Police perjury

In criminal law, police perjury, sometimes euphemistically called "testilying",[1][2] is the act of a police officer knowingly giving false testimony. It is typically used in a criminal trial to "make the case" against defendants believed by the police to be guilty when irregularities during the suspects' arrest or search threaten to result in their acquittal. It also can be extended to encompass substantive misstatements of fact to convict those whom the police believe to be guilty, procedural misstatements to "justify" a search and seizure, or even the inclusion of statements to frame an innocent citizen.[1][3] More generically, it has been said to be "[l]ying under oath, especially by a police officer, to help get a conviction."[4]

  1. ^ a b Slobogin, Christopher (Fall 1996). "Reform The Police: TESTILYING: POLICE PERJURY AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT". University of Colorado Law Review. 67. Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado Law School: 1037. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  2. ^ Hays, Tom (March 21, 1996). "Law and Disorder: NYPD Tackles 'Testilying'". AP News. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  3. ^ Editorial Board (July 2, 2015). "Editorial: Police perjury: It's called 'testilying'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  4. ^ McFedries, Paul. "testilying". Word Spy. Retrieved December 28, 2012.