FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2010
CONTACT: ADA Brian Buckelew, DA Harris’ Office, (415) 553-1383
Erica Terry Derryck, DA Harris’ Office, (415) 553-1167
SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY KAMALA D. HARRIS PUSHES FOR REFORM IN WAKE OF SFPD DRUG LAB CLOSURE
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris today put forward a reform plan to address problems with the narcotics division of the San Francisco Police Crime Lab, including a call for a tough new law to make it felony for lab employees to tamper with evidence. The key points of District Attorney Harris’ reform include:
1) Holding offenders accountable – Review of all drug cases that may have been affected by problems with the San Francisco Police Drug Lab with the intention of proceeding on every possible case.
2) New Felony Law for Evidence Tampering – Passage of a tough new law to make any tampering with evidence in a crime lab by a civilian employee of a police department an automatic felony punishable by state prison.
3) Independent Narcotics Testing Program – DA Harris to work with Chief Gascón and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu to develop an independent narcotics testing program in San Francisco.
In releasing the plan Harris said, “In thoroughly reviewing this serious situation with the San Francisco Police Drug Lab, I have come to the conclusion that foundational changes must be made in order to restore the integrity of this unit. There are many troubling aspects to this crisis but none more troubling than the simple fact that it is not today a felony offense for a civilian employee of any police department to knowingly tamper with drug lab evidence. I believe that people who are entrusted with important evidence under the color of authority must be held to a higher standard. That’s why I’m calling for passage of a tough new state law that makes it an automatic felony for a civilian employee of a police department to tamper with evidence in a crime lab.”
District Attorney Harris also called for other important reforms, including calling for San Francisco to create an independent narcotics testing program. District Attorney Harris praised the leadership of San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón and made clear she would work with Chief Gascón and San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu to formulate the details of the independent narcotics testing program.
In announcing this reform agenda, District Attorney Harris also addressed the handling of any future prosecution of former criminalist Deborah Madden. District Attorney Harris indicated that she asked the Attorney General’s office to review that case for possible charging at the conclusion of the SFPD investigation, as members of the District Attorney’s Office may be called to testify against Madden at some point in the future. District Attorney Harris also indicated that her Office would be improving written discovery protocols in light of the fact that Deborah Madden had a criminal conviction that had not been disclosed to the District Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Harris outlined how her office is handling the ongoing prosecution of narcotics cases, including the issuance of hundreds of arrest warrants for narcotic offenders. “My office is fully engaged in the continuing process of reviewing all drug cases that may have been affected by problems with the narcotics division of the San Francisco Police Department Crime Lab – and we have every intention of proceeding on every case that we can.”
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