Judge Criticizes Police Methods of Questioning War Protesters

[chiburb]

Today's NY Times: (I guess this judge will make Asscrack's hit list...)

Snip:

A federal judge in Manhattan criticized police officials yesterday for the way demonstrators against the war in Iraq were interrogated earlier this year, and he made clear that civil liberties lawyers could seek to hold the city in contempt of court in the future if the police violate people's rights.

The judge, Charles S. Haight Jr. of Federal District Court, who recently eased court-ordered rules on police surveillance of political groups, made his comments after hearing evidence that the police had asked the protesters their views on the war, whether they hated President Bush, if they had traveled to Africa or the Middle East, and what might be different if Al Gore were president.

"These recent events reveal an N.Y.P.D. in some need of discipline," Judge Haight wrote, citing what he called a "display of operational ignorance on the part of the N.Y.P.D.'s highest officials."

In his ruling, Judge Haight cited comments in the news media by the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, that he and his deputy commissioner for intelligence, David Cohen, were unaware that the police were using what they called a "debriefing form" in the questioning.

"The two commissioners should have known," the judge wrote.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/08/nyregion/08SURV.html

[VolcanoJen]

1. Dupe... locking

Please continue discussion by posting in the original, earliest thread on this subject, which can be found here:

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VolcanoJen
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