I Told You So!

[Eddies66]

Law EnforcementCode of Ethics:

As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality, and justice.

I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others; honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life. I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided in me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.

I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence my decision. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courageously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice, or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence, and never accepting gratuities.

I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve those objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my profession-law enforcement.

Was not able to find the same code in the Neighborhood Watch charter.

[Mark Yacavone]

Just an opinion piece (which I agree with) :




The prosecutor in the George Zimmerman case should be disbarred.

Posted by Judson Phillips on May 20, 2012 at 7:57am in Tea Party Nation Forum
View Discussions



Angela Corey, the prosecutor in the George Zimmerman case in Florida should be disbarred. Her conduct in this case has been so outrageous that no penalty short of her losing her law license is sufficient.



What has she done?



She filed Second Degree Murder charges against George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The problem with that is all of the evidence points not to a second-degree murder charge, but all of the evidence points to the fact that George Zimmerman acted in self-defense.



The most important facts of the case seem to be not in dispute. George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch captain because his neighborhood had been hit by a lot of crime. He saw Trayvon Martin, called into 911 and reported him. There was later a confrontation and Martin ended up dead.



George Zimmerman claims that Trayvon Martin attacked him. The witnesses and the scientific evidence all support that claim. One witness says he saw Trayvon Martin on top of George Zimmerman straddling him, punching him “MMA style.”



The autopsy report indicates a close but not a contact wound. A contact wound is where a gun is placed next to the skin and fired. A close wound is within a foot, where stippling, the hot debris, such as burning gunpowder will hit either clothing or skin. The entry wound is on his left side of his chest, consistent with Zimmerman being right handed and shooting Martin.



The autopsy report also shows injuries to Martin’s knuckles.



The witness who saw Martin straddling Zimmerman also saw blood coming from Zimmerman’s nose and the back of his head and several photos have been released showing the bloodied back of George Zimmerman’s head.



This case screams self-defense. In fact, other than the hucksters who are stirring this case up for political gain, no rational person would say this is anything other than self-defense.



Angela Corey has become a disgrace to her office and to the legal profession.



Florida, like all states, has a code of legal ethics. Section 4-3.8 says that a prosecutor in a criminal case shall refrain from prosecuting a case that the prosecutor knows is not supported by probable cause.



There is simply no way this prosecutor can claim there is probable cause to believe George Zimmerman committed a second degree murder.



When Angela Corey held her press conference announcing the charges against Zimmerman, she said her office cared only about “seeking justice for Trayvon Martin’s family.”



Seeking justice for the Martin family is the job of the family attorney. Seeking justice for George Zimmerman is the job of his attorney. The prosecuting attorney’s job is to seek justice, period.



At that press conference, she announced that she did not charge cases based on public pressure. That is exactly what she did.



In 1935, the Supreme Court dealt with the issue of an overzealous prosecutor.



In the case of Berger vs. The United States, George Sutherland wrote:



The United States Attorney is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all, and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. As such, he is in a peculiar and very definite sense the servant of the law, the two-fold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer. He may prosecute with earnestness and vigor -- indeed, he should do so. But, while he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one.



For prosecutors who take their jobs seriously, these words direct their actions. For Angela Corey, they are little more than a punch line at a campaign rally.



The reason the American justice system works is because we the people can believe in the fairness of it. Prosecutions are not undertaken to attack political opponents nor are they motivated by political or public pressure.



Yet that is exactly what has happened here.



The prosecuting attorney is the most powerful elected official in an area. He or she can cause a person’s life to be destroyed and even be sent to prison for a long period of time.



In the United States, our founding fathers were so afraid of an out of control government prosecuting its citizens, four of the ten amendments of the bill of rights offer protections against unfair prosecution.



Fortunately in America, unfair prosecutions are rare. This prosecution is not only unfair it is very political in nature. The prosecuting attorney, Angela Corey is up for reelection this fall.



The voters of Florida’s Fourth Judicial District should send a very clear message and vote her out of office.



When this case is finally resolved and the charges against George Zimmerman are dismissed, the Florida Supreme Court should disbar Angela Corey.



There are several levels of attorney discipline, ranging from admonition to censuring to suspension to disbarment. When an attorney is disbarred, they either can never practice law again or after a period of time, if they can show the state supreme court they are a changed person, they can be allowed to sit for the bar exam again.



For prosecuting a man based on public pressure and bringing charges that even a first year law student could tell will never be sustained, Angela Corey should be disbarred.

[Tom keedle]

Originally Posted by Eddies66

Law EnforcementCode of Ethics:

As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality, and justice.

I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others; honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life. I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided in me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.

I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence my decision. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courageously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice, or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence, and never accepting gratuities.

I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve those objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my profession-law enforcement.

Was not able to find the same code in the Neighborhood Watch charter.

just words a few LEO's don't live by....

[Eddies66]

Originally Posted by Tom keedle

just words a few LEO's don't live by....

A little like the Constitution.

[Eddies66]

Fellow Citizens:

There has been a lot of media attention to the recent incident where George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin. This is indeed a tragic situation and has caused a flood of questions and strong emotions from within our community, the region and nation. On behalf of the employees of the City of Sanford, Our deepest sympathy and prayers go out to the family and friends of Trayvon Martin. As a father, I can only
image the pain Trayvon’s family must be going through. The City of Sanford is committed to insuring that justice is served and, therefore, the City of Sanford has contacted the United States Attorney General’s Office for assistance in this matter.

