Study Confirms Medical Marijuana Pain Relief
April 17, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) A clinical trial conducted at the University of California at Davis and just published online by the Journal of Pain has demonstrated significant relief of neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to nerves) stemming from a variety of causes. This is the second study in just over a year to show that marijuana relieves neuropathic pain, which is notoriously resistant to treatment with conventional pain drugs, including opioid narcotics. A UC San Francisco study published last year showed relief of HIV/AIDS-related neuropathy.
In the new study, 38 patients experiencing neuropathic pain from diabetes, spinal injury, multiple sclerosis and other causes were given marijuana cigarettes of three different strengths: Zero percent THC (placebo), 3.5 percent THC or 7 percent THC. In each session, patients took the same number of puffs, following a standardized procedure to ensure uniformity of the dose received at each strength.
Both doses of marijuana reduced pain significantly, producing marked declines in pain intensity that lasted over five hours. Researchers Barth Wilsey and colleagues wrote that side effects “were relatively inconsequential,” and “psychoactive effects were minimal and well-tolerated.” Although the scientists did express caution about the neurocognitive effects of the higher dose — reflected in lower scores on some tests of memory and problem solving, the study was not designed to examine the potential for marijuana to allow reduced doses of narcotic painkillers that also cause cognitive impairment, a benefit widely reported by patients.
For a copy of the complete study, contact MPP director of communications Bruce Mirken at 202-215-4205.
“This is yet more proof that the American College of Physicians was right that U.S. government policy on medical marijuana is totally divorced from scientific reality,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. “Congress needs to act to end the federal war on medical marijuana, but in the meantime states should act on their own to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest, as several states are considering right now.”
States where legislators are presently considering medical marijuana legislation include Illinois, New York and Minnesota. A medical marijuana initiative has qualified for Michigan’s November ballot.
With more than 23,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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Dowling College Holding Two Ongoing Cell Phone Drives
April 17, 2008
(Oakdale, N.Y.) The Office of Public Relations & Communications is collecting cell phones to be donated to VIBS, the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk. VIBS is a non-profit Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center in Suffolk County. VIBS accepts cell phones for distribution to our clients or recycling. All cell phones are accepted. Broken, outdated or phones without chargers will be recycled or disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner. Funds raised will be used to support VIBS’ counseling, advocacy, and preventive education & outreach services.
Phones can be left in VIBS’ drop box between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at:
- The Bookstore at the Brookhaven Campus in Shirley
- Student Services in the Racanelli Center at the Rudolph Campus in Oakdale
The Dowling Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is having an ongoing cell phone drive for the Secure the Call Foundation. This organization distributes cell phones to domestic violence shelters, senior centers, neighborhood watch groups, school crossing guards and other agencies with an immediate need for 911 access. The website is www.donatemycellphone.org.
The phones can be dropped off in the Athletic Office at the Rudolph Campus in Oakdale between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
For additional information on either cell phone drive, please call 631-244-3318.
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education. www.dowling.edu
Barney Frank Introduces Bold Reform of Federal Marijuana Laws
April 17, 2008
(Washington, D.C.) Officials of the Marijuana Policy Project praised the “Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008,” introduced today by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), as an important step toward bringing federal law into line with scientific fact, practical reality and public opinion.
“Congressman Frank’s bill represents a major step toward sanity in federal marijuana policy,” said MPP director of government relations Aaron Houston. “The decades-long federal war on marijuana protects no one and in fact has ruined countless lives. Most Americans do not believe that simple possession of a small amount of marijuana should be a criminal matter, and it’s time Congress listened to the voters.”
Frank’s bill would remove federal criminal penalties for possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of up to one ounce (28.3 grams) of marijuana. It would not change marijuana’s status as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, and would not change federal laws prohibiting the cultivation of marijuana, sale of marijuana for profit, or import or export of marijuana. It also would not affect any state or local marijuana laws or regulations.
An October 2005 Gallup poll found that 55 percent of voters believe “possession of small amounts of marijuana … should not be treated as a criminal offense,” while only 43 percent believed marijuana possession should be a criminal matter. Eleven states treat possession of a small amount of marijuana as a relatively minor offense – often a civil infraction rather than a criminal offense – that generally does not involve arrest and jail. In Alaska, possession of up to one ounce of marijuana in the home is legal, protected by the right to privacy guaranteed by the state constitution.
“In fact, federal prosecution of individuals for possession of a small amount of marijuana is extremely rare,” said Houston. “Congressman Frank’s bill would bring federal law into line with this reality, as well as with the undisputable scientific fact that marijuana is far safer than legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol.”
