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NYPD's Sandy-Damaged Evidence May Kill Federal Cases, Too
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 23, 2012
Modified Nov 23, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 23, 2012
Modified Nov 23, 2012
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Earlier this week Police Commissioner Ray Kelly let it slip that Hurricane Sandy had caused "significant flooding" in the NYPD's evidence storage facilities—flooding which could cause real problems when it comes to prosecuting cases. And now the Post is reporting that it gets even better. Well, better for some lucky criminals awaiting trial at least.
Though the exact extent of the damage is still far from clear, the Post's sources in US attorney offices say that "the sudden loss of evidence could affect gun and drug cases filed in federal court instead of state court because prosecutors sought stiffer penalties." Put another way?
“This makes a lot of the cases impossible to prosecute,” said mob lawyer Eddie Hayes, noting that drug evidence might actually have dissolved.
Just how bad the destruction of evidence was remains to be discovered. Partially because the NYPD has yet to even let local District Attorneys know exactly how bad it is—and partially because they don't even know themselves! According to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration hasn't even let the cops back into one of its storage facilities. "We contacted OSHA and brought them in, and they closed both facilities," he explained. "They’re bringing in people who are specialized cleanup teams."
Tagged
federal cases
hurricane sandy
nypd
Ray Kelly
Garth Johnston
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