Rachel Moran, professor at the School of Law, commented for an article in InvestigateWest on Brady lists. These lists reveal law enforcement officers with histories of misconduct.
From the story:
Joshua Grasseth is now running for sheriff as a Republican in Wahkiakum County. InvestigateWest found that Grasseth has been convicted of at least two crimes while off duty and has a history of alleged domestic violence and dishonesty.
Washington sheriff candidates are not backgrounded, and the state’s only requirement is that they complete basic law enforcement training within 12 months of taking office – a lax standard compared to what’s required to become a police chief or a lower-ranking officer or deputy.
“If you have an officer with, for example, a history of lying, then that should be relevant in virtually every case that officer is involved with,” said Rachel Moran, a former public defender turned professor researching access to officer misconduct information at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. “But if you have an officer who has, let’s say, a conviction for a DUI, there might be very limited situations in which there’s any reason to disclose that in a particular case.
“Instances of dishonesty, false testimony, falsifying a police report, that kind of thing, are the most significant information in terms of impeaching the credibility of the officer.”
