Leonardo Barquin was shot and killed by Miami Police Officer Jorge Espinosa. Barquin was one of two men who burglarized a home. Espinosa arrived and shot Barquin in the back and killed him.
Espinosa gave a statement that he saw Barquin with a gun. No gun was found. The co-defendant gave a statement that neither of the two men had a firearm.
This post is NOT about whether Espinosa had just cause to fire his weapon.
This post is about how the Dade County State Attorneys Office handles police shootings.
Here is what we know: ASA David Ranck was assigned to the shooting. Those of you who know Mr. Ranck know him to be one of the finest, most experienced, honest, and ethical lawyers the SAO has ever been lucky to have.
Mr. Ranck was a career prosecutor with 20 plus years experience when he handled the investigation into this shooting. Or should we say that Mr. Ranck was assigned the shooting. Because when he had the temerity to question whether the shooting was justified HE WAS SUMMARILY REMOVED FROM THE INVESTIGATION.
Secret meetings were held behind his back. When Mr. Ranck refused to clear the officer immediately at the scene (or soon thereafter) Police Major Angus Butler called and complained about Mr. Ranck. Ranck was soon removed from the investigation. He was chastised for telling the lead homicide investigator that he had questions about the shooting. He was told that he had no authority to speak for the State Attorneys Office.
Think about it. An experienced prosecutor is assigned to a police shooting. The deceased is shot in the back. He does not have a firearm. The PBA lawyer representing the Officer is pressuring the homicide investigator to get the prosecutor's position on the matter. The prosecutor responds to a phone call.... and later is removed from the shooting and chastised for doing his job.
But enough about our feelings.
Below is the link to the blockbuster email from Mr. Ranck to all your favorite ASA's. Howard Pohl. Abe Laeser. Don Horn. Kathleen Hoague. Susan Dechovitz.
Here, in Mr. Ranck's own words, are the problems with how the SAO handles police shootings. Draw your own conclusions.
RANCK EMAIL
We are left with the sad thought that it is just too bad this came out a few days after the qualifying deadline for State Attorney.
From the Christmas day massacre to possible police shooting cover-ups, to morale lower than President Bush's approval ratings, something just doesn't seem right at the SAO.
See You In Court.
ps. When you go to the site, which is a blogger site, look at the statement under "about me"= "pre-unemployed". That would be a tragedy indeed.
Perhaps the legal community can help here.
Showing posts with label State Attorneys Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label State Attorneys Office. Show all posts
Monday, May 05, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
THREE MEMOS
Three memos all alike in indignity, in fair Miami where we lay our scene.
From prosecutorial grudge breaks to new mutiny
Where prosecutors fired makes supervisors hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these supervisors
A trio of star crossed prosecutors are fired
Whose misadvenutred piteous acts
Doth with their firing do create Fernandez-Rundle’s strife.
With a tip of the hat to our favourite tragedy from our favourite Bard, we set out to examine three memos that constituted the SAO Christmas Eve Massacre.
Memo 1: Herbert Walker III’s resignation email:
“It is with great sadness that I regret to inform you of my recent decision and to resign from the office. … may you continue to prosper and excel and “fight the good fight” and “wage the good warfare” against crime in our community…the struggle for good and against evil is a reward that surpasses any mere monetary quantification."
Query: who in the name of the lord gave this man an ounce of power? Nowhere in his resignation email is there any hint of a mention of seeking justice. He was on a crusade- all were guilty, the other side was "evil", and he was the tip of the sword in “warfare”. This man would not have made it past the first round of interviews when Janet Reno was the State Attorney. And not only was he given the power to decide to seek a prison sentence, he was supervising other people? This is astounding and it boggles the mind that the State Attorneys Office could sit quietly on the side while he engaged in his "warfare" against defendants.
Memo Two: Don Horn fires Antonio H. Jimenez (or…how to cover your tracks in six easy steps).
