NH- Police officers propensity for lying is classified as "Laurie Materials" what is it called in other states?
New Hampshire Town and City Article Index
Policy Needed on Police Personnel Files
New Hampshire Town and City, May 2004
Q. What are Laurie materials?
A. Not all information in a police officer’s disciplinary file is considered Laurie material that must be turned over to the prosecutor. The model policy proposed by the Attorney General’s office describes Laurie materials as: a deliberate lie during a court case, administrative hearing, other official proceeding, or internal investigation or police report; falsification of records or evidence; egregious dereliction of duty that implicates a police officer’s character for truthfulness; founded complaints of excessive use of force; mental instability resulting in suspension of the officer for evaluation or treatment, except for counseling after involvement in a traumatic incident or when no disciplinary action was taken.
In the Laurie case, the police officer’s file included documentation of many incidents that “reflect negatively on [the officer’s] character and credibility,” according to the Court. These incidents included false statements about qualifications on employment applications, claims that he had never been disciplined by pervious employers despite incidents of excessive force, abusive treatment and threats of physical harm directed at civilians, suspensions from duty, tainted court cases due to lack of truthfulness as determined by polygraph tests, misuse of firearms and a psychologist’s recommendation that the officer “should not be entrusted with a gun and a badge” and should be referred for counseling. The file was deemed material to the officer’s character and credibility, and failure by the police department to make the information available to the defense resulted in overturning a first-degree murder conviction.
The following excerpt is taken from the Union Leader February 20, 2011 article:
The committee that disciplines judges has cautioned Goffstown District Court Judge Paul H. Lawrence for discussing a Weare police lieutenant's credibility to a prosecutor, but dismissed the scathing complaint the officer filed accusing the judge of abuse of office.
The Supreme Court Judicial Conduct Committee voted to dismiss Lt. James Carney's complaint, finding no judicial misconduct, at its December meeting.
Carney, an 18-year veteran police officer and second in command at the Weare Police Department, complained that Lawrence told newly hired police prosecutor Catherine Baumann last summer that the officer had "Laurie" issues, when he in fact did not.
Prosecutors and police chiefs are required to maintain a list of officers with Laurie issues, which are confidential personnel matters that show a police officer's propensity for dishonesty. It is information that could be turned over to defense counsel if the officer were to testify at trial.
Links:http://www.nhlgc.org/publications/item_detail.asp?TCArticleID=219
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Judge+cautioned+in+officer%27s+complaint&articleId=1cd8723c-5e3a-42b2-955e-1dde6a8cf8b3