In an effort to continue to be as responsive as possible to the public seeking information on the incident, I have asked Chief Lee to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding this matter. Below are his responses. Please understand that since this is still an ongoing investigation, the Police Department is limited in what
information it can publicly release.

The men and women of the Sanford Police Department extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Martin family. This is indeed a tragic situation. The death of anyone due to violence, especially a 17 year old young man, is morally appalling. As this incident has generated a lot of media attention, we wanted to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

Why was George Zimmerman not arrested the night of the shooting?

When the Sanford Police Department arrived at the scene of the incident, Mr. Zimmerman provided a statement claiming he acted in self defense which at the time was supported by physical evidence and testimony. By Florida Statute, law enforcement was PROHIBITED from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at the time. Additionally, when any police officer makes an arrest for any reason, the officer MUST swear and affirm that he/she is making the
arrest in good faith and with probable cause. If the arrest is done maliciously and in bad faith, the officer and the City may be held liable.

According to Florida Statute 776.032 :

776.032 Immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for justifiable use of force.—
(1) A person who uses force as permitted in s. 776.012, s. 776.013, or s. 776.031 is justified in using such force and is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the person against whom force was used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who was acting in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance
with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person was a law enforcement officer. As used in this subsection, the term “criminal prosecution” includes arresting, detaining in custody, and charging or prosecuting the defendant.

(2) A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force as described in subsection (1), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful.

Why weren’t the 911 tapes initially released?

There are exemptions to the public records laws for active criminal intelligence and for ongoing investigations. In this instance, the 911 calls made by neighbors in the subdivision, and the non-emergency call made by Mr. Zimmerman are all key to the investigation by Sanford Police Department. In consultation with the Office of the State Attorney, the Sanford police department had decided not to release the audio
recordings of the 911 calls due to the ongoing investigation. Many times, specific information is contained in those recordings which is vital to the integrity of the investigation. At the time, it was determined that if revealed, the information may compromise the integrity of the investigation prior to its completion. The 911 tapes have since been released.

Why did Mr. Zimmerman have a firearm in his possession while acting in the role of a neighborhood watch member?

Mr. Zimmerman holds a concealed weapon permit issued from the State of Florida. He is authorized to carry the weapon in a concealed manner wherever Florida Statute dictates. Neighborhood Watch programs are designed for members of a neighborhood to be “eyes and ears” for police and to watch out for their neighbors. They are not members of the Police Department nor are they vigilantes. Training provided by law enforcement agencies to Neighborhood Watch organizations
stresses non-contact surveillance of suspicious situations and notifying police of those situations so that law enforcement can respond and take control of the situation.

Mr. Zimmerman was not acting outside the legal boundaries of Florida Statute by carrying his weapon when this incident occurred. He was in fact on a personal errand in his vehicle when he observed Mr. Martin in the community and called the Sanford Police Department.

If Zimmerman was told not to continue to follow Trayvon, can that be
considered in this investigation?

Yes it will; however, the telecommunications call taker asked Zimmerman “are you following him”. Zimmerman replied, “yes”. The call taker stated “you don’t need to do that”. The call taker’s suggestion is not a lawful order that Mr. Zimmerman would be required to follow. Zimmerman’s statement was that he had lost sight of Trayvon and
was returning to his truck to meet the police officer when he says he was attacked by Trayvon.

Why was George Zimmerman labeled as “squeaky clean” when in fact he has a prior arrest history?

In one of the initial meetings with the father of the victim the investigator related to him the account that Mr. Zimmerman provided of the incident. At that time the investigator said that Mr. Zimmerman portrayed himself to be “squeaky clean”. We are aware of the background information regarding both individuals involved in this event. We believe Mr. Martin may have misconstrued this information.

What about media reenactments of the shooting incident?

Any media reenactments of the shooting incident are purely speculation. To date the Sanford Police Department has not released any rendition of the events of the evening to anyone other than the Office of the State Attorney. The renditions we have seen are not consistent with the evidence in this case. The Sanford Police Department has conducted a complete and fair investigation of this incident. We have provided the results of our investigation to the Office of the State Attorney for their review and consideration for possible criminal prosecution.
Although the Police Department is the target of the troubling questions, let me assure you we too feel the pain of this senseless tragedy that has dramatically affected our community. Therefore, as we move forward and strive to answer the questions that are a point of controversy in the community, we ask for your patience, understanding and assistance in getting the correct information to the community.

We trust that this information is helpful to you.

Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr., ICMA-CM
City Manager
March 23, 2012

http://sanfordfl.gov/investigation/trayvon_martin.html

[Mark Yacavone]

Is there any doubt this guy was overcharged so they could plead it down to something, ...anything to appease the race baiters , agitators and rabble rousers ?


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/21...t-fatal-fight/

[sst1988]

REPORT: GEORGE ZIMMERMAN PASSED LIE DETECTOR TEST ON TRAYVON MARTIN KILLING


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/repo...artin-killing/

[Eddies66]

Really? Polygraphs not only falsely accuse honest people of lying -- they also fail to detect skilled liars. Convicted spies Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames both passed repeated lie detector exams during their careers as double agents.