In This Issue - Vol 4, No. 1 (Winter, 2003)
Scott Smith’s Conviction Overturned
Stephanie Mohr Sentenced to 10 Years
Profile: COPS Helps Families of Slain Officers
From the Chairman
My sincere thanks for your generous contributions to the LELDF. Without your charitable support, we could not have gone to the aid of outstanding policemen such as Charles Schwarz, Jeremy Morse, Brian Catlett, Scott Smith, and Stephanie Mohr.
Officer Scott Smith successfully appealed his conviction for manslaughter (see page 2) and the new trial is expected to be held in March or April. Officer Schwarz reluctantly agreed to a sentence to end his five-year ordeal of prosecution. With your support, he was given the means to fight the enormous power of a federal prosecutor on an equal basis (see page 1). Officer Morse was terminated from his job with the Inglewood (California) Police Department and still faces criminal assault charges (see page 3). Officer Stephanie Mohr’s appeal to the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is still pending. Like Officers Schwarz and Smith, we believe that Officer Mohr was unfairly charged and convicted and that her conviction will be overturned (see page 4). The LELDF will continue supporting all of these officers in their efforts to gain vindication.
As spokesman for the LELDF, I have the opportunity to speak to many police groups around the country. One thing that I always tell my audience is that being a police officer is the toughest and most dangerous job in the United States. The recent “sniper” (in fact, they were cowardly killers and not legitimate snipers as the term is used in the military) attacks truly drove home to citizens in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., the dangers of police work.
Police officers work long hours, face danger daily, and work for wages that are not commensurate with the hazards encountered every day. They must be constantly vigilant and use caution and judgment when required to exercise force. Thus, when they get charged civilly or criminally for actions taken in the line of duty — especially when the use of force is involved — such conduct is evaluated in the context of what was reasonable under the circumstances.
When an officer’s life or another life is threatened, action is obviously necessary. However, knowing precisely what level of force is required and justified is not always clear. This is why the LELDF was founded — to help the officer who uses his best judgment in a very dangerous and difficult situation and gets charged for just trying to do his job. It is through friends such as you that we continue this important work, and we very much appreciate your support of the LELDF. As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
David Henderson Martin
