Perp walk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term perp walk is an American slang term which refers to the police practice of intentionally parading an arrested suspect (or "perp", short for "alleged perpetrator") through a public place so that the media may observe and record the event. The suspect is typically handcuffed or otherwise restrained, and is often dressed in prison garb.
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[edit] Purpose and Procedure
In many countries (including the US) it is common for arrested suspects to be concealed from public view while in police custody, so that the suspect's privacy and reputation is preserved prior to guilt being proved. However, transportation of an individual in police custody through a public place is often unavoidable in the normal course of police work.
A perp walk is intentional disregard for the privacy of a suspect, for the purpose of bolstering the image of law enforcement, to humiliate a suspect, or both. Perp walks are often done to politicians or businesspeople accused of white-collar crimes (whose reputations may be susceptible to damage by public spectacle).
[edit] Legality
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has recently issued two notable rulings on the legality of perp walks. In Lauro v. Charles (2000), the court ruled that perp walks which are staged solely for the media violate a suspect's Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. However, in the case of Caldarola v. County of Westchester (2003), the court found that perp walks undertaken as part of a legitimate law enforcement action (such as transporting a suspect from jail to a courthouse), do not violate a suspect's rights. In addition, the court held that perp walks may serve legitimate government purposes, including educating the public about law-enforcement efforts, and enhancing the transparency of the criminal justice system.
[edit] Examples
Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh received a particularly notorious perp walk, in which he was paraded before television cameras (by a group of a dozen FBI agents who had been selected for the "honor"), nearly three hours before he was officially arrested for the bombing.
Notable non-violent offenders to receive perp walks include former WorldCom CFO Scott Sullivan, and former Adelphia CEO John Rigas.
