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From: Jasper
Date: 3/20/03
Time: 1:52:10 PM
Remote Name: 68.73.52.68
Kari,
Yes, it was the law. No dispute about that from anybody.
The dispute comes in the application of the law were conflicting laws, individual circumstances and practical considerations come into play. When Riske and Terrazas arrived on the murder scene, both of them had the legal obligation under the state code to call the EMT as well as the coroner. That was the law.
This was the legal conflict….
As the junior officer Terrazas had to defer to Riske to honor his obligation to follow his chain of command. Riske could notify the Fire Department without breaking his chain of command and he did it. However, if he had called the coroner he would have violated the police manual guidelines for the ranking investigator to make the notification. So, Riske deferred to his supervisor Marty Coon.
Coon had the legal obligation to call the Watch Commander who, in turn had the legal obligation to the West LA Homicide Coordinator. The West LA Homicide coordinator had the obligation to call his detectives and to supervise the investigation. As soon as they arrived on the scene the lead detective or the supervisor, was supposed to call the coroner.
This setup left plenty of room for disputes between the coroner and the police. The dispute itself was enough to preserve the status quo. –Jasper