Orange County (CA) Sheriff deputies: "We didn't know it was illegal"

[Angel Eyes]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-sheriffs-deputies-illegal-evidence-police-reports

Two former Orange County sheriff’s deputies told a California grand jury they did not know it was against the law to falsify police documents, an offense that led to their firing and conviction amid a widespread department “evidence scandal” that came to light last year, according to a local report.

Bryce Richmond Simpson, 31, and Joseph Anthony Atkinson Jr., 39, testified to a grand jury on Sept. 21 that they were never told it was illegal to write in police reports that they had submitted evidence when they actually had not, the Orange County Register recently reported, citing transcripts of their testimony. Deputies were typically expected to submit evidence by the end of their workdays.

Great.  Just freakin' great.

Were any innocent people convicted because of this? 

[cordex]

To be fair, the allegation is not that they falsified the existence of evidence, the complaint is that they did not book the evidence immediately (in some cases weeks later).

[makattak]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-sheriffs-deputies-illegal-evidence-police-reports

Great.  Just freakin' great.

Were any innocent people convicted because of this? 

Gee, I thought ignorance of the law was no excuse....

[WLJ]

Gee, I thought ignorance of the law was no excuse....

History has shown that sometimes depends on which side of a particular law you're on

[Angel Eyes]

To be fair, the allegation is not that they falsified the existence of evidence, the complaint is that they did not book the evidence immediately (in some cases weeks later).

From the article, it sounds like some evidence was never booked.

[cordex]

From the article, it sounds like some evidence was never booked.

In that case their screw ups are more likely to cause guilty people to go free than convict innocent people.