This memo requires some careful reading: Horn meets with Jimenez and writes Jimenez lied to him about receiving approval from the assistant chief of the career criminal/robbery unit to plead a case below the guidelines. Horn writes that Jimenez conceded to him that he misrepresented the facts to him and to the assistant chief. Then Horn writes: “Mr. Jimenez’s explanation for the below guidelines plea was that he had, in fact, obtained approval for the plea from the assistant chief of career criminal.”
Lets stop right there: Horn writes that Jimenez admitted to him that he lied. Then Horn writes that Jimenez defended his actions by saying he had approval, which Horn says in the memo, is a lie. Something just doesn’t sit right with that explanation. Either Jimenez admitted to lying or he defended his actions and Horn believes he lied. You cannot have it both ways (unless you are a City of Miami Police officer taking a confession and the tape recorder conveniently fails.)
Now it really gets strange. Horn writes: Finally, after our meeting, Mr. Jimenez represented to certain of his co-workers that he was terminated due to the Assistant Chief Of Career Criminal/Robbery division misrepresenting facts to me-which is a lie. Accordingly, because Mr. Jimenez…made representations to one of his superiors and co-workers… his employment was immediately terminated.”
Let us translate: Jimenez was fired because he lied to Horn, and then told his co-workers he was fired because an assistant chief lied- and because Jimenez lied to his co-workers about why he was fired- Horn... .uhh..fired him. Again. Because in the State Attorneys Office, it is an offense punishable by firing to lie about why you were fired. Get it?
That’s the logic of a Soviet Commissar protecting his own inadequate communist butt. Something really stinks about this.
The State Attorneys Spokesperson was quoted in the Herald as stating the Office had not yet decided whether to file bar charges against Jimenez. Herbert Walker is allegedly accused of sexual harassment, and he resigns without a peep. But lie about why you were fired (which gets you fired) and they want to disbar you?
Someone please wake us from this nightmare, because we are getting a headache. These are just not believable actions and statements from individuals who are supposed to hold the power of seeking the death penalty.
Memo Three: The Mills Francis Massacre.
Don Horn fires, get this, an INTERN, while the prosecutors in the division are suspended. Why? Because, as Horn writes:
"Mr. Zuniga’s failure to provide complete information, his failure to inform any superior regarding the Court’s intended actions, and his failure in being forthright and clear about what occurred in court is intolerable."
If being “forthright and clear” is a prerequisite to being a prosecutor, and having just read two of his memos, umm…perhaps it’s time for Mr. Horn to go back to private practice.
But more troubling is the firing of an intern- an intern- for failing to inform his supervisors regarding the court’s intended actions. Just where in the world were these supervisors? Were they all in meetings devising circular strategies to fire people? Was this young man fired because his supervisors were shocked! Shocked ! to find out what Judge Mills-Francis was doing? (We are citing here to the scene in Casablanca where the prefect shuts down Rick’s casino because he is :"shocked, shocked to find there is gambling here” just as an employee hands him his roulette winnings.)
You want to can this kid, then can him. But don’t blame him for not telling people who have the responsibility to monitor this kid to begin with. As we have stated before, it is a violation of the rules of professional responsibility for lawyers to not adequately monitor interns, especially interns who are in court acting on behalf of the people of the State of Florida.
This is day two of the State Attorneys Office’s invocation of their right to remain silent and not explain why Herbert Walker III, resigned with “great sadness.”
The people want to know- what did he do? What was he accused of? What did the State Attorney know, and when did she know it?
As to Jimenez and The Intern, you use your own judgment. Are you satisfied with what happened here, and with Horn’s memos explaining the incidents?
We are not.
See You in court, where at least when we say something, we mean it.
From prosecutorial grudge breaks to new mutiny
Where prosecutors fired makes supervisors hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these supervisors
A trio of star crossed prosecutors are fired
Whose misadvenutred piteous acts
Doth with their firing do create Fernandez-Rundle’s strife.
