This is both a very serious topic to address as well as a difficult one to approach

with a neutral approach for all that are involved. This topic has been the basis

for many convictions to be overturned, and for many officers, and detectives

to face disciplinary charges for having acted in an improper manner. It is very

easy to do the right thing when someone is watching you, but very hard to do

the right thing when nobody is watching you.

There are many factors involved in making such a decision, and the first one

I feel that would need to be discussed would be how this would affect the

victim. After all this poor woman is the one who was assaulted, and raped,

and who is now in a coma. I would have to hope that she would awake from

her coma, and be able to then identify her attacker. I would fear for her safety

should the wrong suspects be convicted of the crime.

The next thing I would have to think about is my partner, and his actions

regarding this case, and if he had done this in any other cases. I would try

my best to remain impartial, but with the facts involved in the case that

would prove to be very difficult. I would like to be loyal to my partner, but

in a case such as this, that may be my undoing as well as his. I would definitely

try my best to speak to my partner before I entered into any decision of what

to do regarding this case.

On another note I would also have to take into account the suspect’s rights

which were clearly and blatantly violated. I know that this is a hard part

for some people to understand, but we are innocent until proven guilty

in a court of law. We are afforded these rights so that mistakes will not be

made, and end up costing people years of their lives that we cannot give back

to them. There were two major infractions to the suspects rights in this

investigation. The first of which was not calling their parent’s as both

suspect’s were minors, and should have been afforded that right. The

second right that was violated was not videotaping the interview.

now you would have to ask yourself why this rule was violated, did

the detective want to lean on two minors thereby getting a confession

by force, and closing a case? If this is the case my job, and my partner’s

job would now be on the line. This seems like an open and shut case, but

there are too many serious infractions that need to be dealt with before

the case were to move forward. I would also have to realize the ramifications

of this trial ending in a Not Guilty verdict because of errors done during the

investigation.

Taking all of these things into consideration, I would first have to have a

conversation with my partner before things progressed any further. I have

probably worked with him a fair amount of time, and if this were the first

time something like this has happened maybe there is a reason. Perhaps he

had more evidence then he was letting on, and I would also have to be

convinced that he did not intimidate the suspect’s into making a statement.

I would approach him by giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I would

also have to let him know that if he doesn’t admit to what went on in the

interview room, that I would have to then speak to our supervisor. If his

answers were not satisfactory, I would be left with no alternative then to

report him to my supervisor, and let him deal with the repercussions of his

actions. This would require a lot of thought, and weighing all the good options

versus the bad options. In Criminal Justice sometimes hard decisions need to

be made. This would be such a case, there are many needs and virtue that

need to be taken into account before rendering a decision. The best decision

would be to report to my supervisor as it would keep me out of trouble as

well as saving the integrity of the case against the two juvenile suspects.