A Joint Statement from Law Enforcement Professionals on California s Death Penalty

Transcription

1 A Joint Statement from Law Enforcement Professionals on California s Death Penalty We are current and former law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and corrections officers who have devoted our lives to improving public safety as well as the accuracy and fairness of the criminal justice system. Having seen the system from the inside, we know that the death penalty is deeply flawed for myriad reasons. We come to this issue from a variety of perspectives. For one or more of the following reasons we have concluded that the death penalty in California is not working: 1) In a time of increasingly shrinking public safety resources, with an annual cost of at least $137 million per year in California, the death penalty is extremely expensive and diverts too many crime-fighting resources from other critical public safety needs; 2) The risk of wrongful conviction and execution cannot be entirely eliminated; 3) The system fails victims families, who are dragged through years of appeals and uncertainty; 4) The death penalty as it is currently administered is no more a deterrent to murder than permanent imprisonment; and/or 5) The vast majority of death row prisoners in California will meet the same fate as those sentenced to permanent imprisonment; they will die in prison despite the extraordinary additional expenses incurred by the taxpayers of California. Therefore, we support replacing the death penalty with effective alternatives such as permanent imprisonment. The undersigned, (Titles are for identification purposes only. Individuals are not representing their employers or organizations.) Chuck Arnold Correctional Officer, San Quentin State Prison, 3 years Elener Linda Babbitt Correctional Officer, Duell Vocational Institute, Judge Michael E. Ballachey Retired, Alameda County Superior Court, William E. Blackman Retired, Police Sergeant, Limerick, PA, 23 years Timothy Blackwood Deputy District Attorney, Santa Clara County, Sharmin Bock

2 Assistant District Attorney in Charge of Special Operations & Policy Development Alameda County District Attorney's Office, Rebecca Bond Juvenile Probation Officer, Maricopa County, AZ, Kenneth Bond Deputy Chief Probation Officer, Maricopa County, AZ, Stephen M. Boreman, Esq. Former Deputy Attorney General, 15 years Former Special Agent, FBI, 3 years Octavio Boubion Retired, Parole Agent, California Department of Corrections Patrick J. Boyd Retired, Chief Probation Officer, San Francisco Adult Probation Department, Probation Manager, Santa Barbara County Probation Department, Associate Warden and Parole Agent, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, James Brosnahan Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Arizona and California, Fabian Brown Senior Deputy, San Francisco Sheriff s Department, 15 years Neola Brown-Crosby Management Analyst, Alameda County Probation, 2004-Present John Carlisle Deputy Probation Officer, Mayor Pro Tem, Merced, Merced City Council Member, Marc Chomel Deputy District Attorney, CA, Present Judge Kenneth Lee Chotiner Retired, Los Angeles Superior Court, CA, Judge LaDoris H. Cordell Retired, Santa Clara Superior Court, CA,

3 Chris Cosca Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, Edward J. Costello, Jr. Former Special Agent, FBI, Judge Pro Tem., Los Angeles Courts, CA Mary Cowell Retired, Parole Agent, Correctional Officer, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Wendy Cromwell Deputy Sherriff, Dispatcher, Victim Advocate, James Crowder Correctional Captain, 30 years Edward P. Davis, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California, Rodney Davis Deputy Attorney General, California, Retired, Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, Elizabeth de la Vega Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California, 21 years Judge Annette Debs Administrative Law Judge, CA, Judge Roderic Duncan Retired, Alameda County Superior Court, CA Deputy Attorney General, California, John R. Duree, Jr. Deputy Attorney General, California, Sunil Dutta, PhD Lieutenant, Los Angeles Police Department, Present Judge Mark L. Eaton Retired, Alameda County Superior Court, Municipal Court,

