Opinion ID: 2351922
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Personnel Records Former Police Officer

Text: Since this matter will be remanded for further proceedings, this Court will address Snowden's other arguments on appeal. Snowden asserts that the Superior Court erred in quashing his subpoena for the personnel files of Officer Koumpias. Snowden argues that if those records contained information which could have been used for impeachment purposes, it should have been provided to him by the State pursuant to the holding in Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). At a minimum, Snowden contends the Superior Court should have reviewed the officer's personnel files in camera to determine whether they contained any information which should have been disclosed to him. Prior to trial, Snowden subpoenaed the personnel files of the Wilmington police officers who participated in the investigation that resulted in his arrest. The City of Wilmington moved to quash the subpoena. The City Solicitor argued that the officers' personnel files were confidential and that their production for direct delivery to Snowden would be unreasonable. See Super.Ct.Crim.R. 17(c). At a hearing on the motion to quash, the Superior Court asked Snowden to make a proffer regarding the relevance of the personnel records. Snowden indicated, inter alia, that he believed one of the officers, Officer Koumpias, had been terminated from the police force due to misconduct. [4] Snowden argued that Officer Koumpias' personnel records could contain information concerning the circumstances of his termination that would be admissible at trial for impeachment purposes. The City of Wilmington's attorney argued that the circumstances surrounding the officer's firing were privileged and confidential. The Superior Court ruled that Snowden had failed to demonstrate relevance and granted the motion to quash. The Superior Court's decision to quash the subpoena for Officer Koumpias' personnel records presents interrelated questions. First, what threshold showing is required by a defendant to compel the production of personnel files through a subpoena duces tecum. Second, procedural safeguards should be implemented to insure that the confidentiality of such files is not compromised improperly. The answers to those questions in other jurisdictions can be found in two lines of decision. The first line of precedent addresses whether a defendant has made a sufficient showing to compel a review of police personnel records by the prosecution. The second line of cases addresses whether a defendant has made a sufficient showing to warrant an in camera inspection by the court. There are relatively few cases involving the right of a defendant to have the prosecution review personnel files of law enforcement officers. Nevertheless, those decisions are almost unanimous in holding that in response to a specific motion, or upon subpoena duces tecum, the prosecution is required to review the identified personnel files for Brady material. See United States v. Henthorn, 931 F.2d 29, 31 (9th Cir.1991) ([T]he government has a duty to examine personnel files upon a defendant's request for their production.). See also United States v. Brooks, 966 F.2d 1500, 1503 (D.C.Cir.1992) (finding it highly relevant that defense counsel pinpointed files that can be searched without difficulty). There is a divergence of opinion with regard to when a defendant will be entitled to an in camera judicial review of police personnel files for general impeachment purposes. The majority view requires a determination that the defendant has established a factual basis for the requested files before ordering an in camera inspection. See State v. Kaszubinski, 177 N.J.Super. 136, 425 A.2d 711, 714 (1980). [5] Generally, it is not necessary for a defendant to establish that the personnel file actually contains relevant information, but he should at least advance `some factual predicate which makes it reasonably likely that the file will bear such fruit and that the quest for its contents is not merely a desperate grasping at a straw.' Id. (quoting People v. Gissendanner, 48 N.Y.2d 543, 423 N.Y.S.2d 893, 897, 399 N.E.2d 924, 928 (1979)). [6] In fact, the attorney for the City of Wilmington invoked the majority rule: [City Solicitor's Office]: ... these are documents that should only be released after an in-camera review and eventually they should only be released after there has been some showing that they're in some way relevant. Nevertheless, the Superior Court granted the motion to quash summarily. Two circumstances are reflected in this record which independently established the requisite predicate for an in camera inspection. First, it was not disputed that Officer Koumpias had been terminated. Second, the prosecutor did not represent to the trial judge that the City of Wilmington personnel files had been examined by the State to ascertain if they contained Brady material. See also Michael v. State, Del.Supr., 529 A.2d 752, 755 (1987); United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 678, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 3381-82, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985). We hold that the Superior Court should have conducted an in camera review of Officer Koumpias' personnel files to determine whether they contained any information which should have been disclosed to Snowden. Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, 480 U.S. 39, 57-58, 107 S.Ct. 989, 1001-02, 94 L.Ed.2d 40 (1987). [7]