The first trial in the city's largest police scandal may determine more than the fate of the four policemen charged with framing gang members for crimes they didn't commit. Legal observers say the chances of convictions are slim. And acquittals could make prosecutors reluctant to bring more corruption cases to trial, intensifying already solid public cynicism about whether police officers are immune from the justice system. The prosecution may have chosen the wrong case to lead off its attack on police corruption, said Gigi Gordon, a defense attorney coordinating writs seeking to dismiss gang convictions that have been tainted by the scandal centered on the Rampart police station. It's as if someone threw a dart at a board and picked this one.
Prosecutors refuse to comment on the trial.
Jury selection began last week and is to resume Tuesday. The defendants are four veteran policemen - Sgt. Edward Ortiz, Sgt. Brian Liddy and officers Paul Harper and Michael Buchanan - who are accused of planting evidence, filing false police reports and committing perjury in order to frame gang members. In one instance, a gun was allegedly planted.