October 03, 2017 - 6:08 AM
NEW YORK - A judge has acquitted a police reform activist in an unusual case where a New York City police lawyer acted as prosecutor.
Cristina Winsor was arrested during a protest in July 2016 on a disorderly conduct charge. According to the New York Daily News, (http://nydn.us/2yl3GWM ) the judge said Monday during her brief trial that police witnesses misrepresented facts later seen on video. She was cleared of the charges.
Police department lawyers stepped in to prosecute the case because the low-level court where the proceeding was held doesn't usually have prosecutors. NYPD officials have said they are tired of being sued by people in cases that start in the court.
Winsor is one of two activists challenging the unusual arrangement where the NYPD lawyers argue the cases with the blessing of the Manhattan district attorney's office.
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Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com
News from © The Associated Press, 2017