Best Whichard Committee Coverage

On Friday evening, July 20, we read at newsobserver.com a Raleigh N&O story that begins:

The [Whichard] panel appointed [by Durham’s City Council] to review the [city’s] police department's handling of the Duke lacrosse case came together for the first time this morning.

The panel is charged with finding out whether the police department erred in its investigation of sexual assault allegations against three lacrosse players [the DPD arrested and charged when, as the North Carolina attorney general later determined, there was never any credible evidence of their guilt;] and how [DPD] can prevent [such] future mistakes.

Willis Whichard, the panel chairman and a former N.C. Supreme Court justice, said the police department's handling of the case had important implications for the justice system.

"Nothing less than civilization as we know it is at stake here," he said. [...]

Civilization as we know it?

I want to talk more about that with you in the days and weeks to come. In the meantime, don't give away the ranch.

Right now I just want to alert you to what’ll likely be tomorrow’s most informed, detailed and comprehensive report of today’s Whichard Committee proceedings: KC Johnson’s report here.

Read what KC reported along with his commentary. Keep them both handy as the committee proceeds with its work. Use them as checklists of tasks done and not done by the committee.

No matter what Duke President Dick (“The facts kept changing”) Brodhead and the disgraced Mike Nifong say about them, I’m grateful there are bloggers like KC and the other “usual suspects” our there working to bring us information and thoughtful commentary.

BTW – When you finish reading KC’s coverage of today’s committee proceedings, go on and read his brief and extremely interesting post ID'ing the 13 issues the defense attorneys said are most worth examining by the Whichard Committee.

How does the defense attorneys’ list compare with yours?