With a tip of the hat to our favourite tragedy from our favourite Bard, we set out to examine three memos that constituted the SAO Christmas Eve Massacre.
Memo 1: Herbert Walker III’s resignation email:
“It is with great sadness that I regret to inform you of my recent decision and to resign from the office. … may you continue to prosper and excel and “fight the good fight” and “wage the good warfare” against crime in our community…the struggle for good and against evil is a reward that surpasses any mere monetary quantification."
Query: who in the name of the lord gave this man an ounce of power? Nowhere in his resignation email is there any hint of a mention of seeking justice. He was on a crusade- all were guilty, the other side was "evil", and he was the tip of the sword in “warfare”. This man would not have made it past the first round of interviews when Janet Reno was the State Attorney. And not only was he given the power to decide to seek a prison sentence, he was supervising other people? This is astounding and it boggles the mind that the State Attorneys Office could sit quietly on the side while he engaged in his "warfare" against defendants.
Memo Two: Don Horn fires Antonio H. Jimenez (or…how to cover your tracks in six easy steps).
This memo requires some careful reading: Horn meets with Jimenez and writes Jimenez lied to him about receiving approval from the assistant chief of the career criminal/robbery unit to plead a case below the guidelines. Horn writes that Jimenez conceded to him that he misrepresented the facts to him and to the assistant chief. Then Horn writes: “Mr. Jimenez’s explanation for the below guidelines plea was that he had, in fact, obtained approval for the plea from the assistant chief of career criminal.”
Lets stop right there: Horn writes that Jimenez admitted to him that he lied. Then Horn writes that Jimenez defended his actions by saying he had approval, which Horn says in the memo, is a lie. Something just doesn’t sit right with that explanation. Either Jimenez admitted to lying or he defended his actions and Horn believes he lied. You cannot have it both ways (unless you are a City of Miami Police officer taking a confession and the tape recorder conveniently fails.)
Now it really gets strange. Horn writes: Finally, after our meeting, Mr. Jimenez represented to certain of his co-workers that he was terminated due to the Assistant Chief Of Career Criminal/Robbery division misrepresenting facts to me-which is a lie. Accordingly, because Mr. Jimenez…made representations to one of his superiors and co-workers… his employment was immediately terminated.”
Let us translate: Jimenez was fired because he lied to Horn, and then told his co-workers he was fired because an assistant chief lied- and because Jimenez lied to his co-workers about why he was fired- Horn... .uhh..fired him. Again. Because in the State Attorneys Office, it is an offense punishable by firing to lie about why you were fired. Get it?
That’s the logic of a Soviet Commissar protecting his own inadequate communist butt. Something really stinks about this.
The State Attorneys Spokesperson was quoted in the Herald as stating the Office had not yet decided whether to file bar charges against Jimenez. Herbert Walker is allegedly accused of sexual harassment, and he resigns without a peep. But lie about why you were fired (which gets you fired) and they want to disbar you?
Someone please wake us from this nightmare, because we are getting a headache. These are just not believable actions and statements from individuals who are supposed to hold the power of seeking the death penalty.
Memo Three: The Mills Francis Massacre.
Don Horn fires, get this, an INTERN, while the prosecutors in the division are suspended. Why? Because, as Horn writes:
"Mr. Zuniga’s failure to provide complete information, his failure to inform any superior regarding the Court’s intended actions, and his failure in being forthright and clear about what occurred in court is intolerable."
If being “forthright and clear” is a prerequisite to being a prosecutor, and having just read two of his memos, umm…perhaps it’s time for Mr. Horn to go back to private practice.
But more troubling is the firing of an intern- an intern- for failing to inform his supervisors regarding the court’s intended actions. Just where in the world were these supervisors? Were they all in meetings devising circular strategies to fire people? Was this young man fired because his supervisors were shocked! Shocked ! to find out what Judge Mills-Francis was doing? (We are citing here to the scene in Casablanca where the prefect shuts down Rick’s casino because he is :"shocked, shocked to find there is gambling here” just as an employee hands him his roulette winnings.)
