Criminal Justice System and Perjury on the Witness Stand

It is comforting to see a respected attorney publicly admit what so many have privately acknowledged. The police do tell lies. Lies of zealousness, lies of omission, lies of cover-up and lies of commission. Worse, these lies are condoned, tacitly at least by their supervisors.

An Orange County judge in a traffic court confided that he was aware of the lies but that was how the game was played. If an officer had reason enough to lie, there was a reason to presume guilt. So much for justice.

Pause, however, to think of the number of times witnesses are influenced, coerced and suborned off the stand. Make false identifications, give tainted testimony and perjure to please power figures, all in the faith and trust we place in police. By the time they reach the stand they believe what they are saying well enough to pass any cross-examination. Time indeed for a new look at the system.

MAX KRIEGER

Hollywood