With more than 23,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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Bar Brawl Drives R&B John Legend and Entourage to Flee Moomia Lounge in SOHO New York City
April 17, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) American songwriter and R&B Recording Artist John Legend who is a regular at Moomia Lounge in Soho at 157 Lafayette Street pulled up to the glamorous famous nightspot with his entourage in a champagne tinted Cadillac Escalade on the evening of Saturday, April 12th. Before leaving abruptly Legend and clubbers witnessed a severe bar brawl.
One source revealed that the incident involved a gay promoter aggressively kissing one of the female clubbers on the mouth resulting in her jealous boyfriend creating a fist fight inside the club. Patrons witnessed in horror the brutal brawl resulting in some to back off and run out of the establishment. The brawl became so uncontrollable that it took as many as 10 people to separate the two fist fighters.
Legend who is famous for his platinum selling “Get Lifted” panicked, likely for getting bad press, was trying to keep a low profile and decided to leave the scene with his entourage. His bodyguards surrounded him in safety and escorted him out before the situation intensified. Legend has had a clean record and would like to keep it that way. Legend has won five Grammy Awards. Prior to the release of his debut album, Legend’s career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists including Kanye West Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. He is also a contributing philanthropist and launched the Show me Campaign, through which his fans are encouraged to donate funds toward improving the living situations and prospects of victims of extreme poverty in Mbola, Tanzania. Legend, in early 2008, began touring with Prof. Jeff Sachs Columbia University’s Earth Institute to promote sustainable development as an achievable goal. Legend is currently also rallying for Senator Barack Obama and his career is having a successful resurgence so he is not looking for trouble.
At the time of the brawl around midnight talk show host Cognac Wellerlane was interviewing for her TV Show Cognac’s Corner at Moomia Lounge. Ms. Wellerlane does a weekly gig at the club promoting talent and celebrities on her show. Moomia Lounge complete with Egyptian hieroglyphics murals and an Egyptian tomb is famous as a celebrity fashionista hangout for models, actors, filmmakers, soap opera stars, hip-hop moguls and other recording artists. The exclusive nightspot is so trendy and in fashion that there is no sign out front simply because anyone who is significant will know by word of mouth.
Both John Legend’s rep and well as Wellerlane’s rep were not unavailable for comment.
Photo: Before leaving the scene abruptly R&B Singer John Legend posed for a photo-op with photographer Diane Ducharme
Dowling College Roundtable Hosts Congressman Israel, LIPA, Empire State Development Corp., and U.S Green Building Council
April 16, 2008
(Oakdale, N.Y.) In announcing the April 18, 2008 Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute Roundtable, LIESP Director Martin Cantor said, “alternative energy solutions have become more vital than ever to the region’s energy policy, now that Governor Paterson has announced his opposition to Broadwater’s Liquid Natural Gas initiative in Long Island Sound.”
Cantor said that helping to bring reality to the notion of alternative energies will be Congressman Steve Israel (D, Dix Hills), LIPA Vice President for Environmental Affairs Michael Deering, Empire State Development Corporation Business Development Director Eugene Johnson, Dowling Professor Dr. Nicholas Mauro, and Vice Chair of the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council Art Desin.
Congressman Steve Israel, one of the first public officials to promote the idea of alternative energies and green technology explained his initiatives and support for the greening of Long Island.
Art Desin, in announcing a series of scholarships to Long Island students interested in green issues said, “alternative and green energy resources has to become second nature and is vital to the sustainability of the region.”
Eugene Johnson of Empire State Development discussed the alternative energy task force that was headed by Governor Paterson while he served as Lt. Governor. Johnson said “New York State is seriously interested in energy conservation and alternative energy policies.”
Michael Deering explained, “the upcoming energy master plan for Long Island and also how LIPA is committed to economically viable alternative energy strategies and energy conservation policies.”
Dowling Professor Dr. Nicholas Mauro noted, “solar power is becoming more cost-effective each year for residential and commercial use, with the investment recovery period of investments in solar technology now under ten years.”
Cantor concluded, “there has to be a serious cost-benefit evaluation of the myths and magic of alternative energies and what green technology means in terms of lower energy costs if Long Island is to truly benefit.”
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education. http://www.dowling.edu/
Native Long Islander In American Idol Songwriter Finals
April 16, 2008
(Long Island, N.Y.) Scott Sheets, who grew up in Garden City, Long Island, is one of 20 finalists in the American Idol Songwriters Competition with his song “Fly Me Away”. If it gets the most online votes it could be performed live on American Idol’s Finale. Voting ends April 23rd.
