From: charlie
Date: 11/10/03
Time: 8:15:06 AM
Remote Name: 209.240.205.60
We have had some prime examples of a "cop" mindset and the damage that it can cause in recent national news stories. The Elizabeth Smart case and the DC Sniper case. In both cases, the cops were so intent on a suspect or on a profile of a suspect that they blew it...big time.
I caught just a bit of the Elizabeth Smart movie last night. I followed it when it happened but could only get some of this info after Elizabeth has told her story. Several beat cops went up to this child and spoke to her thinking she might be Elizabeth Smart. Even when she denied it and seemed afraid of the people she was with, they shrugged and walked away.
And if the Smarts had not gone around the cops and gone to John Walsh--the child would still be missing. When the sketch came out, the cops held a press conference and basically said Ricci was guilty and the Smarts were delusional.
ANd in the DC Sniper case, Chief Moose asked the media NOT to put out the photos of the suspects but they did anyway--and were found w/in and hour and in custody w/in 2 hours...with citizens actually blocking them in at the rest stop with their vehicles. Chief Moose suspected for DAYS who the shooters were and didn't tell it....perhaps causing the deaths of at least one or more victims.
The public can help in cases like this and do so on a regular basis. It was common everyday folks who watch America's Most Wanted who found Elizabeth--not the FBI or the cops.
And witnesses who said they saw Black men at the sniper scenes were called everything but a child of God.
And all it takes is a reading of the Scheck book or any of the AP wire stories about overturned cases to see that in many many of the cases--the cops made up their minds and people got convicted on the flimiest of evidence.
In the Goldman case--if it had been presented that guys were calling him at home and he wasn't answering yet a woman said she talked to him.(and the time of a long distance call which could be fixed in time) and that the keys he had were useless keys and that perhaps his glasses and watch were not on him, etc. ---this case may have had a totally different slant. Throw in the missing car from that night--and you have more.
Throw in that Nicole's Jeep was moved...and only second hand info from Lange in a hearing as to where it was moved from---eps. since Nicole usually parked where Ron's car was parked..you also have more fuel for the fire.
Throw in the lack of ID for the ring under Ron, the lack of ID of the keys in trial, and the DA's avoiding the showing of photos of the keys, etc. I think you have a total Misrepresentation of the crime scene.
And let's not forget the ankha necklace and where IT may have been found.
charlie