Allegations of rampant perjury by a Philadelphia cop is raising new questions about the pervasiveness of police lying in America, reports Salon. In recent weeks, the media has focused on police lying in Chicago, where false statements underpin a culture that protects everything from physical abuse to illegal searches. But Chicago is far from alone.
The Defender Association of Philadelphia is seeking to have more than 500 convictions involving Officer Christopher Hulmes reopened and tossed out. In 2011, Hulmes admitted to lying in open court in a drug-and-gun case against two black men who claim they were framed. He did so in front of a judge and prosecutor but was not charged with perjury until this April, when the now-defunct Philadelphia City Paper published an investigation of Hulmes. “Police perjury has a corrosive effect upon the entire judicial system,” said Brad Bridge, an expert in police misconduct at the Philadelphia public defender.