Opinion ID: 526161
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Pickering balancing.

Text: 16 We find that the balance between the State's interest as an employer in the effective functioning of its public enterprise and Mr. Melton's interest in testifying at trial and his interest in talking with Mr. Page's defense counsel clearly tip in favor of Mr. Melton in both cases. 17
18 The First Amendment protects the right to testify truthfully at trial. Smith v. Hightower, 693 F.2d 359, 368 (5th Cir.1982). Under Pickering balancing we find that Mr. Melton's interest in testifying truthfully at trial easily outweighs the City's interest in preventing the testimony in order to preserve the efficiency and effectiveness of the police department. 19 Although police officers rarely testify on behalf of criminal defendants, they are frequently called upon to testify at trial. In cases other than those in which officers testify against each other, it is difficult to imagine a situation in which the efficiency and effectiveness of the department would be significantly impaired. 9 It is possible that an officer's testimony might impair harmony among fellow officers if officers disagree on the propriety of such testimony. It may also detrimentally impact on the kind of close working relationships which depend on personal loyalty and confidence. However, truthful trial testimony is unlikely to impair discipline by immediate superiors, interfere with the regular operation of the enterprise or impede the officer's performance of his daily duties. 20 One troubling aspect of this case concerns the weight to be given in a Pickering balance to the State's interest in departmental confidentiality. The need for confidentiality and the resultant disruption caused by its breach in the law enforcement context cannot be gainsaid. Yet, absent circumstances which indicate a serious security risk or a risk that the business of the department will be seriously impaired due to a breach of trust, we feel that the confidentiality of information given at trial is not paramount in assessing the City's interest in preventing trial testimony. 21 In any event, Mr. Melton's interest in testifying at trial is so strong in this case that any disruption or impairment of the enterprise would have to be extreme in order to justify preventing trial testimony. The City offered no evidence that Mr. Melton's trial testimony affected the operation of the enterprise. 22 In addition, Mr. Melton's interest in testifying at trial was compelling. Mr. Melton had a clear public duty to testify. In many instances, that duty might be enhanced by judicial compulsion. Certainly we would not expect a public employee to suffer contempt in order to preserve the efficiency and effectiveness of a public employer, even the police department. Moreover, Mr. Melton had an interest in helping a friend who could be well-served by character testimony and what Mr. Melton believed to be exculpatory material. When we balance Mr. Melton's interests in testifying against what little disruption may occur due to an officer's testimony on behalf of a criminal defendant, we find that Mr. Melton's interest clearly prevails. 23
24 With respect to Mr. Melton's communication to defense counsel, we find that although the Pickering balance is closer than in the case of trial testimony, the balance tips in favor of Mr. Melton. 25 The City has an interest in preventing Mr. Melton's communication with defense counsel because of its impact on intergovernmental harmony and effectiveness. Obviously, the direct result of a city police officer's communication with defense counsel in a federal prosecution may be the impairment of the department's cooperative relations with federal law enforcement personnel. 10 26 Notwithstanding the legitimacy of the City's interest in fostering harmonious relations with other law enforcement agencies, for purposes of Pickering balancing greater weight is given to the effect of the disclosure on intradepartmental effectiveness and efficiency. Pickering focuses on the balance between the interests of the employee in free speech and the interest of the State, as an employer, in promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees. 391 U.S. at 568, 88 S.Ct. at 1734 (emphasis added). See also Rankin v. McPherson, 483 U.S. 378, 107 S.Ct. 2891, 2899, 97 L.Ed.2d 315 (1987) ([T]he state interest element of the [Pickering ] test focuses on the effective functioning of the public employer's enterprise.). Thus, we must examine the extent to which Mr. Melton's communications with Mr. Page's counsel affected intradepartmental relationships and performance. 27 The City's primary, if not exclusive, argument is that it has an interest in preventing this speech in order to protect the confidentiality of communications in a law enforcement context. We agree that breaches of departmental confidentiality could impair discipline and control by immediate superiors, and detrimentally impact on the kind of close working relationships among officers for which personal loyalty and confidence are necessary. We also agree that a breach of departmental confidentiality could interfere with the regular operation of the enterprise. If an officer cannot keep police business in the office, he is a potential threat to fellow officers. In addition, neither his peers nor his supervisors could trust him to conduct sensitive investigations. Any breach of confidentiality, therefore, reflects negatively on an officer's ability and competence to perform his job, and each officer's competence affects the overall effectiveness of the department. 28 Although we recognize the potential impact that a breach of confidentiality may have on the department, we must point out that the government must introduce evidence of an actual disruption of its services resulting from the speech at issue. See Rankin, 107 S.Ct. at 2899; Pickering, 391 U.S. at 570-71, 88 S.Ct. at 1735-36. 11 While the confidentiality claim may, under other circumstances, tip the balance in favor of the government, here the City failed to make its case. 29 Moreover, we are unpersuaded that the City's fundamental assumption--that any communication between law enforcement officials is by its very nature confidential--is correct. It is undisputed that neither Mr. Melton nor the City Police Department participated in an official capacity in the Page investigation and prosecution; it was solely a federal matter. We view the communication between Mr. Melton and the prosecutor (which in turn was disclosed to Mr. Page's counsel) as one arising outside the scope of departmental confidentiality. The transcript of Mr. Melton's interview with the federal prosecutor clearly shows that the prosecutor interviewed Mr. Melton solely because he believed Mr. Melton would probably testify as a defense witness in the Page trial. Furthermore, while we are persuaded that at least some of the information which Mr. Melton possessed initially had been gained in the course of his official duties, the City did not focus on that fact in its confidentiality claim. 30 Under these circumstances, Mr. Melton's interest in this speech outweighs the City's interest in intradepartmental relations. He is under a high duty as a citizen to come forward with information relevant to a federal investigation and prosecution. In addition, Mr. Melton believed that the information he communicated to defense counsel was actual Brady material that he was under a duty to supply. Mr. Melton also indicated that he feared if he did not disclose this information, he would be implicated in Mr. Page's activities and possibly suffer prosecution as a result. As with his trial testimony, he believed he was disclosing exculpatory material at the request of defense counsel in a public investigation--information which the federal prosecutor did not otherwise disclose. 31