You want to can this kid, then can him. But don’t blame him for not telling people who have the responsibility to monitor this kid to begin with. As we have stated before, it is a violation of the rules of professional responsibility for lawyers to not adequately monitor interns, especially interns who are in court acting on behalf of the people of the State of Florida.
This is day two of the State Attorneys Office’s invocation of their right to remain silent and not explain why Herbert Walker III, resigned with “great sadness.”
The people want to know- what did he do? What was he accused of? What did the State Attorney know, and when did she know it?
As to Jimenez and The Intern, you use your own judgment. Are you satisfied with what happened here, and with Horn’s memos explaining the incidents?
We are not.
See You in court, where at least when we say something, we mean it.
PS: This is our 801st post. Something tells us some people would have prefered we call it a career at 800.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
CHRISTMAS EVE MASSACRE UPDATE
UPDATE: Our intrepid Herald Scribe is hard at work today tracking down this story, obtaining comments, and also posting on the Herald Website the resignation letter of ASA Walker. The letter is worth a read as he tenders his resignation "with great sadness" and often refers to the theme of "good versus evil".
Rumpole says: This was a prosecutor who tinged his prosecutions with a religious zeal that concerned many defense attorneys. His resignation letter confirms his "black/white" view of what we do, and also appears to confirm that the resignation was not his idea. The article by Ms. Nesmith quotes SAO Spokesperson Terry Chavez (no more handling mental health issues Terry?) as saying the SAO will comment at a a later time as to why Walker resigned.
Chavez is quoted by Ms. Nesmith as saying that ASA Jimenez was fired for misrepresenting that he obtained a victim's approval for a plea.
Rumpole says: rumours in the SAO persist that all that glitters may not be gold in the Jimenez matter.
Today a palpable sense of fear and loathing in Miami hangs in the Dade County State Attorneys' Office. Prosecutors walk with a blank stare, heads hanging low. Any requests that they talk about what has just happened at their office is met with a polite "no comment" followed by a whispered "I don't want to lose my job too."
Such is life under a totalitarian regime where "citizens" are routinely whisked away in the dead of night never to be seen again. Morale is at the lowest point possible in the Dade State Attorneys Office.
Rumpole has confirmed the following so far:
ASA Herb Walker "was asked to resign". A controversial Division Chief who was celebrating a guilty verdict last Thursday, Walker resigned on Friday. The reason he was asked to resign is allegedly there were allegations made against against him of sexual harassment. Nothing has been proven.
ASA Antonio Jimenez was fired. The reason allegedly has to do with an allegation regarding his authority to offer a plea in a career criminal case. Word from other prosecutors and the defense bar is that Tony Jimenez was well regarded and was a good prosecutor and there is a palpable sense of outrage that he was fired. Some have whispered that he is the fall guy for a case he had authority to resolve.
A female secretary was fired for "sexual harassment."
Rumpole ponders: What is it about the State Attorneys office that is engendering these feelings of sexual frustration? Is it the proximity to South Beach and the bevy of models that sashay down the street apparently out of reach for the common prosecutor and his or her meager salary? Something is causing prosecutors and employees to become sexually frustrated to the point where they take it out on their colleagues. Perhaps an office wide trip to TOOTSIES is in order. (A quick perusal of their website reveals that "Honey de la Cruz" is appearing all this week. Ok. It wasn't a "quick" perusal.) Apparently a trip entitles you to spin the "wheel of friction" which may just be all that some members of the SAO need to ease their "frustrations."
THE JUDGE MILLS FRANCIS ASA MASSACRE:
This is the worst news of all. Apparently acting in the Christmas spirit, there was a Toys For Tots program that Judge Mills Francis was helping. Judge Ward among other criminal and civil Judges was also participating in a Toys collection program.