4 Judge Norbert Ehrenfreund Retired, San Diego Superior Court, Deputy District Attorney, San Diego, Judge Bruce Einhorn Retired, U. S. Federal Court, Special Prosecutor and Chief of Litigation for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) Director, Asylum Clinic and Adjunct Professor of Law, Pepperdine University, CA Bruce G. Enos Deputy District Attorney, Sonoma County, Lt. Steven Fajardo Retired, Lieutenant, Oakland Unified School District Police Dept., Ohlone Community College, Chief of Police and Safety, Oakland Unified School District Police Dept., National Latino Peace Officers Association, 1981-Current Judge David B. Finkel Retired, Los Angeles Superior Court, George Fisher* Former Assistant District Attorney, Middlesex County, Mass., Former Assistant Massachusetts Attorney General, Professor, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA Myron Fuller Retired, FBI Special Agent in Charge, FBI Special Agent, David Fussell Deputy Sheriff, Leon County Sheiff's Department, Florida, Inspector Major, FGFWFC, Florida, Gil Garcetti District Attorney, Los Angeles County, Deputy/Assistant District Attorney, Los Angeles County, George Gascón Los Angeles Police Department, Assistant Chief, Retired, Chief of Police, Meza, AZ, Chief of Police, San Francisco, CA, District Attorney, San Francisco, CA, Present Judge Rudolph Gerber

5 Assistant District Attorney, AZ, Judge, Superior Court, AZ, Retired, Arizona Court of Appeals, Professor, University of San Diego, CA, 2009 Present Mike German Retired, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Judge Earle J. Gibbons Retired, Bakersfield Municipal Court, Gwendolyn Gounsland Lieutenant, California Department of Corrections, 26 years Judge James P. Gray Retired, Orange County Superior Court, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Los Angeles, JAG Corp, U.S. Navy, Karlton Green Associate Warden, Correctional Captain, California Department of Corrections, 28 years Judge Ronald Greenberg Retired, Alameda Superior Court, Jospeh R. Grodin Retired, Justice, California Supreme Court, Justice, California Court of Appeal, Harlan G. Grossman Retired, Judge, Contra Costa County, Deputy District Attorney, Contra Costa County, Special Agent FBI, Michael Hantman Retired, New York City Police Department, 10 years Pete Harned Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, California Department of Justice, Criminal Intelligence Division, Donald H. Heller Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of California, Assistant District Attorney, New York County,

6 Sheriff Michael Hennessey Sheriff of San Francisco, 32 years Aundré Herron* Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Jackson County, MO, Richard G. Hirsch Deputy District Attorney, Los Angeles County, Steve Hodel Retired Detective III, Homicide Division, Los Angeles Police Department, 23.5 years Judge Richard A. Hodge Retired, Alameda County Superior Court, Edward Hollomon Retired Sergeant, Oakland Police Department, 25 years Richard Howell Correctional Captain, California Department of Corrections, 30 years Michael Hroziencik Deputy District Attorney, San Mateo County, Peter J. Hughes Assistant U.S. Attorney, Los Angeles, CA, Prosecutor, U.S. Army, JAG, Willie R. Jackson, Jr. Police Officer, Miami, FL, 1981-Present Gregory William Jaquart Retired, Warden, Utah Department of Corrections, Correctional Officer, Utah Department of Corrections, Tom Jenkins Associate Warden, 30 years Joyce Johnson Correctional Lieutenant, 30 years Ken Johnson Lieutenant, California Department of Corrections, 30 years Leonard Jones, Sr. Sergeant, California Department of Corrections, 38 years

7 Jan David Karowsky Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, Jack Karver Retired, Administrator, Division of Juvenile Justice, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, George Kennedy District Attorney, Santa Clara County, Deputy/Assistant District Attorney, Santa Clara County, Kenneth R. Klopman Police Seargeant, Oxnard CA, 1987-present Peter Kmeto Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, Miriam Krinsky Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California, , Chief, General Crimes Section, ; Chief, Criminal Appellate Section, Chair, Solicitor General s Appellate Working Group, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Maryland, Fern Laethem Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of California, Hugh Anthony Levine Assistant District Attorney, San Francisco, Assistant District Attorney, New York County, Michael J. Lightfoot U.S. Attorney s Office, Los Angeles, CA, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Dept of Justice, Washington DC, Christopher M. Loverro Retired, Police Officer, Berkeley, CA, John Lum Former Chief Probation Officer, San Luis Obispo County, Kathy Marousek Deputy District Attorney, Fresno County, Richard L. Martinez

