Every law enforcement agency is not qualified to handle homicide investigations.
I am not police officer, but in the past 40 years, I have been to an unbelievable number of crime scenes. I have also seen good, average, poor, shoddy and bad police work. While some of it is kind of like you see on television, it is neither simple or easy and it is seldom wrapped up in an hour.
In Sanford, Fla., local police do not appear to have much experience with homicide investigations.
There has been no indication that they secured the crime scene, which in many places is routine, even pending a coroner's inquest. Did I say coroner's inquest? There has not been one, nor have the results of the autopsy on Travis Martin been released.
That means that more than a month after the 17 yea-old was shot and killed as he walked back to the home where his father was staying from a convenience store there is no official ruling into his cause and manner of death.
We know he was shot and died instantly as a result of a bullet that entered his chest at close range. We do not know officially if the manner of death was homicide.
What we do know is that many potential witnesses have not been interviewed by the police. We also know that some evidence that might be critical to the investigation and any resulting prosecution in this case has not been collected, secured or preserved.
There also has not been much effort put forth to secure the integrity of people who would likely be called as witnesses in any criminal trial.
Statements offered in court by people who have told their stories repeatedly on television may not stand up well when lawyers decide to roll the video tape. If this case goes to trial, prosecutors may have to build their case upon facts that have not played out in the press.
In most cities or counties, when a family member of a current o former judge or other official gets involved in something as sensitive as the death of a child, local authorities run to find someone else handle the matter. This helps them avoid the appearance of impropriety or conflicts of interests.
In Sanford, it appears someone made a decision to just act like this case was going to go away. Now, this week, they have attempted to stop national journalists from poking around in a case that is garnering world attention. Believe me, no one I know who is covering this case is likely to disappear. What's more, the lawyers and the bail money are standing by if local lawmen decide to interfere with the pursuit of the news.
Every police officer is not an investigator, and every investigator does not necessarily have the skills, the experience or the guts to investigate homicides.
In Sanford, the Trayvon Martin case stinks for a number of reasons. Not just how he died, but also how the search for the truth has been totally botched up by the boys in charge.
I am not police officer, but in the past 40 years, I have been to an unbelievable number of crime scenes. I have also seen good, average, poor, shoddy and bad police work. While some of it is kind of like you see on television, it is neither simple or easy and it is seldom wrapped up in an hour.
In Sanford, Fla., local police do not appear to have much experience with homicide investigations.There has been no indication that they secured the crime scene, which in many places is routine, even pending a coroner's inquest. Did I say coroner's inquest? There has not been one, nor have the results of the autopsy on Travis Martin been released.
That means that more than a month after the 17 yea-old was shot and killed as he walked back to the home where his father was staying from a convenience store there is no official ruling into his cause and manner of death.
We know he was shot and died instantly as a result of a bullet that entered his chest at close range. We do not know officially if the manner of death was homicide.
What we do know is that many potential witnesses have not been interviewed by the police. We also know that some evidence that might be critical to the investigation and any resulting prosecution in this case has not been collected, secured or preserved.
There also has not been much effort put forth to secure the integrity of people who would likely be called as witnesses in any criminal trial.
Statements offered in court by people who have told their stories repeatedly on television may not stand up well when lawyers decide to roll the video tape. If this case goes to trial, prosecutors may have to build their case upon facts that have not played out in the press.
In most cities or counties, when a family member of a current o former judge or other official gets involved in something as sensitive as the death of a child, local authorities run to find someone else handle the matter. This helps them avoid the appearance of impropriety or conflicts of interests.
In Sanford, it appears someone made a decision to just act like this case was going to go away. Now, this week, they have attempted to stop national journalists from poking around in a case that is garnering world attention. Believe me, no one I know who is covering this case is likely to disappear. What's more, the lawyers and the bail money are standing by if local lawmen decide to interfere with the pursuit of the news.
Every police officer is not an investigator, and every investigator does not necessarily have the skills, the experience or the guts to investigate homicides.
In Sanford, the Trayvon Martin case stinks for a number of reasons. Not just how he died, but also how the search for the truth has been totally botched up by the boys in charge.
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