Out of this Toys For Tots Program, the State Attorneys office has FIRED one prosecutor, suspended without pay three to five prosecutors, and re-assigned all the prosecutors who were previously in Judge Mills Francis Division.
We did not reach State Attorney Fernandle for a quote, so we imagine she woul
d say this:
"Merry Christmas, you're fired. Toys for Tots? Bah, humbug. "
Rumpole fumes: This is County Court. 90% of the cases deal with selling flowers without a license, possession of an undersized snook, or driving without glasses. All these cases and more are routinely dismissed.
The State Attorneys Office is going to have to offer some explanations as to why they are abusing their county court employees in this manner.
Lets not forget that the prosecutors in County Court are new attorneys. They need close supervision to help them learn where to draw the line. The Florida Bar requires that senior attorneys supervise and mentor junior attorneys who work for them. The Bar has held senior lawyers responsible for not supervising new lawyers.
If the State Attorneys Office saw fit to fire a prosecutor, was his supervisor disciplined? What if anything happened to the Chief Of County Court? Or do the supervisors at the State Attorneys Office not believe that the buck stops with them? Are they not professional enough to step forward and explain why there was a lack of supervision that caused this young prosecutor to make a mis-step that has ended his career?
This is the same Office that Janet Reno used to run. When Ms. Reno was Attorney General and Waco exploded, she went to Congress and took full responsibility. Where is the same ethics and character in the current State Attorneys Office?
Let us be blunt: this stinks. We demand an explanation.
See You In Court.
Rumpole says: This was a prosecutor who tinged his prosecutions with a religious zeal that concerned many defense attorneys. His resignation letter confirms his "black/white" view of what we do, and also appears to confirm that the resignation was not his idea. The article by Ms. Nesmith quotes SAO Spokesperson Terry Chavez (no more handling mental health issues Terry?) as saying the SAO will comment at a a later time as to why Walker resigned.
Chavez is quoted by Ms. Nesmith as saying that ASA Jimenez was fired for misrepresenting that he obtained a victim's approval for a plea.
Rumpole says: rumours in the SAO persist that all that glitters may not be gold in the Jimenez matter.
End of Update: Here is the original post:
Today a palpable sense of fear and loathing in Miami hangs in the Dade County State Attorneys' Office. Prosecutors walk with a blank stare, heads hanging low. Any requests that they talk about what has just happened at their office is met with a polite "no comment" followed by a whispered "I don't want to lose my job too."
Such is life under a totalitarian regime where "citizens" are routinely whisked away in the dead of night never to be seen again. Morale is at the lowest point possible in the Dade State Attorneys Office.
Rumpole has confirmed the following so far:
ASA Herb Walker "was asked to resign". A controversial Division Chief who was celebrating a guilty verdict last Thursday, Walker resigned on Friday. The reason he was asked to resign is allegedly there were allegations made against against him of sexual harassment. Nothing has been proven.
ASA Antonio Jimenez was fired. The reason allegedly has to do with an allegation regarding his authority to offer a plea in a career criminal case. Word from other prosecutors and the defense bar is that Tony Jimenez was well regarded and was a good prosecutor and there is a palpable sense of outrage that he was fired. Some have whispered that he is the fall guy for a case he had authority to resolve.
A female secretary was fired for "sexual harassment."
Rumpole ponders: What is it about the State Attorneys office that is engendering these feelings of sexual frustration? Is it the proximity to South Beach and the bevy of models that sashay down the street apparently out of reach for the common prosecutor and his or her meager salary? Something is causing prosecutors and employees to become sexually frustrated to the point where they take it out on their colleagues. Perhaps an office wide trip to TOOTSIES is in order. (A quick perusal of their website reveals that "Honey de la Cruz" is appearing all this week. Ok. It wasn't a "quick" perusal.) Apparently a trip entitles you to spin the "wheel of friction" which may just be all that some members of the SAO need to ease their "frustrations."
