Prosecutors often ask the U.S. Justice Department to pursue civil rights investigations like the one sought in Ronnie White’s jail death to avoid making politically explosive decisions involving fellow law enforcement officials, experts said.
Glenn Ivey, Prince George’s County state’s attorney, will ask federal authorities to take over the investigation into White’s death, which could lead to a federal civil rights investigation.
Cases revolving around charges of law enforcement misconduct cause serious headaches for prosecutors, said Joseph diGenova, former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.
“A local prosecutor is scared to death; they may be called prosecutors but in reality these are politicians,” diGenova said.
“The easiest thing for him to do to do the Pontius Pilate thing, say ‘I wash my hands of it,’ and palm it off to the Justice Department.”
A source familiar with the investigation said federal authorities would have more leeway to prosecute, comparing the case to the Rodney King beating in which police officers were acquitted in state court, but were later found guilty on federal civil rights violations.
In that case, after the verdict led to the six-day Los Angeles riots that left 53 dead, Justice Department prosecutors were called in to take a fresh look and calm a volatile situation.
Prosecutors were able to avoid double-jeopardy problems because federal civil rights prosecution is considered a separate crime from assault.
Justice Department prosecutors focused more on the training of officers instead of just relying on the infamous videotape of the beating.
Unlike the state trial, where prosecutors only had to prove the officers used excessive force, the federal charges required the government to prove the officers’ intent, which is usually harder to prove. But prosecutors also had the advantage of hindsight and the memory of the riots.
