MPD investigators interviewed the victim’s best friend, Maria Frank, Ethics Project Questions

Details from the police report: MPD investigatorsinterviewed the victim’s best friend, Maria Frank, who was initiallyreluctant to speak to officers because she feared retaliation by the gangmembers involved. She eventually revealed that on July 24 she was with Loisin her home in the same neighborhood, when an altercation between Lois and adrug dealer started. She saw an individual pull Lois out of the house, shoveher into the garage and then heard sounds of a struggle, screams, and a gunshot. She ran from the home and hid at her grandmother’s house until thepolice located her. The evidencecollected from the crime scene, and statements by Maria Frank, lead to thearrest of William Tanner, an African-American male. The investigation alsolead to the arrest of Anthony Landon, believed to have driven William Tannerfrom the crime scene, and Tanner’s younger brother, Joey, who is believed tohave helped William Tanner dispose of incriminating evidence the next day.Videotaped interview with Anthony LandonIn an MPDinterrogation conducted by Detective Jones, Anthony Landon, a White male,admits to knowledge of William Tanner’s involvement in gangs and drug sellingactivity. He states that he knew when he drove William Tanner to the victim’sresidence that Tanner planned to threaten her about money owed him and thathe knew, from past experience, that Tanner was capable of serious physicalviolence. He denied all involvement in any violent acts against Lois andstated that when he drove Tanner away from the crime scene, he did not knowthat Tanner had just killed her.Interview with an officer not involved inthe case:According to MPDDetective Phil Manning, Lois Murphy, a White female, was known by theMetropolis Police Department (MPD) as a drug user. She had three convictionsfor drug-related crimes and was currently on probation for her most recentconviction. She had been a confidential informant for Detective Manning foralmost two years, providing information about drug trafficking activity inMetropolis. Detective Manning believes that Lois was not involved in a gang,but he knew she came in contact with gang members when she purchased drugs. DetectiveManning knew she had drugs in her possession at times that he met with her,but did not arrest her because he wanted to keep her as an informant.Detective Manningalso knew that Lois was in violation of the terms of her probation bypurchasing drugs, but he never reported that to her probation officer becauseshe was a valuable source of information for the department, leading thelocal drug task force to many successful raids.Interview with Nearby Convenience StoreOwnerRaoul Garcia, theLatino owner of a convenience store down the street from the victim’sresidence, was interviewed for background information on his knowledge of thevictim and criminal activity in the neighborhood. He stated that that thecops frequently stop by his store for a chat and ask how things are going inthe neighborhood, and they tend have a visible presence on his block. He’salways happy to provide a cup of coffee free of charge to any of the officerswho stops by because he knows they have a tough job and they are looking outfor the businesses in the neighborhood. He sees no problem with showing hisgratitude in this small way. Interview with Nearby Bar Owner:Joe Sampson, aWhite male and the owner of the Corner Tap, was also interviewed about thesafety in the neighborhood and the amount of known gang activity. Joe statedthat he knows drug dealing goes on in the neighborhood and there are oftenfights between rival gangs. He says he does not have to worry about any ofthe violence spilling into his bar because he’s friends with many cops. Thereare a couple officers who swing by his place a couple times a night wheneverthey are on the night shift, and he always makes sure they are taken care ofwhen they come in to watch the football game on Sunday. And, unlike the bardown the street, none of his customers get hassled by the cops at closingtime. The word is out that he’s friends with the cops.Media accounts:An articleappearing on July 31 in the MetropolisDaily News reported that a call had been made from the victim’s homephone on July 24 during which the caller said in a quiet whisper that sheneeded help but then the phone was disconnected. No follow-up call was madeby the dispatcher and no squad was sent to the residence. When asked aboutthis call by the Metropolis Daily News,the MPD denied that such a call had been made.In another articleon this story appearing on August 15, the MetropolisDaily News reported that the MPD acknowledged, after further inquiry,that a call had been made on July 24 from the victim’s residence. The MPD isrefusing to release either a transcript or the audio of the call, citing dataprivacy restrictions.Author’s