More than 350 police officers failed to appear in court in January and more than 230 didn?t show up in February ? in some cases multiple times, according to the Baltimore City State?s Attorney?s office.
Prosecutors have to drop cases, ranging from traffic violations to attempted murder, at least in part because a police officer, who is a crucial witness, fails to appear in court, according to the office of Baltimore City State?s Attorney Patricia Jessamy. There are about 3,000 officers on the force.
Jessamy has raised concerns recently because her office dropped more than 24,000 cases last year. Many of the cases dropped in January and February were drug-related cases.
“It?s a critically important issue,” said Margaret Burns, a spokeswoman for the State?s Attorney?s Office. “It?s certainly understandable if someone has a child care issue or is genuinely sick. But the pattern is there?s no reason given.”
A police department official said that the problem is a national one, and that officers are investigated and can face severe punishments if they miss court dates without good reasons.
Besides, said Kristen Mahoney, chief of technical services for the police department, the officers? failures to appear only accounted for a fraction of the 24,206 circuit and district court cases dropped last year by the State?s Attorney?s Office.
“These are all grenades” thrown by the State?s Attorney?s Office “to distract from conviction rates and sentencing,” Mahoney said. In the past several years, she said, “we?ve put together many, many layers of safeguards to assure they get into court.”
Officers are often crucial to court cases ? especially after a drug arrest, when an officer might be the only witness to the alleged crime, Burns said. Prosecutors frequently have to drop cases if the officer doesn?t show up, she said.
A computer system launched by the state?s attorney several years ago coordinates officers? schedules with court dates so that theoretically they won?t be scheduled to appear on their days off.
But sometimes there are still scheduling conflicts ? perhaps with an officer?s vacation time or with another court appearance. Sometimes an officer oversleeps after six days of pulling 12-hour shifts, a union official said.
The department investigates each failure to appear, Mahoney said. If they don?t have legitimate reasons for missing court dates, officers can be docked of leave time, fined or even fired. The only way any lingering problems will be resolved is if Jessamy and Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm sit down and talk about it, said Paul Blair, president of the department?s Fraternal Order of Police lodge.
“When she throws out figures like that, it?s strictly to embarrass the police department,” Blair said. “We have these public outcries and press conferences. What is she trying to prove?”
“Of course everybody has a day here or there,” Burns said, but “it?s a threat to public safety when we?re forced to drop cases because police officers” fail to appear in court.
Out of court
Baltimore City Circuit Court cases dropped in 2005:
» 882: Cases dropped because of a plea negotiation reached in another case
» 564: Witness or victim was necessary for case and didn?t appear
» 114: Police officer was needed for the case and failed to appear
» 4,911 total
Baltimore City District Court cases dropped in 2005:
» 3,921: Police officer was needed for the case and failed to appear
» 5,389: Witness or victim was necessary for case and didn?t appear
» 245: Cases dropped because of a plea negotiation reached in another case
» 19,295 total
Source: Baltimore City State?s Attorney?s Office
