Police Brutality Discussion & Solutions...

Maryland Judiciary Defends Decision to Remove Police Officers' Names from Public Online Court Database


http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ma...fficers-names-case-search-20180301-story.html


Maryland’s Judiciary on Friday defended a decision to remove the names of police officers and other law enforcement authorities from the state’s searchable public online court database, saying the change was made in response to “safety concerns raised by law enforcement.”

The change took effect Thursday, following a decision by a judicial rules committee last June. Officers’ names no longer appear on cases they were involved with, and searches using an officer’s name cannot be performed.

The judiciary did not answer questions about removing officers’ names but said in a statement that it reflected a balance of “the public’s interest in access to court information with our equally important obligation to protect personal identifying information about potential misuse.”

“The process for making these changes … were made transparently, through a process open to the public and press,” the unsigned statement said. “As always, the judiciary welcomes input from all stakeholders.”

Maryland State Police said they had not lobbied for such a change, and the city Police Department said they did not agree with it.

A spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan said: “Public information should be public. End of story.”

The judiciary stressed that the information was only removed from remote access online and could still be accessed in person at courthouse kiosks. At Baltimore Circuit Court on Friday, no kiosk was available, and the archaic computer program in use at the kiosks does not have the same searchable features as the online database.

Agencies that use the information on a daily basis such as the Maryland Public Defender’s Office said they were not aware the change was occurring. Melissa Rothstein, a spokeswoman for the public defender’s office, said her agency was notified last week that there would be changes, “but we did not know the scope of those changes or that any publicly available information would be limited.”

“We are very concerned about the removal of officers’ names as witnesses from case search,” Rothstein said. “It will inhibit our ability to effectively represent our clients across the state, and, particularly in Baltimore City, it will impede the current efforts to improve transparency, which the federal [Gun Trace Task Force] convictions as well as the consent decree confirmed are urgently needed.”

The Maryland Judiciary Case Search database contains information about court cases, including information about defendants, the charges they face, the names of prosecutors and defense attorneys, and law enforcement officers who were involved in the arrest. It’s considered an integral tool for members of the public, lawyers and journalists.

Case Search has been particularly useful following the federal indictments and convictions of members of the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force. It allowed the public and others to track cases involving the officers and search for links with other officers and cases. It helped track cases involving the officers that had upcoming hearings or that were poised to be overturned because of the officers’ involvement. The Baltimore state’s attorney’s office has not provided updates on such cases since early December.

The changes to case search were approved last June by the judiciary’s standing committee on rules of practice and procedure, which is comprised of various stakeholders in the legal community. That panel could consider changes to its decision, and is next scheduled to meet next on March 9.

The committee’s annual report from last year shows that the change was made by eliminating a clause in the section “Access to Judicial Records,” which said, “Unless shielded by a protective order, the name, office address, office telephone number and office e-mail address, if any, relating to law enforcement officers, other public officials or employees acting in their official capacity, and expert witnesses, may be remotely accessible.”

It was unclear whether the change was debated — the rules committee has not posted minutes of its meetings since April 2016.

Police in Anne Arundel County say they began lobbying for a change in how officers’ names were displayed in case search in 2015. Previously, they said, an officer’s first initial and last name appeared in arrests listed online. But something changed in the database to include an officer’s entire first name.

“We had officers coming to us saying, ‘Hey, why is our full name coming up in Case Search?’ We brought it to the attention of the clerk’s office,” said Cpl. O'Brien Atkinson, the union president. But, Atkinson said, “at no time did anybody with the [Fraternal Order of Police] or the department lobby or try to have officers’ full names removed.”

Atkinson said officers were worried that criminals might be able to use full names from Case Search as a clue to locate where an officer lives. That hasn’t happened during the past two years when the full names were listed, but he called the measure precautionary.

“Waiting until something happens would be terribly irresponsible,” Atkinson said. “What could happen could be pretty dire, and we have a responsibility to protect our protectors.”

