Judges suspend use of investigative grand juries in police shootings
Posted at: 01/29/2013 8:16 AM
By: The Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Bernalillo County District Court judges are barring District Attorney Kari Brandenberg's office from using investigative grand juries to probe shootings involving police officers.
Chief Judge Ted Baca and another judge say in a letter to Brandenberg that there's an appearance of a lack of impartiality.
The judges' letter says that's because the investigative grand juries are used only in officer-involved shootings and only after there's been a determination that there's no probable cause for criminal charges against the officers.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that use of investigative grand juries already had been halted by Brandenberg since early 2012.
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