Sheets is not new to the music business. As a guitarist for Long Island’s own Pat Benatar in the 1980s, he penned and performed such hits as “Fire and Ice” and “Prisoner of Love”.
A resident of Brooklyn, Sheets stays true to his roots by owning and operating a computer graphics and large format printing company in Brentwood.
“Fly Me Away” was written at a pivotal point in Scott’s life and it is reflected in the lyrics. “I wrote it when I needed strength to guide me through a tough emotional time in my life,” he says.
A personal friend and music colleague of Sheets’ - John Ondrasik, of the band Five For Fighting - sang on the track.
When Scott’s not working in Brentwood, he can sometimes be found at clubs around New York City performing with his re-formed 1970s band, The Brats.
Voters in the competition are asked to rate the songs based on their musical structure and the skill of the songwriter, not on the song’s performance or recording quality.
Music fans can vote for the new American Idol Songwriter by visiting the contest’s homepage at http://songwriter.americanidol.com
For more information please contact Sheets’ publicist at:
(301) 606-8848
GSA Focused on Stretching Tax Dollars
April 16, 2008
(Washington, D.C.) Bargains from Washington must seem rare. When was the last time you read a positive story about the federal bureaucracy? Or an agency that saved taxpayer dollars by improving programs or making tough business decisions?
Such agencies exist, and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is among them. GSA was created in 1949 to handle the business of government. That is, GSA provides goods, services and workspace to all the other agencies at best value so they can concentrate on their core missions.
Maybe you’ve heard of GSA. If so, it’s doubtful you know that GSA practically supports itself. Less than 2 percent of GSA funding comes from Congress. Instead, GSA runs off the fees it charges for supplying all those goods and services to the other agencies. They don’t have to use GSA, but many choose to because buying in bulk enables us to offer steep discounts. Sound familiar?
The notion of a self-funding federal agency may not take the entire sting out of this April 15th, but it might help a little. So will this:
- GSA offers discount commercial airfares to feds on official business at an average savings of 67 percent below full commercial fares;
- GSA Fleet saves customers about 42 percent off of commercially available vehicle leasing options;
- GSA’s E-Travel initiative saved the Treasury Department $402,000 in travel management fees last year;
- The Federal Acquisition Institute saves taxpayers about 40 percent off commercial training prices by strategically sourcing training;
- Projects with GSA Public Buildings Service brokers are more than 13 percent below the real estate market. And thanks to increased efficiency, leasing fees to customer agencies last year declined from 8 to 7 percent;
- GSA’s automotive services obtain volume discounts for customers by consolidating motor vehicle acquisitions across the federal government, generating a 28 percent savings for customer agencies;
- And GSA-managed USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov, which provide easy access to official government information and services, were featured on TIME Magazine’s “sites we can’t live without.”
GSA has also been working steadily to: improve its emergency response capabilities, speed construction at badly congested U.S. land ports of entry; promote telework throughout the government; help “green” the government by highlighting environmentally-friendly products and services; and to expand federal contracting opportunities for small businesses.
This is not the proverbial tree in the forest, by the way. When agencies become more efficient and effective, taxpayers benefit, whether or not there’s a story in the press. That’s news worth knowing the month we all pay our taxes.
Lurita Doan is Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration
Informative Health and Wellness Fair Held at Dowling College
April 15, 2008
(Oakdale, N.Y.) Dowling College Continuing Education recently held a Health and Wellness Fair at the Rudolph Campus in Oakdale that was free and open to the public. This informative event hosted various informational booths featuring chiropractors, massage therapists, nutritionists, acupuncturists and herbalists.
Good Samaritan Hospital representatives were also present at the event, including the departments of Breast Health, Radiology, Nutrition and Rehabilitation. They handed out helpful literature and brochures to all participants.
To learn more about other upcoming Continuing Education events, please visit www.dowling.edu.
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
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Kelly Kazemier
Director of Communications
631-244-3318
Medical Marijuana Advocates Announce TV Ad Campaign Featuring Seriously Ill Patients
April 14, 2008
(Minneapolis, M.N.) Advocates announced the first in a new series of TV ads today featuring seriously ill patients asking Minnesotans to urge Gov. Tim Pawlenty not to veto a bill to protect suffering Minnesotans from arrest for using medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.
The ad, which will begin running on broadcast and cable stations throughout Minnesota later this week, can be viewed online here: http://www.minnesotacares.org/Ads_video.html.
