'People lie, photos don't,' lawyer charges as civil trial begins for cops

[DirtEdonE]

‘People lie, photos don’t,’ lawyer charges as civil trial begins for cops who punched, unleashed dog on suspect

By Rebecca Everett | For NJ.com

"Attorney Jennifer Bonjean told jurors in Camden federal court Thursday that her client was guilty of a crime and has taken responsibility for repeatedly driving drunk on Nov. 14, 2012.

She said Charlie Harrison should have gone to jail that night.

“But he shouldn’t have gone to jail looking like this,” she said, as photographs of Harrison in a hospital bed appeared one after another on screens in the courtroom. His eyes were blackened and swollen shut, and his left leg was torn and bloodied by a police dog’s teeth.

Harrison, now 58, is suing the Atlantic City Police Department and five of its officers, alleging they used excessive force when they punched him and ordered a K-9 to attack his leg after stopping the inebriated man.

In opening statements Thursday, Bonjean said Harrison was drunk and confused when police stopped him, but tried to comply before he was assaulted."

https://www.nj.com/atlantic/2019/03/people-lie-photos-dont-lawyer-charges-as-civil-trial-begins-for-cops-who-punched-unleashed-dog-on-suspect.html

Another shining example of U.S. law enforcement at it's finest. Don't they give psychological exams to weed out the sadists before sending new recruits off to the academy?

[Girard442]

1. [Cough] Photoshop [Cough]

Which is not to say that this particular case is without merit. It's just that showing the validity of images as evidence has gotten harder than it used to be.

[DirtEdonE]

2. I forgot the link but it's there now

Take a look at the photos. I remember this case when it happened. They are real. Suggesting otherwise only helps perpetuate this type of police behavior, IMO.

Are you suggesting any attorney would risk their license and freedom by using bogus photos as evidence in a courtroom? Is "fake evidence" the new cry now?

Funny, but the only cases that come to mind where fake evidence was/is presented or exculpatory evidence hidden are cases where the cops and prosecutors were the perpetrators of same.

Then there are the cases like epstein where you can rape children and get away with it somehow. How's that for fake evidence?

[Girard442]

3. The point is that defense counsel who didn't try to raise doubts about photo evidence...

...wouldn't be doing their jobs. This means prosecutors who use images as evidence have to work harder than they used to. Again, not judging the merits of this particular case -- it's just that we all have to deal with the new reality.