oceanblueeyes
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They do it all the time now Shef.
I don't know when or how this trend got started where they seem to believe that the public has no right to know anything. They keep everybody as dumbed down as possible, refuse to answer the most basic questions at press conferences, and won't share vital information with the public that most likely would help solve the crime faster.
This "Us against Them" mentality that has developed in LE the last few years needs to come to an end.
I don't think I have really ever seen any law enforcement department come out and speak openly about the evidence they have gathered in an ongoing investigation about any case before a suspect is arrested. So while the TBI has refused to divulge any evidence they have it seem to me to be what most law agencies do. Not in recent years but for decades now.
The only time I have seen evidence divulged in a case was after an arrest had been made in Florida cases and documents are available for public viewing before trial. Other than that one state I don't recall other law agencies discussing the evidence with the public about any particular case.
Now we do get to hear some of the evidence the DA has if there happens to be a preliminary hearing instead of going to the GJ. Or if there is a bond hearing held the DA will layout some of the evidence if he is not wanting the suspect to be bonded out. But it seems like all of LE are very secretive about what they have when the investigation is ongoing.
But pretty much all agencies that I have seen work on the same premise and keep the evidence they have found close to their vest and they are never revealed before trial. Maybe this is due to not wanting to be accused of tainting a future potential jury pool. Or simply not wanting the suspect to know what they have or know before there is an arrest made.
I can see both sides of the issue though. I really don't see it changing where LE will disclose certain things they don't want the public or media to know about especially if no suspects have been arrested and the case in ongoing.
Maybe negative pretrial publicity has become a major issue on most appeals and they feel this way the defendant will have less issues to appeal. I have seen several defense attorneys say that LE or the DA purposefully leaked certain evidence in order to make the suspect look guilty even before a trial. At least in this case I don't think that will be an appellate issue since they have been very tightlipped from the very beginning.
IMO