Believe it or not, the District Attorneys, sheriff’s deputies, police, courts, and probation officers are great at the game of hot potato. In this legal form of hot potato, all these people work to shift the blame to another person before they get caught with a problem in Larimer, Boulder, and Jackson County. Let’s look closer at what I mean in order to understand the current state of the criminal justice system.
Pass the Potato: Police are the First
Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park police are the first to begin the game. It begins when a person calls the police and they arrive at the scene, confronting a person who may or may not have committed a crime. Rather than using common sense in cases where it’s difficult to determine what happened, the police quickly make an arrest or issue a summons. They know a victim could grow upset if they perform a thorough investigation before formally filing charges. The police file charges quickly in order to pass the person off to the court and DAas soon as possible; they are passing the hot potato. If they get a complaint from a victim, it could end their careers. Once the case is handed off to the District Attorney, they are free from blame.
[pullquote align=”center” textalign=”center” width=”90%”]The potato is passed quickly to avoid blame and alleviate pressure.[/pullquote]District Attorneys Pass the Hot Potato to the Jury
District Attorneys pass on the hot potato to the jury to alleviate pressure or blame. They do this by not dismissing cases when there is little or no evidence, and by not offering plea deals. Instead, they push forward and unnecessarily take cases to trial. In this way, they pass off the blame to the jury. This is especially true in Domestic Violence cases, because victim’s rights groups put a lot of pressure from alleged victims on the DA. Once a case is in the hands of the jury, the DA has passed the hot potato. The jury is now accountable for resolution of the case, and they won’t be held responsible for any anger from victims.
We See the Game Every Day in Court
As experienced criminal defense attorneys, we see this game of legal hot potato every day in court. We recently had two cases where the alleged victim’s credibility fell apart. In each of the cases, even though it was obvious they weren’t telling the truth, the District Attorneys pressed onward with the case. They didn’t want to risk their careers or the anger of victim’s rights groups. Instead of doing the right thing and dismissing the cases, they pushed onward in order to pass the responsibility on to the jury. They wasted the time of the jury, the court, and the defendant.
Why You Need an Experienced Criminal Defense Attorney
As skilled criminal defense lawyers, we know how the game works. We know the police and DA are quick to pass the hot potato on to the next person in line. We know they make mistakes when they do this, and we understand how to use these mistakes to our advantage. We know how the system works, and we have a complete understanding of criminal law. Don’t stand alone in court and try to make sense of the game. You need someone in the courtroom who will fight to win.