Ever served on a jury?

[BrianT]

I just got my first ever summons for jury duty. I'm quite sure I'll be booted as soon as the defense finds out my occupation. Have any of you ever been seated on a jury in a criminal case as an LEO? I just can't imagine it happening unless the defendant had used all of his strikes.

[GoldBadge]

I just recently got called for jury duty and almost got empaneled for a civil jury, but I was excused in one of the last cuts. One of my peers actually sat on a civil jury.

[BikeCop501]

Yup. And then they find out Im a cop and the Defense attorney normally uses me as a strike.

[bigcitypolice06]

Not required to serve jury duty as an active full time peace officer!!!

[just joe]

No, but my chief has.

[jdthor]

been called many times. always one of the 10 strikes ,but i know alot of officers who have been picked.

[Dinosaur32]

I've seen a number of NYPD officers serve on criminal juries in non-cop cases. Defense attorneys will pick an officer for the fact that he/she can read through the bull.

[Mulgrave600]

We're legally prohibited from serving on juries.

[Iowa #1603]

I was called to serve on a STATE jury in th.e late 1990's....................seated in the first "draw" and excused by the defense attorney.

I was sent a notice for FEDERAL jury. QUICKLY used my LE exemption from service with a copy of my work ID sent to the Clerk.

[GoldBadge]

I was sent a notice for FEDERAL jury. QUICKLY used my LE exemption from service with a copy of my work ID sent to the Clerk.

I dunno if that still works.

When I lived in Maryland right outside of DC, I got called for county jury duty. At the outset, they asked for those who were LE to raise their hands. At least 25% of those there did (it was loaded with federal agents who lived in MD but worked in DC). We had to line up and each tell the judge privately what we did. We were then ushered into an auditorium type room where we spent the rest of the day reading and talking. No automatic excusal, but we made great contacts!

[ateamer]

Nope. In Cali, peace officers are exempt from jury duty. I suspect the lawyers and judges favored that law as much as our organizations that sponsored it did. We all know that they aren't going to accept a copper on the jury, so why waste the time trying?

[Chopshopcop]

Professional exemptions were eliminated here several years ago when it was realized that the pool of potential jurors was steadily shrinking; there were more persons to be disqualified than there were that could be qualified. Fewer actual taxpayers, more felons than registered voters, made it more difficult to seat juries. Cops, lawyers and others who were once automatically exempted were now required to report for duty. However in practice, they are still routinely struck from criminal trials but often wind up on civil cases. Several retirees have served on the grand jury as well. Active officers are called but also struck to prevent them from acting on their own cases.

I was called on a criminal case about 15 years ago. The judge recognized me, I knew both attorneys through previous cases with each, my wife is an officer and I had worked burglary cases. I was exempted. The person next to me was married to one of my former partners, and her brother-in-law was a prominent defense attorney. She was exempted. The next guy wasn't so lucky.

" I ain't a cop, I ain't married to a cop, I don't know any cops and I don't know any attorneys". He was selected.

[ArmyVet]

I received jury notification while I was in Afghanistan. I told them I couldn't make it.

[Iowa #1603]

I dunno if that still works.

When I lived in Maryland right outside of DC, I got called for county jury duty. At the outset, they asked for those who were LE to raise their hands. At least 25% of those there did (it was loaded with federal agents who lived in MD but worked in DC). We had to line up and each tell the judge privately what we did. We were then ushered into an auditorium type room where we spent the rest of the day reading and talking. No automatic excusal, but we made great contacts!

It might be sight specific.


In the DC area, it might be next to impossible to swing a cat an not hit a cop of some flavor.


Out here in the sticks there are plenty of others to pick from.


OUR District still exempts CO's and Cops


In my state case, I knew the defendant, knew the victim, knew the prosecutor, knew the cops investigating the crime AND was a former deputy sheriff working as a Correctional Supervisor.

The judge wouldn't dismiss me.


The defense attorney remembered me from arresting his daughter.

[ArmyVet]

Yeah, I meant to talk to you about that... we have a Bench Warrant for Contempt out on you.

When I learned of this warrant, I told them they could come and get me! I wasn't sure how the extradition process worked from over there, but I was assured that they could deliver me from any US base in the world and would only be free if I decided to flee the FOB and become a citizen of Afghanistan. That did not work out so well for me and thus I returned.

Actually, it was toward the end of my deployment, so I postponed it by about six weeks. The place I moved to upon my return was in a different county and they didn't want me anymore.