Both Atkinson and Frashure, the department spokesman, said the last name of an arresting officer should be listed online. They say the database also should show an officers’ rank, but only an initial of the first name.
 
Mohamed Noor charged with murder after fatally shooting Justine Ruszczyk Damond last July.

He feared for his life. #BlackBlueLivesMatter

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Insert any one of my post on this issue (tired of repeating them). All I can say is stay safe out in these streets, avoid police interaction or anything that could attract their attention at all costs. Any one of us can run into the wrong one at the wrong time. Even when you aren't doing anything illegal.
 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...killings-kern-county-sheriff-donny-youngblood
US sheriff once said it was 'financially better' to kill than badly injure suspects
Donny Youngblood made comments during 2006 campaign for sheriff of Kern county, which has highest rate of police killings in US
The sheriff of a county profiled by the Guardian after it was found to have the highest rate of killings by police in the US once said it is “better financially” for local authorities if officers kill suspects rather than badly injure them.

Sheriff Donny Youngblood of Kern county, California, who is currently running for re-election, made the remarks while addressing rank-and-file officers during his first campaign in 2006. Video of the meeting was recently found by an officers’ union.

“You know what happens when a guy makes a bad shooting on somebody and kills them? Three million bucks and the family goes away after a long back and forth,” Youngblood said.

He went on to say: “Which way do you think is better financially – to cripple them or kill them – for the county?” An unidentified man offscreen said “kill them”, to which Youngblood replied: “Absolutely. Because if they’re crippled we get to take care of them for life. And that cost goes way up.”

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kern county was the subject of a Guardian series after 13 people were killed there by law enforcement officers during 2015. During the same period, nine people were killed by the NYPD in all of New York City, which had almost 10 times as many residents and about 23 times as many law enforcement officers.

The series prompted inquiries by California’s attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which are ongoing. The number of killings by police in the county subsequently fell sharply. The Guardian found five people were killed there in 2016. The Mapping Police Violence project found six deaths in 2017.

The Kern County Detention Officers Association posted the video to its Facebook page on Monday. The group, which represents about 300 of Youngblood’s deputies, called for the sheriff to be replaced, saying that their department was in “desperate need of positive changes” and urging voters to select a sheriff with new ideas.

Chris Ashley, a director of the association, told the Guardian that the group was “disgusted” by the sheriff’s remarks. “But we have been disgusted with Donny Youngblood’s leadership for more than a decade,” he said.

Ashley said the entire discussion lasted more than an hour and covered other “concerning things” but that the group was not yet prepared to release the full tape.

Youngblood is running for re-election against his chief deputy, Justin Fleeman – the first time that he has faced an opponent since entering office. The contest is also the first that Youngblood has faced since the Guardian’s series in 2015. Fleeman has been endorsed by all three unions of officers at the sheriff’s department.

Ashley said his group was concerned primarily about understaffing and mandatory overtime shifts.

“Our personal feeling is that [Youngblood] doesn’t care about our families, and it has taken a toll on all of us,” he said. “People are leaving for jobs as gardeners, bus drivers, janitors, truck drivers, and other law enforcement agencies. People are just worn out. We’re exhausted. We can’t take it any more.”
 
I will never understand why one of the most powerful positions in American society requires the qualifications of a mall janitor and pays slightly above poverty level.
 
Mark you calendars for

SEPTEMBER 16th at the UAM at CSULB

artist Lauren Woods

Basically it's a big surprise... but it's some Post Modernist approach that has to deal with Cops killing Black people for no reason
 
Just finished watching 7 Seconds on Netflix, shows ending was very unsatisfying as in there was NO PAYOFF, the bad guys literally walked off...no justice was served, I felt duped spending 10 hours of my life watching this, then I realized how close to reality they stood with the show...like this is real life, in real life there is no justice for POC at the hands of dirty cops.
 
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