PoliceDefense.org - Defending the Police - Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund

Vol 11, No. 1 (Winter, 2010)

From the Chairman

It is not often that I am able to report that we have had two major victories in our cases.
I see it as a good omen for the new year that we have won these cases: that of Sgt. Robert Lawlor of Hartford, Connecticut; and that of three officers from New Mexico — Sgt. Chris Edmondson and Officers Leonard Baca and Nolberto Dominguez.

After legal proceedings lasting four years and a month-long trial, Robert Lawlor was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter and assault, charges that carried a possible 20-year prison sentence.

Sgt. Lawlor’s attorney, Mike Georgetti, praised the work of LELDF in achieving this tremendous victory. “We could not have won this case without the unwavering support of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund,” Mr. Georgetti said. I extend my congratulations to him for his exhaustive work on this case, and to Sgt. Lawlor and his family. More details of the Lawlor case are on page one.

Our second victory was in the case of three officers from Raton, New Mexico, who were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a suspect who died from a drug overdose as he was being transported to the police station. The prosecution dropped the charge when a medical examiner confirmed that the cause of the suspect’s death was “excited delirium” from cocaine intoxication. We are happy that our efforts assisted in the exoneration of these innocent men.

As we enter a new year, I want to thank you for your loyal support. We receive no federal grants or monies from foundations. We rely totally on donations from individuals such as you to sustain the important work of LELDF in championing these and other important cases.

I hope we can continue to count on you, because without your generous help, we could not have helped Robert Lawlor, Chris Edmondson, Nolberto Dominguez, and Leonard Baca win their cases.

May your new year be a happy one, filled with many blessings.

Sincerely,

David Henderson Martin