Lies, Damn Lies, and

Police Personnel Files

E.Shafer
Spring 2016
Jury Assessment of Witness Credibility

Demographic characteristics matter

Confidence is the most important factor for lay witnesses

Police and law enforcement are seen as more credible

 Perjury and the Police
Testilying

Reportilying

Blue Code of Silence

Noble-Cause Corruption

The Mollen Commission Report

(Image Source: Lewis Scott, 2013)
 The Brady Doctrine
Brady v. Maryland (1963)
Giglio v. United States (1973)
Janet Reno and the Giglio Policy
United States v. Agurs (1976)
United States v. Bagley (1985)
Kyles v. Whitley (1995)
Smith v. Cain (2015)
Michael Morton – Changes to Discovery in Texas

Michael Morton at arraignment Michael Morton at exoneration

c. 1986 2011
(Source: CNN, 2013) (Source: Austin American Statesman, 2011)
 Texas Public Information Act
v.
Texas Local Government Code
Most police personnel files are “open records”

73 cities have adopted chapter 143 of the Local Government Code

• Provides additional protections to police accused of misconduct
• Creates two-tier record keeping system
• “Civil Service File” v. “Department File”
 Research Questions

RQ 1: Would disclosure of a police officer’s history of being disciplined for

dishonesty influence a potential juror’s impression of that officer’s credibility?

RQ 2: If knowledge of an officers disciplinary history influenced perceived

credibility, would that influence impact the juror’s likelihood to convict or acquit
the defendant?
Survey Methodology and Experimental Design

Factorial Design (2x2x2)

Vignette Survey Method

Mock Jurors
 VARIABLES

Dependent – juror decision to convict or acquit defendant

Independent Variables –
Strength of Evidence (weak or strong)
Officer Background (honest or dishonest)
Offender Background (sympathetic or unsympathetic)
 Policy Implications

If jurors are influenced by the prior disciplinary history of officer-

witnesses, then that information is obviously material to the case
and should be disclosed under the Michael Morton Act

There is a serious need for reconsideration of privacy policies

regarding personnel files, as well the administrative disciplinary
process
 References
• Abel, J Brady's Blind Spot: Impeachment Evidence in Police Personnel Files and the Battle Splitting the Prosecution Team, 67 Stanford Law Review 743 (2015)
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doi:10.1023/a:1005523129437
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doi:10.1023/a:1015380522722
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• Goodman, J. D., & Baker, A. (2015, February 04). New Challenges to Secrecy That Protects Police Files. The New York Times. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/nyregion/new-challenges-to-secrecy-that-protects-police-files.html?_r=1
• Greene, E., & Dodge, M. (1995). The Influence of Prior Record Evidence on Juror Decision Making. Law and Human Behavior, (1). 67.
• Howton T., Kyles v. Whitley: Death or Declaration, 86 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 1461 (1995-1996)
• Medwed, D. S. (2010). Brady's Bunch of Flaws. Washington & Lee Law Review, 67(4), 1533-1567
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• Orr, C. H., & Rodery, R. G. (2015). The Michael Morton Act: Minimizing Prosecutorial Misconduct. St. Mary's Law Journal, 46(3), 407-420
• Silver, H. (2010). TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT EXCEPTIONS TO DISCLOSURE. Lecture presented at TCAA Riley Fletcher Basic Municipal Law Semina, Dallas, Texas. Retrieved
March 29, 2016, from http://texascityattorneys.org/2010speakerpapers/PublicInfo.pdf
• Morton free; now State Bar must act. (2011, October 8). Retrieved May 05, 2016, from http://www.statesman.com/news/news/opinion/morton-free-now-state-bar-must-
act/nRf9y/