The ad features Lynn Rubenstein Nicholson of Minneapolis, who suffers intractable pain after enduring 10 surgeries following a back injury.
“Really, the only thing that gave me relief was marijuana,” Nicholson says in the ad of her struggle to find relief from the constant pain that keeps her bedridden most of the time. “It’s not ok to break the law … I’m tired of being a criminal.”
SF 345, which is sponsored in the House by Rep. Thomas Huntley (DFL-Duluth), passed in the Senate last year, and the House Ways and Means Committee, 13-4, April 9. The bill is heading to the House floor for a vote soon, but Gov. Tim Pawlenty has threatened to veto it if it passes.
“The governor has threatened a veto after hearing from certain aspects of the law enforcement community,” said Neal Levine, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Hopefully, before he finalizes his decision, he will also consider the opinions of the hundreds of doctors, thousands of nurses, multitude of medical associations, the vast majority of Minnesotans and suffering patients like Lynn, who all support this bill.”
The bill’s chances were recently boosted by a strong statement supporting medical marijuana from the 124,000-member American College of Physicians, the second largest physician group in the U.S. Their statement is available at http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.pdf.
Twelve states – Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington – presently allow medical use of marijuana. Medical marijuana bills are now under consideration in Illinois and New York, and an initiative is expected to appear on Michigan’s November ballot.
With more than 23,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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Senator Schneiderman, Innocence Project and Others Champion Mandatory Electronic Recording of Interrogations
April 14, 2008
(Stony Brook, N.Y.) On Friday, April 11, State Senators Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan/Bronx), Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn), John Sabini (D-Queens), John Sampson (D-Brooklyn), Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) and Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan), Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove), and leading criminal justice advocates took part in a public forum to address wrongful convictions and Mandatory Electronic Recording of Interrogations.
At the forum, expert testimony was presented by Barry Scheck of The Innocence Project, which is affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Nicholas A. Gravante, the attorney who represented Frank Esposito in People v. Esposito, the representatives for Long Island native Martin Tankleff, who was present at the forum, Thomas P. Sullivan, a former United States attorney and national expert on recording custodial interrogations, Jeffrey Szabo, Deputy County Executive and Chief of Staff to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, and Jeffrey Deskovic, who was exonerated in 2006 after serving 15 years in prison for a murder and sexual assault that he did not commit.
Schneiderman, who chairs the New York State Senate Democratic Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform and also serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Codes Committee as well as a Commissioner on the New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform, has worked tirelessly to ensure that the guilty are punished and innocent persons are safeguarded. Testimony from today’s forum will be used to develop legislation that ensures the public’s trust in New York’s criminal justice system.
”A grave injustice is committed when we create victims out of innocent people because inefficient, unreliable and out of date models of interrogation continue to be used,” Schneiderman said. “Too often, criminal cases have been decided on little more than he-said/she-said. We need mandatory electronic recording so that justice is carried out with precision, so that detectives can do their work knowing their efforts are well-documented, and with no lingering question about whether the right person is off the streets.”
Senator Schneiderman proposed amendments to protect the innocent that included mandatory electronic recording of custodial interrogations to a number of bills last year. He has worked with many of the country’s leading experts on criminal justice reform, including the Innocence Project, whose Co-Founder, Barry Scheck, presented testimony today.
The Innocence Project has helped to exonerate 215 individuals in the United States since 1989. According to Scheck, “Twenty-three people in New York were wrongfully convicted and served years or decades in prison before DNA proved their innocence.” He also pointed out that “New York has seen more DNA exonerations than almost any other state in the nation – but has not yet taken action to prevent future injustice by implementing simple, straightforward reforms. Nobody – not the police, prosecutors, judges, victims, or the public at large – benefits from these wrongful convictions. The only person who benefits from a wrongful conviction is the real perpetrator of a crime, who evades justice. Leadership in New York State’s executive, legislative and judicial branches must enact reforms that can restore public confidence in the state’s criminal justice system and improve public safety.”
Addressing the information provided by the Innocence Project, Nassau County Assemblyman Charles Lavine commented, “As Americans, we have always valued the integrity of our system of criminal justice. The inquiry of the Senate’s Democratic Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform provides the citizens of New York the opportunity to examine how we are best able to protect the public in an era of dramatic technological advances while at the same time protecting the rights of our individual citizens.”
State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, a long time advocate for reforming criminal justice polices in New York, continued “The hundreds of exonerations across the nation over the past several years should inspire us to fix the cracks in our criminal justice system. The videotaping of police interrogations will provide us with the added assurance that our criminal justice system is working properly, and that we are only convicting the real perpetrator of a crime.”
