Almost lost in yesterday's appointment by Gov. Eliot Spitzer of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as special prosecutor in the Tankleff case was an editorial published by the New York Times the same morning. In "True and Untrue Confessions," the Times cites Marty's case, along with Jeffrey Deskovic's, in calling for passage of a bill pending in the New York State legislature requiring the videotaping of police questioning in felony cases.
A correction on the Times's editorial: Marty did not sign his "confession."
Today, Newsday ran a very strong op-ed titled "Justice Perverted," by Peter L. Davis, a law professor at Touro. Davis's piece is a recounting of the State Investigation Commission's damning report on Suffolk County law enforcement in the 1980s, against the backdrop of the SIC's recent announcement of its investigation into Suffolk's handling of the the Tankleff case over the past two decades.
Davis writes, "One gets the depressing feeling that, despite the SIC's authoritative report all those years ago, and all the other reports over time, not much has changed in Suffolk law enforcement." And if things have not changed in Suffolk, Davis argues, then the SIC's recommendations should change. Whereas in 1989, the SIC made its recommendations to the police commissioner and the DA, Davis says today the commission's recommendations should focus on establishing external controls, by creating a civilian complaint review board, and by removing the district attorney if necessary. "For too long," Davis writes, "Suffolk has been known as the Wild, Wild East."
Great points. Thanks for sharing this opinion.
Posted by: Ajlouny | August 10, 2009 at 10:39 PM