interview with Maria FrankMaria Frank saidthat the investigator who tracked her down promised that the police wouldprotect her if she came forward to testify. Relying on those assurances, shetold them what she knew about the incident. However, she now knows thatMetropolis has no funds for witness protection and the MPD cannot do morethan provide enhanced patrolling in her neighborhood. Maria feels that thedefendant’s gang friends want to kill her and feels betrayed by the MPD, especiallyas she lives in a vulnerable area.Internal affairs reportAs a result of aninternal affairs investigation it was determined that the MPD representativewho denied the existence of the 911 emergency call on July 24 when the Metropolis Daily News reporter asked,knew of both the existence of the call and the audio taped recording of thecall. In addition, the dispatcher was found to have violated standardprocedure by not calling back the residence following the hang-up call. It isuncertain whether this was due to the location of the victim’s home or othercircumstances.Videotape of MPD interview with Joey TannerThe videotapedinterview of Joey Tanner, the 18-year-old brother of the murder suspect,shows the MPD detective telling Joey Tanner that they have a witness who putshim at the scene of the crime which suggests that he had some involvement inthe murder and could result in more serious charges. The investigative fileclearly shows that the detective knows that this statement is false when hemakes it. The detective at all times was professional in the interview,appearing at times to have sympathy for Joey’s plight that his brother gothim into this situation and indicating that any cooperation on Joey’s partwould be communicated to the prosecutor and would be looked at favorably"down the line."Joey Tannereventually tells the detective that the day after the crime he helped hisbrother get rid of the gun, and he told the detective where it could befound.Prosecutor’s charging decisionsUpon considerationof all the facts, and following negotiations with Joey Tanner, the MetropolisCounty District Attorney’s Office made the following charging decisions inthe case:· WilliamTanner: Murder, second degree (unpremeditated)· AnthonyLandon: No charges for aiding and abetting murder in the second degree, onthe condition that he testify truthfully against William Tanner.· JoeyTanner: No charges for aiding and abetting after the fact, on the conditionthat he testify truthfully in the case against William Tanner.Author’s interview with informant:In a discussionwith Billy Knowles, a White male and a known drug dealer who spoke on thecondition of anonymity, he stated that it is well known on the street thatthere is an officer in the department who has been passing information alongto Anthony Landon including specific information about other gangs and noticeof planned drug raids. He doesn’t know the name of the officer, but he saysthat Anthony seems to have some kind of inside connection because in the pastyear the police have had big raids on nearly all the active gangs in the areaexcept his.Author's interview with deputy sheriff atthe Metropolis County Adult Detention Facility (jail)A sheriff whoworks in the county jail was interviewed about his interactions with thethree individuals who had been arrested. The deputy said that an inmate hadapproached him and said that his cellmate, Anthony Landon, told him that hewas actually the one who brought the gun to the house on the day of themurder and was in the garage when the shooting happened. The inmate said heasked Anthony if he had been the shooter and Anthony did not actually say so,but sort of gave a "knowing wink" in response. The inmate thenasked Anthony if the police believed his statement when he said he was justthe driver, Anthony gave another "knowing wink" and said that heand "Jonesy," the detective who interviewed him, "have anunderstanding." The deputy sheriff said that he gave this information tothe Metropolis County District Attorney’s Office before the trial.Author’s interview with member of MPDIn an interviewabout the culture of the MPD with another MPD detective, wishing to remainanonymous, this detective said that the culture varies by precinct. There isone precinct known as "Lower Town" where the officers are known toplay "fast and loose" with the rules, often putting in their policereports that they Mirandized the suspect when they did not, putting downfalse information in an affidavit to get a warrant, and, using excessiveforce when arresting a suspect. The cops in Lower Town seem to have an"us against them" mentality where their job is to "get the badguys," and they take whatever steps they feel is needed to get the jobdone. Describes what thestudent believes is the important new information  Explains what the key ethical issues are inthe new evidence.Describes own opinion of the situation.