San Jose's independent police auditor spoke out against criminal grand juries in response to the recent protests against police violence.
Ladoris Cordell said the entire practice of grand juries should be removed and replaced by preliminary hearings. Unlike grand juries, Cordell said hearings are open to the public, transparent, and more structured.
Cordell said she believes the jury process is a way for the prosecutor to sway the jury's opinion and the outcome during a controversial case.
"There's tremendous pressure on prosecutors when it looks like there should be criminal charges or at least exploring that issue," Cordell said. "So what they do, they convene grand juries, so they don't have to make that decision, but they can tailor what goes on in that grand jury proceeding to get the result that they want."
Cordell said since prosecutors work so closely with police, they should be the last person in charge of deciding whether to file charges against officers.
