ROBERT FICKMAN
--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. one 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.
