Days after a lawyer questioned the validity of a 15-year-old?s confession to the murder of his Cockeysville family, state lawmakers are reviving a proposal requiring police to videotape interrogations in all major criminal cases.
If passed, Maryland would join eight states and Washington, D.C., in requiring recorded confessions and official interviews with suspects charged with murder, rape or a sex offense. Similar legislation has failed in the General Assembly during the past two sessions, but a Senate committee Thursday pressed opponents to justify rationale against recording.
“Ultimately, the point is to allow everyone to videotape confessions and make sure no one is coerced or abused,” said bill sponsor Sen. Joan Carter Conway, a Baltimore City Democrat.
Supporters said recording interrogations ? like the one Baltimore County police conducted this weekend with 15-year-old Nicholas Browning ? also protect police from false allegations of misconduct. Browning confessed to fatally shooting his father, John Browning, 45, his mother, Tamara, 44, and his younger brothers, Gregory and Benjamin, in their Powers Avenue home Friday night, police said.
But Nicholas Browning?s former attorney, Steve Silverman, said the “traumatized” teen only confessed after hours of interrogation and repeated denials. Baltimore County State?s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said police videotaped the confession.
Shellenberger and several law enforcement officials said the mandate does not include a waiver for those willing to provide statements and information, but not on camera. A rule voiding confessions if they aren?t recorded could jeopardize legitimate cases, they said.
The legislation also requires recording equipment they can?t afford, they added.
“You give us the equipment and the resources for training, and we?ll do it on our own,” said Joseph Cassilly, state?s attorney for Harford County.
Bill drafters indicated they may remove language voiding untaped interrogations, a move that would win the support of Gov. Martin O?Malley, according to his spokesman.
Examiner writer Luke Broadwater contributed to this report.
