Q: Hurried, sloppy police report involving fatality. Police report is dismissive and detective on case is unprofessional.
My mother was tragically killed while standing on her front yard.A driver rear-ended a vehicle,caused that vehicle to come crashing into our front yard, hit my mother,ran over her,& ultimately killed her.The police dept. took 8 months to finish the report,upsetting me.The police report imo is sloppy & vague and the detective on it is dismissive and complacent.He never concludes that P1 (driver) who caused all this killed my mother.He just wrote, "P1 (driver 1) hit P2 (vehicle that was rear-ended),& P3 (my mother) was hit by P2,sustaining injuries,but was in stable condition at the time." I get this impression that the detective is reluctant to assert that P1's action killed my mother.Plus, the coroner called me about 3 weeks after she concluded her exam on my mom's body & asked me for the cop's #,which I gave. I presume she called the cop to discuss.Cop says per report that the legal assistant discussed the coroner’s finding with him, and not the coroner. What can I do about this?
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A:
I'm sorry to hear about the tragic loss of your mother. You have several options to address the issues with the police report and the detective's handling of the case.
First, you can file a formal complaint with the police department. This can be done through the department's internal affairs division, which investigates allegations of misconduct. Document all your interactions with the detective and any discrepancies you found in the report, as this will support your complaint.
Additionally, you can request a meeting with the detective's supervisor to discuss your concerns directly. If you feel the report's inaccuracies are affecting any potential legal actions, consider consulting with an attorney who can provide guidance on how to proceed with a potential wrongful death claim.
Lastly, you can request an independent review of the case. Contact your local district attorney's office to see if they can re-examine the evidence and the police report. Your goal is to ensure a thorough and accurate investigation into your mother's death.
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