THE JUDGE MILLS FRANCIS ASA MASSACRE:
This is the worst news of all. Apparently acting in the Christmas spirit, there was a Toys For Tots program that Judge Mills Francis was helping. Judge Ward among other criminal and civil Judges was also participating in a Toys collection program.
Out of this Toys For Tots Program, the State Attorneys office has FIRED one prosecutor, suspended without pay three to five prosecutors, and re-assigned all the prosecutors who were previously in Judge Mills Francis Division.
We did not reach State Attorney Fernandle for a quote, so we imagine she woul
d say this:
"Merry Christmas, you're fired. Toys for Tots? Bah, humbug. "
Rumpole fumes: This is County Court. 90% of the cases deal with selling flowers without a license, possession of an undersized snook, or driving without glasses. All these cases and more are routinely dismissed.
The State Attorneys Office is going to have to offer some explanations as to why they are abusing their county court employees in this manner.
Lets not forget that the prosecutors in County Court are new attorneys. They need close supervision to help them learn where to draw the line. The Florida Bar requires that senior attorneys supervise and mentor junior attorneys who work for them. The Bar has held senior lawyers responsible for not supervising new lawyers.
If the State Attorneys Office saw fit to fire a prosecutor, was his supervisor disciplined? What if anything happened to the Chief Of County Court? Or do the supervisors at the State Attorneys Office not believe that the buck stops with them? Are they not professional enough to step forward and explain why there was a lack of supervision that caused this young prosecutor to make a mis-step that has ended his career?
This is the same Office that Janet Reno used to run. When Ms. Reno was Attorney General and Waco exploded, she went to Congress and took full responsibility. Where is the same ethics and character in the current State Attorneys Office?
Let us be blunt: this stinks. We demand an explanation.
See You In Court.
CHRISTMAS EVE MASSACRE AT THE SAO?
Some 34 years ago on October 20, 1973, at the height of the Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon fired the Attorney General of the United States (Elliott Richardson) , and then the first Assistant Attorney General of the United States (Williams Ruckelshaus) until he could finally find someone at Justice who would agree to his demand to fire the Independent Prosecutor (Archibald Cox) who was appointed to investigate Watergate. Eventually, as the ranks of the Justice Department thinned and a senior janitor became acting attorney general for awhile, Solicitor General Robert Bork, who never met a constitutional provision that he did not believe was subservient to the executive branch, followed orders, and fired Cox.
The incident was called the Saturday Night Massacre and it was arguably the greatest Constitutional Crisis this nation has ever faced ( until the unfortunate day the names Bush and Cheney meant something.)
Now comes word that on late Friday afternoon, December 21, 2007, came an unprecedented house cleaning at the State Attorneys Office as upwards of five assistant state attorneys and one secretary have been reported fired (or asked to resign) for indiscretions ranging from nolle prossing cases in county court in exchange for donations to a court run Toys for Tots program, to the more nefarious and indefensible accusations of sexual harassment.
We humbly nominate this black day in SAO history to be forever known as the Christmas Eve Massacre, if in fact this occurred.
We do not have independent and verifiable proof of the incident. We leave that to the more journalistically credentialed individuals (like our own favourtie Oh Susannah). All we have are persistent rumors. The blog is back on moderation and we request that anyone who has proof email it to us.
Until then, we shall be monitoring the situation.
The incident was called the Saturday Night Massacre and it was arguably the greatest Constitutional Crisis this nation has ever faced ( until the unfortunate day the names Bush and Cheney meant something.)
Now comes word that on late Friday afternoon, December 21, 2007, came an unprecedented house cleaning at the State Attorneys Office as upwards of five assistant state attorneys and one secretary have been reported fired (or asked to resign) for indiscretions ranging from nolle prossing cases in county court in exchange for donations to a court run Toys for Tots program, to the more nefarious and indefensible accusations of sexual harassment.
