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Police must follow procedure
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Posted on Nov 02 2000
The Issue: The persistent employment of the wrong procedure in the arrest of alleged drug peddlers, others.
Our View: Due process applies and how sad the release of alleged criminals as a result of procedural snafu.
The Department of Public Safety has seen the dismissal of cases before the federal and local courts as a result of procedural snafu.
Several things happen when such snafu is thrown out of court: The alleged criminal is scott free because of the violation of his/her rights. The community is left in danger because the suspect is free to roam the villages once more. Finally, the taxpayers’ money paid to police officers to apprehend criminals goes down the tube.
It should be understood that no matter the certainty (in the investigation room or venue of arrest) that the person apprehended is the criminal, it doesn’t grant police investigators any right whatsoever to brutalize that person in order to force him/her to sign-off on testimonies that may be used against him in a competent court of law.
Indeed, the job of an investigator becomes a bit more complicated when the alleged criminal doesn’t speak English. Difficult in the sense that in the arrest process, there’s hardly any time to think while at the same time, police officers can’t simply overrule a person’s due process rights.
Perhaps DPS ought to bring its investigators together for constant review of procedures in order to avoid future dismissal of people who should be behind bars. Such review process should be done until it is second nature. It’s a must in order to ensure that our police investigators get used to procedure requirements down pad.
We’re not being irresponsibly critical of DPS given the mammoth responsibility and often dangerous nature of their work. But it’s good to remind the big boss that perhaps it’s time to bring in his investigators for quick refresher courses in order to get the job done right. We support your dedicated efforts. Si Yuus Maase`!
