FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier in the Tampa field office and Department of Justice spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa in Washington spoke to the Los Angeles Times about their investigation of the Trayvon Martin case. They made it completely clear that their investigation is not focused on the Sanford police department. And if they’re running into problems with the department, they’re keeping a tight poker face.
So there’s no federal investigation into the local police?
Hinojosa: When the Justice Department investigates a whole police department, like we did in New Orleans or in L.A., that is a pattern of practice investigation — that’s something different. We are not doing that here.
What happens if, in the course of your investigation, you uncover improprieties by local police or prosecutors?
Couvertier: If something like that did come up, that would be addressed accordingly, either by state [investigators], federal, or both. But right now we are focused on the circumstances surrounding Trayvon’s death and his civil rights. The state attorney’s office is looking at the death and how everything was handled so they would be aware of any issues and address those accordingly.
I think we’ve been witnessing an ongoing conspiracy and cover-up, and I think the entire investigation of the Trayvon Martin case has been compromised. I think false police reports were filed. I think witnesses were mishandled. I can’t imagine that the FBI can get the facts of this case without running up against false statements and unethical behavior by police officers and their higher-ups.
That’s also true for the Florida state investigator. But I don’t think Roscoe P. Coltrane and Enos are going to be able to keep their stories straight.
I’m not convinced there were false police reports, but I do agree there are enough questions that there desperately needs to be a very thorough investigation of how authorities handled the case.
And now another witness has appeared who says he saw Zimmerman immediately after the shooting, and doesn’t remember him being injured at all; and according to him, the entire confrontation occurred only on grass.
I’ve heard concerns that this has been done so badly that it may be impossible to convict Zimmerman even if they do arrest him. There’s a lot of reasonable doubt that’s been created by improper police and prosecutor procedures.
I wish I had faith in the state investigators that answer to Gov. Rick Scott to do a good job in holding local authorities accountable for any improprieties. I really wish I did.
I think the fact that the DOJ is milling about makes that a bit more likely.
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Say no more!
Killer of Trayvon Martin is son of retired Virginia State Supreme Court Judge
“The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting, are false and extremely misleading,” his father, a retired magistrate judge, wrote in a letter published in the Orlando Sentinel. “Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas.”
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."I think the first answer is some misdirection. I suspect that, technically, they are investigating two or three or four individual cops and prosecutors. Investigate the Sanford Police Department? Oh, heavens no, because of jargon jargon jargon.
I agree
The FBI just started their investigation. Of course, they are going to start with the events. This is high-profile enough that the FBI is going to try to avoid messing up. And the FBI is not in the habit of making definitive public statements (unless it fits their political bias).
If there was some sort of conspiracy, it seems at least some of the police involved were not in on it. Martin’s mother said that Seriono, the lead investigator, had told her that he and the officer with him didn’t believe Martin’s story, and would try to catch him in a lie.
Of course if the was a conspiracy, the first thing you would do is tell the victims family that you were ‘on it’, and checking the perps story hoping to catch him up. ‘move along, move along, nothing to see here.’
nalbar
Nobody is going to prison. Someone may end up arrested, but no convictions. This is all a smoke screen to stall until the media loses attention. The ‘cover-up’ was successful. The crime scene was not protected, the police provided a cover story, the victim was publicly disparaged, the police and attorneys will protect each other.
nalbar
Last night’s news focused on the interviews given by Zimmerman’s father and brother and how they are melding into a sophisticated recreation to re-answer what the facts dispute. When one of the Zimmermans tossed out the comment ‘the police have advised us to not comment on that’ there was an uproar at MSNBC that the cat had been let out of that bag that the police were inappropriately talking/advising.
There’s real ugliness through and through in this one.