Just got subpoenaed

[213th]

And it says "You are ordered to appear and testify for Grand Jury in: A confidential matter, Case No. XXXXXX"

I have not been subpoenaed before, so I was curious, is it normal to not put what it's about on the subpoena? Will I have the opportunity to find out what it's about before I appear before the Grand Jury?

[BigDawg]

Call the clerk of courts office and ask them what that case is. Give them the case number, they should be able to tell you who is involved (plaintiff, defendent) anyway. maybe it will help

[213th]

Call the clerk of courts office and ask them what that case is. Give them the case number, they should be able to tell you who is involved (plaintiff, defendent) anyway. maybe it will help

Ok. The subpoena is from the State, with instructions to contact the DA the day prior to testifying, so I think I would be a witness for the prosecution, but I'm not sure.

[JLK]

usually i only have a name then when i show up i find out what it is about.

maybe it is going to be a sealed inditment(sp)

[Autumn2009]

I get subpoenaed for work a lot I normally call the clerks office with all the info and they let me know. Then you have to call the day/night before or the morning of just to make sure the case is still going to happen.

[Jenna]

usually i only have a name then when i show up i find out what it is about.

They don't give you a chance to consult your notes and refresh your memory? What if you show up and you don't remember the details of the crime off the top of your head, or worse get it confused with some other crime you witnessed or got a confession about? Do LEOs really remember every detail of every bar fight they broke up in the past several years?

[JLK]

yes

[countybear]

yes

[Crimebytes2]

usually i only have a name then when i show up i find out what it is about.

Same here.

[Ducky]

I got subpoenaed (sp) a couple years ago, when I talked to the DA he was floored by how much I remembered, plus how incredibly articulate I was. I believe when he relayed that tidbit to the defense attorney, they elected to enter a guilty plea. Either way, I never actually had to appear in court.

[Buttercup]

I got subpoenaed (sp) a couple years ago, when I talked to the DA he was floored by how much I remembered, plus how incredibly articulate I was. I believe when he relayed that tidbit to the defense attorney, they elected to enter a guilty plea. Either way, I never actually had to appear in court.

I was subpoenaed many years ago as a prosecution witness for trials of two men accused of killing a cop, I'd just happened to be stopped at an intersection where a Detroit cop had just been killed and saw the scum leaving the scene unhurriedly but at the time didn't know what had just happened, I just thought their behavior was kind of odd. The trials were roughly two years after the crime occurred and I was surprised at how much I remembered, but raked over the coals by one defense attorney because I couldn't remember a couple of things and said so. And also because my dad was a cop, my motivation and method for initially contacting homicide was called into question. They were both found guilty.

[213th]

usually i only have a name then when i show up i find out what it is about.

maybe it is going to be a sealed inditment(sp)

It's possible...If it is the incident I'm thinking about (fatal accident) the driver is under 18, but last I knew was getting tried as an adult...

[slick628]

I got subpoenaed (sp) a couple years ago, when I talked to the DA he was floored by how much I remembered, plus how incredibly articulate I was. I believe when he relayed that tidbit to the defense attorney, they elected to enter a guilty plea. Either way, I never actually had to appear in court.

Nothing personl, but I think your ability to articulate such an event was probably due to the fact that you don't go to court nearly as often as us, and the court going experience can be one to remember. However, being that I get a couple supoenas a day (give or take) it gets to the point where officers have to look at past statements and such to remember cases. And even at that, you occasionally ask yourself "who is this again? What happened? I don't remember that"

[J-WS6]

Confidential may mean its involving a child, a sex crime or some other form of crime that is exempted from public record or is sealed.

[Ducky]

Nothing personl, but I think your ability to articulate such an event was probably due to the fact that you don't go to court nearly as often as us, and the court going experience can be one to remember. However, being that I get a couple supoenas a day (give or take) it gets to the point where officers have to look at past statements and such to remember cases. And even at that, you occasionally ask yourself "who is this again? What happened? I don't remember that"

Trust me, I remembered it well precisely BECAUSE it was unusual for me. I have no doubt at all that you guys who are called in frequently tend to have to refer to notes or other physical evidence to remember details, and it would surprise me to no end if it were any different. The articulate part comes in because I'm not the usual resident of this neighborhood - I have an education as well as all of my own teeth. You guys have nothing but my whole-hearted respect,( ) I'd have gone postal on some dumbass defense attorney in no time flat.

[Piggybank Cop]

Nobody ever asks me to play.

[CT209]

It wasn't a subpoena, but I got called for a deposition in a civil claims case involving an incident.

The plaintiff's attorney kept asking me questions about the incident which had happened about 4 years prior. I kept telling him I didn't remember the case or any of the circumstances surrounding it. He started saying I was lying to protect the defendant.

I finally looked at him and said, "I just got back to work after being on WC for a back injury. I spent the last 8 months gooned out on OxyContin. I'm lucky I still know my name, and you're asking me about something that happened 4 or 5 years ago?"

Funny, I didn't get called to testify when that case went to court.

[armygrnt502]

I get those little messages for court all the time. No, we LEOs cant remember every little detail, but you can do things to prevent important details from escaping your memory.

I write my narrative on my citations with where I was, the legal reason for me being there, what the perp was doing, what elements of the charges he/she met. What I found in plain view and what was found search incident to arrest.

Since you are not a LEO, 213th you will be considered a disinterested witness, simply there to give information as you saw it over what you did, saw or heard others say. Its a pretty painless process, esp. for grand jury.

[213th]

I get those little messages for court all the time. No, we LEOs cant remember every little detail, but you can do things to prevent important details from escaping your memory.

I write my narrative on my citations with where I was, the legal reason for me being there, what the perp was doing, what elements of the charges he/she met. What I found in plain view and what was found search incident to arrest.

Since you are not a LEO, 213th you will be considered a disinterested witness, simply there to give information as you saw it over what you did, saw or heard others say. Its a pretty painless process, esp. for grand jury.

Well, it is the fatal accident that I thought it was, and the deceased was on the fire department with me. Do you think, should an indictment be returned AND I get subpeonaed for the trial, that the defense would use this to discredit what I saw/heard/did (particularly heard, as the driver made incriminating statements, thus the basis for me being subpeonaed I believe)?

[TXCharlie]

Nobody ever asks me to play.

Poor piggy....

This piggy never gets to go to market either

They don't give you a chance to consult your notes and refresh your memory? What if you show up and you don't remember the details of the crime off the top of your head, or worse get it confused with some other crime you witnessed or got a confession about? Do LEOs really remember every detail of every bar fight they broke up in the past several years?

Jenna, I think they're pulling your leg about remembering all the barfights - That's why they make field notes and detailed reports, am I right guys? You can't fool me
.