Florida’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala has created a Brady list of police officers that prosecutors should “proceed with caution” with when using them as witnesses.
What We Know:
- Ayala listed more than a dozen current and former Central Florida law enforcement as people whom prosecutors should “proceed with caution” with when using them as witnesses in their cases. The law enforcement officers are listed from eight agencies across Orange and Osceola counties. Ayala’s team has determined these officers have questionable credibility.
- According to Orlando Police Department spokeswoman, Heidi Rodriguez, half of the officers on Ayala’s list no longer work for the agency. She says, “Those officers, along with the current 778 members of this agency, will be expected to continue performing their duties in keeping with the Department’s high standards.” Only one Orange County police officer still works with the agency that is listed and out of the five Kissimmee police officers listed, only one still works with the agency.
- Ayala announced her plan to construct this list in July 2019. It’s called the Brady list because of the U.S. Supreme Court case that required prosecutors to turn over all potentially exculpatory evidence to defendants in criminal cases. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Brady policies extend the principle to recurring state witnesses whose conduct has called into question their credibility.
- Ayala’s policy also creates a “Last Resort” list and those listed should be treated as “unreliable and not credible”. She did not decide to release this list immediately because the OPD Chief Orlando Rolon says those on the list with that mark will not be able to function at the agency but will still be paid.
For the complete list of officers Ayala has called out, visit here.
