“I completely understand the county attorney’s duties of disclosure, but I think the way this list is held over an officer’s head is completely unfair and not based on any kind of legal effect,” Storie said.

“(The information) never comes into a court case. I’ve never seen a case where it’s been admissible.”

All it takes for an officer to land on the list is one member of the chain of command who reviews an internal affairs investigation to believe that the officer was untruthful or engaged in some kind of conduct that could speak to the officer’s credibility, Storie said.

If several other members don’t sustain that finding and the officer isn’t ultimately disciplined, that person still stays on the list, which Storie says he’s seen seriously damage careers.

REFINING PROCESSES

The reasons officers are put on the list may not always be admissible and in most cases, the trial can proceed as planned. The decision is made on a case-by-case basis, but what remains constant is that the County Attorney’s Office will disclose the information to defense attorneys, Mosher said.