Controversy Surrounds Trayvon Martin Detective's Testimony

Chris Serino had pursued manslaughter charges for George Zimmerman but the investigator's bosses rejected his recommendation. Serino later said he was pressured by black officers into filing charges.

June 30, 2013

Detective Chris Serino testifies Monday in the Trayvon Martin trial. Screenshot via The Count.Key witness Chris Serino, the Sanford (Fla.) Police Department’s lead investigator in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, began his testimony in the George Zimmerman murder trial Monday afternoon.

Serino, the 25th witness called by the state, is expected to testify about how he called the events that unfolded the night of Feb. 26, 2012, "avoidable." He also interviewed Zimmerman in the aftermath of the shooting.

Serino had pursued manslaughter charges for Zimmerman, 29, for the Miami Gardens teen's death but the investigator's bosses rejected his recommendation. Serino later said he was pressured by black officers into filing charges and did not believe there was enough evidence to support charges. That shift in stance could raise questions about the credibility of the law-enforcement witness in the murder trial.

Read the full Miami Herald story.

Related:

Fla. Sergeant Tried To Save Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin: The Gunfire Next Time

Editorial

Skydio X10 Sheriff

A Race Against Time: How DFR Technology Rescued a Missing Child

7 Ways Gps Fleet Tracking Helps Government Fleets Succeed

7 Ways GPS Fleet Tracking Helps Government Fleets Succeed

375x480 Data Driven Policing Cover Thumbnail 1195772168 En Na Final Sept23 (1)

Data-Driven Policing: Leveraging Telematics for Optimized Police Fleet Performance

Banner Final Skydio X10 Outdoor Shipping Yard

DFR at Work: OKCPD’s Drones Help Find Six Missing Persons

2 Teachers, 2 Students Killed in Georgia School Shooting

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the school following reports of an active shooter at 10:30 a.m. The school was cleared by 11:30 a.m., and students were released to their families.

San Diego Officer Critically Injured in Wreck Last Week Released from Hospital

Officer Zachary Martinez suffered burns, a broken neck and multiple facial injures from the crash that occurred on Aug. 26 just after 11:30 p.m. His partner Officer Austin Machitar died at the scene.

San Diego Police Officer Zachary Martinez is greeted by fellow officers as he goes home from the hospital. Martinez was severely injured and his partner was killed in a pursuit crash last week.

Texas Deputy Constable Murdered Driving to Work, Suspect in Custody

The deputy was in his personal vehicle stopped at an intersection in west Houston when a man got out of his car, walked up to the deputy and shot him around 12:30 p.m.

Harris County458312745 921218256706559 2852199900608745864 N

2 Phoenix Officers Wounded in Shooting, 1 Critical

“One officer was saved by his ballistic vest,” Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan said.

Florida Deputy’s Lost Gun Sold for $40 on App

The gun was recovered, but the deputy will likely face a review by the department's professional standards division.

Colorado Deputy Has Been First to Respond to 7 Wildfires This Summer

"We've been having a lot of grass fires. So oftentimes -- part of our job is -- we respond to all emergencies, and fire being one of them," Deputy Zack Ervin said.

Indiana Deputy Critically Wounded in Gunfight, Suspect Killed

After the crash the suspect exited his vehicle and the suspect and the deputy were hit in an exchange of gunfire.

Corporal Brandon Schreiber of the Newton County (Indiana) Sheriff's Office was critically wounded Sunday in a gunfight at the end of a pursuit.

Video: Thermal-Imaging Drone Finds 3-Year-Old Lost in Cornfield at Night

Wisconsin deputies relied on a nearby police department’s drone with a thermal camera to direct rescuers to a 3-year-old child lost at night in a more than 100-acre cornfield. The sheriff’s office shared video of how the child was located.

Deputies and firefighters are directed to a missing child by a drone operator using thermal imaging. The cornfield spanned more than 100 acres, and the child was missing at night.

Data-Driven Policing: Leveraging Telematics for Optimized Police Fleet Performance

Discover how data-driven policing leads to smarter operations, greater cost-efficiency and safer personnel. Our ebook will teach you about how rich fleet data can help your department protect its reputation and bring officers home safer to their families

375x480 Data Driven Policing Cover Thumbnail 1195772168 En Na Final Sept23 (1)

Dallas Officer Killed, 2 Others Wounded

A Dallas, Texas, police officer was fatally wounded in an ambush attack while still in his patrol vehicle Thursday night. Two responding officers were also wounded, and the gunman was later killed by police after a car chase.

Bus Driver Saves AR Cop’s Life After Fiery Crash

An Arkansas school bus driver saved an officer from flames in the fiery aftermath of a collision when a Pine Bluff Police Department patrol unit struck the stopped bus.

When a Pine Bluff officer’s car slammed into the stopped school bus, flames burst out with the officer trapped in the wreckage. He was saved by the bus driver with a fire extinguisher.

Video: Man Starts Fire at LAPD Station Door

Video captured when a man started a fire outside a police station earlier this week and then was arrested by LAPD officers nearby.

An officer is shown on video putting out the fire outside the LAPD station earlier this week.

Page 1 of 2375