Speeches & Articles

City Hall Speech

--My name is Robert Fickman.

--I am the president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association.

--On behalf of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, I am here to request that council complete the funding of the Bromwich investigation.

--Mr. Bromwich was hired to do a job by the city.

--He was hired to investigate the HPD crime labs.

--Mr. Bromwich, a distinguished federal investigator, did just that.

--To date the investigation revealed numerous serious problems within HPD's crime labs.

--the investigation revealed among other things:

-- 1. That the HPD's crime labs could not be relied upon.

-- 2. HPD crime lab employees fabricated test results on more than one occasion.

-- 3. There was a lack of supervision and accountability within the HPD crime labs.

-- 4. That evidence was not properly stored within the crime labs.

--the investigation shed light on the HPD crime labs, where light needed to be shed.

--In June of this year Mr. Bromwich's team asked for additional funds to complete the HPD investigation.

--In June of this year this council denied those funds.

--Those of us involved in the criminal justice system have patiently waited for city council to do the right thing.

--There is no question as to what the right thing is.

--The right thing is to complete the funding of the investigation into HPD's crime labs.

--The right thing is to let Mr. Bromwich finish the job he started.

--This community deserves to know the truth about HPD.

--This council has the power and responsibility to make certain that past outrageous misconduct by the HPD crime labs is not repeated.

--The only way to ensure that we do not repeat HPD's history of deceit is to fully expose it.

--The only way to eliminate the culture of lying that is pervasive at HPD is to shine a continuing light on HPD.

--On behalf of the Harris county criminal lawyers association I urge you to fully fund the Bromwich investigation.

--I urge you to allocate sufficient funds so that the HPD crime lab investigation can be completed

--The Harris county criminal lawyers association will not rest until the investigation of the HPD crime lab is complete.

--We will not rest until the full truth is reported and some sense of justice is restored.

--On this you have my word.