We humbly nominate this black day in SAO history to be forever known as the Christmas Eve Massacre, if in fact this occurred.
We do not have independent and verifiable proof of the incident. We leave that to the more journalistically credentialed individuals (like our own favourtie Oh Susannah). All we have are persistent rumors. The blog is back on moderation and we request that anyone who has proof email it to us.
Until then, we shall be monitoring the situation.
The Blog was not on moderation over Christmas and several readers named names. Perversely, the law is apparently that we are not responsible for comments on an unmoderated blog. However, the law be damned, we shall not allow names to be named until we are 100% certain that the allegations are true. We have gone back and removed the comments. Upon verification we will post names and details.
See You In Court.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
TAKE TWO
The State Attorneys got themselves a brand new Plasma TV , which they have installed in the waiting room on the first floor of their office. (We are sure one of our clients could have gotten them a better deal on a brand new Sony ‘just off the truck’ as it were, but who are we to tell the State Attorney where to shop?)
We were sitting in the waiting room the other day, trying to read our NY Times when the TV sprung to life and there was our elected State Attorney, giving a primer on the court system and her well run office. Eventually her spiel turned to Spanish and we decided to practice our rudimentary Spanish skills.
It was right after the State Attorney was either talking about the alarming decrease in the Cod stocks off the coast of New England, or if our Spanish was not up to snuff perhaps she was talking about the availability for restitution for victims, when the image on the screen merged to film footage of an actual trial.
The Judge presiding was Alex Ferrer, and –we couldn’t make this up if we tried- the prosecutor was George Cholakais.
Now to summarize, in order to make people more comfortable with the criminal justice proceedings, the State Attorneys Office is using footage of a person who is not a Judge- but plays one on TV; and a prosecutor who in fact is not a prosecutor, but a defendant in a current criminal case.
We are not making light of Mr. Cholakis’s case, which is nothing but a tragedy for all parties involved.
We are however, again taken to wondering just who is in charge over there and approving these public relations nightmares?
Here’s an idea- why not just tune the TV to a local station and play re-runs of Judge Milian on the People’s Court?
From low morale among prosecutors, to the constant whining refrain from assistants in court that they “have to speak with a supervisor” there is not much going on these days at the SAO that lends confidence to a public that looks to it’s prosecutors office to provide professionalism and stability in enforcing the laws of the State Of Florida.
See You In Court, waiting for a supervisor to approve the prosecutor’s use of a coloured pen.
We were sitting in the waiting room the other day, trying to read our NY Times when the TV sprung to life and there was our elected State Attorney, giving a primer on the court system and her well run office. Eventually her spiel turned to Spanish and we decided to practice our rudimentary Spanish skills.
It was right after the State Attorney was either talking about the alarming decrease in the Cod stocks off the coast of New England, or if our Spanish was not up to snuff perhaps she was talking about the availability for restitution for victims, when the image on the screen merged to film footage of an actual trial.
The Judge presiding was Alex Ferrer, and –we couldn’t make this up if we tried- the prosecutor was George Cholakais.
Now to summarize, in order to make people more comfortable with the criminal justice proceedings, the State Attorneys Office is using footage of a person who is not a Judge- but plays one on TV; and a prosecutor who in fact is not a prosecutor, but a defendant in a current criminal case.
We are not making light of Mr. Cholakis’s case, which is nothing but a tragedy for all parties involved.
We are however, again taken to wondering just who is in charge over there and approving these public relations nightmares?
Here’s an idea- why not just tune the TV to a local station and play re-runs of Judge Milian on the People’s Court?
From low morale among prosecutors, to the constant whining refrain from assistants in court that they “have to speak with a supervisor” there is not much going on these days at the SAO that lends confidence to a public that looks to it’s prosecutors office to provide professionalism and stability in enforcing the laws of the State Of Florida.
See You In Court, waiting for a supervisor to approve the prosecutor’s use of a coloured pen.
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