“False confessions under coercion are a major source of wrongful convictions,” added State Senator John Sabini. “Recording interrogations for violent crimes is a major step toward preventing these injustices.”
State Senator John Sampson noted, “By videotaping confessions, we eliminate the questions of whether or not the defendant has been coerced or other unorthodox means have been used to solicit confessions.”
State Senator Eric Adams, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Crime Victims, Crime, and Corrections Committee, spoke about his experience as a law enforcement official. “Recording interrogations doesn’t just protect the innocent, but also serves our police and prosecutors as well. Speaking as a former New York City police officer, I am committed to joining the other states across our nation that have already taken steps to enact this common sense policy.”
State Senator Bill Perkins agreed with his colleagues and added, “False confessions undermine the credibility of our criminal justice system, and ultimately the viability of our democracy.”
In over 25% of the Innocence Project’s DNA exoneration cases, the innocent defendants made confessions or incriminating statements, or simply pled guilty to the crimes. Studies show that the incorporation of harsh tactics, exhaustion, and intimidation or coercion during lengthy interrogation sessions can cause innocent suspects to confess to crimes they did not commit. These tactics are especially successful when used with minors such as in the cases of People v. Esposito and People v. Tankleff.
As a young man, Frank Esposito was brought up on charges that set a stable on fire. The prosecution’s case hinged on a videotaped confession of the then 17-year-old suspect that was coerced by the detectives after 18 hours of interrogation, during which time Esposito did not sleep or eat. In that interrogation, the detectives lied to the suspect about failing a polygraph test and whether or not his friends supported his alibi.
Nicholas A. Gravante, an attorney for Esposito, said “Nothing is more disturbing than innocent people sitting in prison for crimes they did not commit. Recording custodial interrogations in their entirety would minimize that possibility by inhibiting law enforcement from overreaching and preventing suspects from falsely alleging that they did. It would be a win-win situation for the justice system.”
Also testifying today about the benefits of mandatory electronic recording were advocates for Martin Tankleff, who was convicted and sentenced to 50-years-to-life after allegedly confessing to his parents’ double-homicide. Last year, after serving over 17 years in prison, the New York State Appellate Court 2nd Department unanimously overturned his conviction. Tankleff is still in the process of trying to vacate his indictments.
Lonnie Soury and Eric Friedman, who testified on behalf of Tankleff who sat in the audience due to his ongoing litigation, pointed out that “the larger meaning of Marty Tankleff’s case is to point out the gap in our system, which is that when there is a horrible, obvious mistake made, there is no mechanism for correcting it. To leave it to the judicial and prosecutorial entities to correct their own mistakes is what leads the wrongfully convicted to remain imprisoned for many, many years.”
Martin Tankleff was joined by Jeffrey Deskovic, a Westchester County resident who served 15 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Mr. Deskovic was exonerated, with the assistance of the Innocence Project, in 2006. “It is essential that we mandate videotaping interrogations and enact other reforms to prevent wrongful convictions, so that other people don’t suffer the same fate I did by serving time in prison for crimes they did not commit,” said Deskovic.
Over 500 jurisdictions nationwide, including the states of Alaska, Minnesota and Illinois, regularly record police interrogations. Despite the undeniable benefits of mandatory electronic recording, previous efforts to implement a system of checks-and-balances in New York State with mandatory electronic recording have been largely unsuccessful.
Thomas P. Sullivan, who co-chairs the Illinois Governor’s Commission on the Death Penalty, testified that “recording custodial interrogations saves time and money, creates compelling evidence and is effective in resolving disputes involving allegations of police misconduct and whether confessions are voluntary.” In a 2004 report titled Police Experiences with Recording Custodial Interrogations, Mr. Sullivan documented the overwhelming approval of mandatory electronic recording of interrogations by law enforcement officials who have experienced the first-hand benefits.
Jeffrey Szabo, Deputy County Executive and Chief of Staff to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, also testified about Suffolk County’s effort to mandate recording of interrogations in homicide cases once a suspect arrives at the police station.
“There are clear examples of people who have been wrongfully convicted, and there are compelling examples of how the bad guy may have been let free,” Szabo continued. “Given that, it seems appropriate for us to implement mandatory electronic recordings of interrogations as the normal protocol when investigating criminal matters. It is imperative that our system of justice operate with the most up-to-date tools and resources. I will continue to work with my colleagues and experts in this field to develop smart legislation and responsible policies that hold our legal system to the highest standard.”
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Photo: New York State Senator Eric Schneiderman
