XIII.
Prosecution and Courts
To help avoid these complaints, the prosecutor and police officer must have a strong working relationship. One way to build a strong relationship is effective and open communication between the prosecutor and the police officer. Below are some things that could help build that strong working relationship between prosecutors and police officers on drunk and drugged driving cases. You must prepare for court with the prosecutor on each case. Do not wait to do this in the witness room five minutes prior to trial. Be proactive in reaching out to the prosecutor to schedule a time ahead of trial to do this. If there are any mistakes or issues with your report or investigation, contact the prosecutor as soon as the case is assigned to someone. The sooner you tell the prosecutor about the mistake or issue, the better. Do not wait for a trial date to do this. If the prosecutor is new to handling these cases, teach the prosecutor about impaired driving investigations. Invite them to go out on a ride along with you. Demonstrate the SFST to them. Invite them to come to the station or jail for a demonstration of the breath testing instrument. Teaching the prosecutor about your job will help prepare you for when you have to teach the jury from the stand.
Ask the prosecutor what the issues/defenses are in the case and how you can prepare to handle them in the courtroom.
Ask the prosecutor about the defense attorney and what you can expect on cross examination.
Ask the prosecutor about the judge and what you can expect from the judge.
During jury selection, watch the potential jurors carefully and alert the prosecutor to any concerns you may have about anyone in the box. The prosecutor will want your insights so be prepared to offer them.
Come to court on the day of trial with ALL the evidence and look professional.
By working as a team, it will allow both the prosecutor and the police officer to become better in their roles in the criminal justice system.
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®
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