Originally Posted by .280Rem
Originally Posted by hunter1960
Originally Posted by .280Rem
Here's the problem...and I'm speculating this was the case here. There are two things officers, and/or their agencies do. Officers often are trained to believe that courts "sort things out". That could have been the case here.

The other is departmental policies that say probable cause = automatic arrest. I'm betting this is the more likely scenario.

In either event, it's passing the buck, and it's passing it to an entity that is NOT charged with investigating, and "sorting things out"...the DA is charged with prosecuting crimes, and the courts with maintaining procedural safeguards. Cases brought to him should have been "sorted out" by the investigating officer(s). That's what an investigation does, sorts out facts, and circumstances.


We don't know if an investigator or a patrol supervisor wasn't involved. The decision may of been made and the arresting officer, was just the one who placed him under arrest. When i worked in patrol, i've been to many crime scenes where I was told to place the suspect under arrest and transport and book the suspect. My name was on the booking card and Mittimus as the arresting officer, yet I wasn't the one who made the decision to place the suspect under arrest. You know this happens and have seen it yourself.


I've speculated it both ways. Yes it happens. It shouldn't have here. I've also seen a patrol officer tell a supervisor, "If you want him arrested, then you do it".


Do you have criminal investigators within your DA's office?? The majority of Judicial Districts in this state do. It's paid out of the DA's budget. They can do follow up work on cases for the DA or they can strike out in areas that the DA wants to look at.