美国国家公共电台 NPR In California, Critics Say Sheriff-Coroner Gig Is A Conflict Of Interest

 

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A scandal in California's Central Valley could change how officials investigate sudden, suspicious or violent deaths. In 49 out of 58 counties, that job falls to a coroner who is also an elected sheriff. Critics say that's an inherent conflict of interest, especially when someone dies at the hands of law enforcement. Julie Small of member station KQED and NPR's criminal justice team reports.

JULIE SMALL, BYLINE¹: San Joaquin County landed in the national spotlight² recently when its chief forensic³ pathologist quit. Dr. Bennet Omalu, renowned⁴ for his expertise⁵ on concussions⁶, accused the sheriff-coroner there of pressuring him to change autopsy⁷ findings in cases involving officers of the law.

BENNET OMALU: He said to me my opinion does not matter to him and does not mean anything in his office and that I must do what he orders me to do.

SMALL: He's talking about Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore. Moore denies he did anything wrong. Legally, he says, he has the final say on any death investigation⁸.

STEVE MOORE: They believe I did what I was supposed to do under the law - OK? - both that and my interpretation⁹ as far as what my duty is as the coroner.

SMALL: In California, those duties are pretty clear. Even if a forensic pathologist says someone was beaten to death - say, a homicide - the sheriff-coroner can call it an accident, and that's where the conflict is for the counties with this kind of system. Take the case of 47-year-old Daniel Lee Humphreys. In 2008, Humphreys crashed his motorcycle in the city of Stockton when he was being chased by California Highway Patrol for speeding. As he got up, the CHP officer shot him with a Taser 31 times. Humphreys collapsed¹⁰ and later died.

BARBARA STEWARD¹¹: It was preventable, and it was so excessive. And then for nothing to be done...

SMALL: That's Barbara Steward, Humphreys' ex-wife. She used to work for the sheriff. She says the sheriff's department withheld¹² evidence of the Taser use. Without that information, Humphrey's death was ruled an accident. The Taser report only surfaced when Steward and her two daughters sued the state for wrongful death. The family settled for a million dollars. She regrets that.

STEWARD: Money doesn't replace a person. It doesn't fix the wrong.

SMALL: A recent audit¹³ of the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office found at least four deaths in 2016 that involved law enforcement where the sheriff overruled the findings of county pathologists. Randy Hanzlick, a retired¹⁴ forensic expert, has studied the sheriff-coroner system. He knows of just a handful of states and cities that combine the two offices, mostly to save money.

RANDY HANZLICK: I think the downside basically is either a perceived or a real conflict in the goals of the two entities¹⁵.

SMALL: And that's the crux¹⁶ of the debate - whether a sheriff can be trusted to fairly investigate officer-involved deaths. Hanzlick says nationally, there's still a reluctance¹⁷ to call those deaths homicides, but people shouldn't be afraid of that term because it can lead to the truth about what happened.

HANZLICK: If we just call these accidents and ignore any intent or volitional¹⁸ acts, there may not be as thorough investigation as there might have otherwise been into the circumstances of that death.

SMALL: This isn't the first time a California sheriff has been accused of abusing power and death investigations¹⁹, but the controversy²⁰ in San Joaquin County has prompted state lawmakers to introduce a bill to bring changes. It would require some counties to replace the coroner with a medical examiner similar to the setup in San Diego and San Francisco. In those places, a physician certified²¹ in forensic pathology investigates deaths independent of law enforcement. San Joaquin County officials took it upon themselves to go ahead and make the change. In a stunning²² rebuke²³, supervisors²⁴ voted unanimously to strip the sheriff of his coroner duties and install a medical examiner within a year. For NPR News, I'm Julie Small in Stockton, Calif.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

4 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

5 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

6 concussions   

n.震荡( concussion的名词复数 )；脑震荡；冲击；震动

参考例句：

• People who have concussions often trouble thinking or remembering. 患脑震荡的人通常存在思考和记忆障碍。 来自互联网
• Concussions also make a person feel very tired or angry. 脑震荡也会使人感觉疲倦或愤怒。 来自互联网

7 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

10 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

11 steward   

n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员

参考例句：

• He's the steward of the club.他是这家俱乐部的管理员。
• He went around the world as a ship's steward.他当客船服务员，到过世界各地。

12 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

16 crux   

adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点

参考例句：

• The crux of the matter is how to comprehensively treat this trend.问题的关键是如何全面地看待这种趋势。
• The crux of the matter is that attitudes have changed.问题的要害是人们的态度转变了。

17 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

18 volitional   

adj.意志的，凭意志的，有意志的

参考例句：

• The image consists in our rational,volitional,affective faculties,and in our bodies.神的形象存在于我们的理性、意志，和情感的能力中，也存在于我们的身体内。
• The endurance of setbacks is a standard mat can evaluate the volitional character of a person.挫折承受能力是衡量人的意志品质的一个重要指标。

19 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

20 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

21 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

22 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

23 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

24 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句