Opinion ID: 1690639
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: police corruption

Text: A separate but important aspect of this case concerns the testimony of Officer Cleveland Smith who has come forward only upon his retirement from the police force, to inform the court of a corrupt culture that prevailed in the police force at the time of this murder, and that specifically implicated two key police officer witnesses in this case. The State concedes the impeccable record of Officer Smith and makes no attempt to challenge his credibility in this regard. Hence, Officer Smith's damning testimony about the police culture and the officer witnesses in this case cannot be brushed aside lightly. We should be very concerned that such a culture existed at the time, and that Officer Smith was so intimidated by this culture that he would not come forward until he had retired and safely secured his pension. [14] Rather than challenging Smith's testimony, the State concedes that these officers may have been the bad actors described by Smith and indeed, that they were ousted from the police force years ago. In terms of the case before us, Smith's testimony is important evidence that these particular police officer witnesses were intent on making a case against Jones at any price. At a bare minimum, this testimony constitutes important impeachment evidence against two of the State's most important witnesses. In addition to Officer Smith, another witness whose credibility is not challenged by the State, Bill White, an Assistant Public Defender, presented testimony of police misconduct in this case.