the prisoner as a retaliatory gesture. For obvious reasons, no wagon master ever admitted to giving a rough ride. And unless one served at some time as a wagon master, probably not a single BPD member past or present can ever say that they ever saw or experienced firsthand a rough ride. It was just something that was understood.<br /><br />Moreover, whether the ride was perceived as "rough" by the prisoner was as much a function of the number of potholes in Baltimore City streets as well as the nature of the vehicle. The old "ice cream truck" transport wagons were built on a F-350 chassis--designed for transporting cargo, not people.<br /><br />According to urban legend among cops, "rough rides" were not an everyday thing. They were reserved for prisoners who had fought the cops while being arrested (major resisting arrest, not minor). To whatever extent such a practice once existed, the era of the BPD brass turning a blind eye ended in the late 1990s early 2000s when the civil lawsuits started costing real money. Not saying that "rough rides" have become completely extinct, but over the past 10 years or so, the frequency of "rough rides" has faded into the sunset.<br /><br />Of course, given his biases track record to date, Judge Williams will no doubt allow Mr. Franklin to testify.Politically Disgustedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04856386731617202890noreply@blogger.com