8 Program Administrator, San Quentin Prison, California Department of Corrections, Alana Mathews-Davis* Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, Ron McAndrew Warden, Florida State Prison, Warden, Central Florida Reception Center, Judge Donald McCartin Retired, Orange County Superior Court, Raymond McKeon Retired, Police Captain, South San Francisco, Pamela Merchant Former Special Counsel, Department of Justice, State of California, Former Senior Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Former Asst. Attorney General, Massachusetts, Michael R. Mitchell Warden, Wyoming Department of Corrections, Captain, Utah Dept. of Corrections, Reserve Police Officer, San Diego Police Department, CA, Retired Jennifer Mouzis Deputy District Attorney, Sacramento County, Michael D. Nasatir Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California, William D. Nyberg Correctional Administrator, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 28 years Correctional Captain, San Quentin Prison, in charge of death row for 10 years Anne T. O Dell Retired, San Diego Police Department, Detective Sergeant, Joseph Ossmann Parole Administrator, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Thomas Parker Retired, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles Bureau, Police Officer, Santa Clara, CA, Charles Patterson*

9 Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1970 Prosecutor, United States Marine Corps, Jim Petro Attorney General of Ohio, Auditor of the State of Ohio, Ohio General Assembly, Horatious B. Petty Retired Sergeant, Oakland Police Department, 26 years Probation Officer, CA, 7 years Matt Powers Retired, Deputy Chief, Sacramento Police Department, Judge Raul A. Ramirez Retired, Federal District Court, California, Superior Court Judge, Municipal Court Judge, Judge Henry Ramsey, Jr. Retired, Alameda County Superior Court, CA, Deputy District Attorney, Contra Costa County, Ismail Ramsey Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California, Abdul H. Razzaic Retired, California Correctional Officer California Probation Officer Reginald Reese Retired, California Department of Corrections, Captain, 28 years Kathryn A. Reese Retired, California Department of Corrections, Supervising Counselor II, 29 years Paulett Reynolds Deputy Sherriff, 30 years Judge Jennie Rhine Retired, Alameda County Superior Court, Anthony D. Ribera Chief, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Police Department,

10 Gina Robles Former Santa Barbara County Commissioner of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, 4 years Alberto Rodriguez Former Homicide Detective, San Antonio Police Dept., FBI Agent, Felony Prosecutor, Raymond Samuels Interim Police Chief, Lodi, CA, 2011 Interim Police Chief, Menlo Park, CA, 2010 Police Chief, Newark Police Department, CA, Police Officer, Judge H. Lee Sarokin Retired, U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeal, 17 years Judge Harold Shabo Retired, Los Angeles Superior Court, CA Karyn Sinunu-Towery County Prosecutor, California, 1986-Present Judge James M. Slater Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Santa Barbara County Municipal Court, Deputy District Attorney, Santa Barbara County, Judge Norman Spellberg Retired, Contra Costa Superior Court, Municipal Court, Mai Linh Spencer* Former Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, D.C., Former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, D.C., Darryl Stallworth Deputy District Attorney, Alameda County, CA, Norm Stamper, Ph.D. Seattle Chief of Police, San Diego Police Department,

11 Erol A. Stewart Police Officer, Miramar, FL, 29 years Judge James F. Stiven Retired, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, Marvina Strong Los Angeles Police Department, Orange County District Attorney s Office, Investigator, Steven Strong Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Detective, Morgan C. Taylor Deputy District Attorney, Monterey County, Assistant District Attorney, Santa Cruz County, Gerald Uelmen Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California, John Van de Kamp California Attorney General, District Attorney, Los Angeles, CA, John Vandevelde Assistant U.S. Attorney, Central District of California, Assistant Chief, Criminal Division, Jeffrey J. Wells Sacramento Police Department, 5 years Sacramento Sheriff's Department, 5 years TSA Agent for Homeland Security, 1 year Eric Williams Michigan State Police, Investigator, Office of the Federal Public Defender, Los Angeles, Jonathan L. Willis Deputy District Attorney, Imperial County, , Retired David Winett Associate Warden, California Department of Corrections, Jeanne Woodford Former Warden of San Quentin State Prison Former Director, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

12 Chief Probation Officer, San Francisco Adult Probation Department