Is it legal for police to knowingly lie to the media?

[AnyAdvice?]

What is the name of your state? California

A friend of mine was recently (and forcefully) arrested on suspicion of grabbing and fondling a young teenager. He was ID'd via in-field identification, despite the fact he did not resemble the alleged victim's initial description. He has been jailed since then, awaiting trial. Shortly after his arrest, the police released his picture and statements to the press, in which they made many statements which were fictitious. It appears they did this knowingly, as their written statements contain a more truthful account. These lies include alleging:

1. My friend was spotted running from the scene of the crime by the responding officer.
2. This responding officer called for assistance in apprehending my friend, and chased my friend to the scene of his arrest.
3. My friend resisted arrest and had to be tasered in order to get him to submit.
4. The victim was battered and had to fight for her release.

All of these statements are false, as verified by the police officer's written statements.

This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the case. My question is, is it legal for the police to knowingly lie about the facts, especially since this makes my friend appear guilty? And is there any legal recourse for my friend?

What is the name of your state? California

 

[fairisfair]

What is the name of your state? California

A friend of mine was recently (and forcefully) arrested on suspicion of grabbing and fondling a young teenager. He was ID'd via in-field identification, despite the fact he did not resemble the alleged victim's initial description. He has been jailed since then, awaiting trial. Shortly after his arrest, the police released his picture and statements to the press, in which they made many statements which were fictitious. It appears they did this knowingly, as their written statements contain a more truthful account. These lies include alleging:

1. My friend was spotted running from the scene of the crime by the responding officer.
2. This responding officer called for assistance in apprehending my friend, and chased my friend to the scene of his arrest.
3. My friend resisted arrest and had to be tasered in order to get him to submit.
4. The victim was battered and had to fight for her release.

All of these statements are false, as verified by the police officer's written statements.

This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the case. My question is, is it legal for the police to knowingly lie about the facts, especially since this makes my friend appear guilty? And is there any legal recourse for my friend?What is the name of your state? California

of course there is, present his defense at trial. By the way none of the things that you listed swayed me in any way to believing that your friend was guilty.

 

[AnyAdvice?]

of course there is, present his defense at trial. By the way none of the things that you listed swayed me in any way to believing that your friend was guilty.

That's good to hear! Many of those I have consulted are surprised he's still incarcerated, as the investigation was rather sloppy and much of the alleged evidence appears inadmissible. However, it's a small county so I suspect that has something to do with it.

 

[fairisfair]

That's good to hear! Many of those I have consulted are surprised he's still incarcerated, as the investigation was rather sloppy and much of the alleged evidence appears inadmissible. However, it's a small county so I suspect that has something to do with it.

or perhaps there is other evidence that you are not aware of.

And, just so we are clear, nothing that you said made me think he was innocent either.

 

[AnyAdvice?]

It is possible that they are witholding evidence illegally, but I do know all the information the prosecution was required to submit as a part of discovery. However, even if/when my friend is cleared, he will have to relocate. He worked as a security guard, and I anticipate that he will have difficult finding a job in the local area due to the lies that were printed.

 

[seniorjudge]

It is possible that they are witholding evidence illegally, but I do know all the information the prosecution was required to submit as a part of discovery. However, even if/when my friend is cleared, he will have to relocate. He worked as a security guard, and I anticipate that he will have difficult finding a job in the local area due to the lies that were printed.

What is the statute number you are charged under?

 

[AnyAdvice?]

(I'm not the one charged, he is currently in jail on $250,000 bail)

There are 3 counts that I know of, they may have been revised since then. I will know more after this weekend:

Section 288(a)
Section 296
Section 243.4(a)

 

[AnyAdvice?]

The case is essentially that of a groping-and-running case. However:
-The victim's initial description of her attacker does not meet that of my friend, it is pretty far off.
-She identified him via in-field identification, even though the police station was 3 blocks away and more proper methods could have been used.


I really don't want to discuss his case, though, other than to comment that he has a strong defense. What I'm really concerned about are the lies spread in the media by the police. How can we get these retracted? What can we do, since these were provided by an "authoritative" source? Their written statements contain the truth, but of course we know it's not a good idea to release these due to the impending trial.