The Potential and Risks of Police Misconduct Databases

A debate is raging in cities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia regarding prosecutorial and defense databases that include information related to the credibility of police officers who might be called to testify in court. Sometimes the information is public; other times it is somewhat less so (e.g., disciplinary records) and other times it is speculative (assumptions from prosecutors or defense attorneys that an officer is “testilying,” telling untruths in support of a specific case. Barry Scheck from the Innocence Project and Julie Ciccolini from the NY Legal Aid Society will discuss the creation of an ongoing database, and a representative from the world of policing will discuss the potential pitfalls.