| From the Bylaws of LACCDIA Section 1. The name of this association shall be, LOS ANGELES COUNTY CRIMINAL DEFENSE INVESTIGATORS ASSOCIATION, also to be known as, LACCDIA. Section 2. The Association will be used as meaning the same as Los Angeles County Criminal Defense Investigators Association. Section 3. The objective of The Association, To create an atmosphere of unity and harmony within this special group of members. To provide training and information, for the betterment of the investigative and forensic services, provided, to those defendants in need of Los Angeles County Court appointments, by said membership. Section 4. To provide an avenue for negotiation with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Regarding Better and improved work status and increase of salaries when appropriate. |
| Los Angeles County Criminal Defense Investigators Association Defending your Fourteenth Amendment Rights to Due Process of Law and Equal Protection of the Law |
People v. Faxel, 91 Cal.App.3d 327 (1979) held that “The due process right of effective counsel includes
the right to ancillary services necessary in the preparation of a defense. (Brubaker v. Dickson (9th Cir.
1962) 310 F.2d 30, cert. den., 372 U.S. 978 [10 L.Ed.2d 143, 83 S.Ct. 1110]; Mason v. State of Arizona (9th
Cir. 1974) 504 F.2d 1345, 1351, cert. den., 420 U.S. 936 [43 L.Ed.2d 412, 95 S.Ct. 1145]; but see Watson v.
Patterson (10th Cir. 1966) 358 F.2d 297, cert. den., 385 U.S. 876 [17 L.Ed.2d 103, 87 S.Ct. 153]; see also In re
Hwamei (1974) 37 Cal.App.3d 554 [112 Cal.Rptr. 646].) The right is codified in Penal Code section 987.2
which provides that counsel appointed for an indigent defendant shall not only be compensated by a
reasonable fee but also shall be reimbursed for his necessary expenses” and that “Translation of the
abstract right to ancillary defense services into practice in individual situations requires that the
defendant exercising the right demonstrate a need for the service by reference to "the general lines of
inquiry he wishes to pursue, being as specific as possible." (Mason v. State of Arizona, supra, 504 F.2d
1345, 1352; Margolin & Wagner, The Indigent Criminal Defendant and Defense Services: A Search for
Constitutional Standards (1973) 24 Hastings L.J. 647, 662) fn. 1 [91 Cal.App.3d 331].”
the right to ancillary services necessary in the preparation of a defense. (Brubaker v. Dickson (9th Cir.
1962) 310 F.2d 30, cert. den., 372 U.S. 978 [10 L.Ed.2d 143, 83 S.Ct. 1110]; Mason v. State of Arizona (9th
Cir. 1974) 504 F.2d 1345, 1351, cert. den., 420 U.S. 936 [43 L.Ed.2d 412, 95 S.Ct. 1145]; but see Watson v.
Patterson (10th Cir. 1966) 358 F.2d 297, cert. den., 385 U.S. 876 [17 L.Ed.2d 103, 87 S.Ct. 153]; see also In re
Hwamei (1974) 37 Cal.App.3d 554 [112 Cal.Rptr. 646].) The right is codified in Penal Code section 987.2
which provides that counsel appointed for an indigent defendant shall not only be compensated by a
reasonable fee but also shall be reimbursed for his necessary expenses” and that “Translation of the
abstract right to ancillary defense services into practice in individual situations requires that the
defendant exercising the right demonstrate a need for the service by reference to "the general lines of
inquiry he wishes to pursue, being as specific as possible." (Mason v. State of Arizona, supra, 504 F.2d
1345, 1352; Margolin & Wagner, The Indigent Criminal Defendant and Defense Services: A Search for
Constitutional Standards (1973) 24 Hastings L.J. 647, 662) fn. 1 [91 Cal.App.3d 331].”
| Members of the LACCDIA are hardworking licensed private investigators and expert witnesses, many of whom are former law enforcement officers who work day in and day out to insure that indigent defendants receive a fair trial -- whether they are guilty or innocent. It is well established by California State and Federal Constitutional Standards that indigent defendants are entitled to more than just an attorney for their defense. Without a defense investigator and appropriate expert witnesses, a defendant and his/her lawyer is fighting with 1 1/2 hands tied behind their back : |
| HOW DOES AN INDIGENT DEFENDANT GET REPRESENTATION IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY: THE LUCK OF THE DRAW Let's suppose that three (3) people get arrested and charged as co-defendants in the same crime. Assuming that there are no complications like witnesses who were once represented by the Public Defender or Alternate Public Defender offices, then Defendant No. 1 gets assigned a Deputy Public Defender who has the use of Public Defender Investigators. Defendant No. 2 gets assigned an attorney from the Alternate Public Defender office who likewise will be assisted by their own staff investigators. All of those investigators are represented by ALADS, the Association of Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs, AFL-CIO, under union contract with the County of Los Angeles. They have access to DMV and Voter Registration address information in order to find witnesses to effectively defend their clients. If you are Defendant No. 3, you get a court appointed private attorney and if you are lucky enough to have the court appoint one, you get a private investigator from the Superior Court's "Panel of Investigators," who are selected by judges. Many of the Panel investigators are members of LACCDIA. But even while they perform the same kind of work as members of ALADS for the public defender offices and even though the work rules they are forced by the courts to abide by would define them as part-time employees instead of independent contractors under IRS Publication 15a guidelines, they are not given access to DMV or Voter Registration address information, making it far more difficult for Defendant No. 3 to find witnesses in order to get a fair trial. Additionally, Los Angeles County pays the second lowest rate to court appointed investigators without any mileage allowance of any county in the State! If you are a friend of the 14th Amendment rights to due process and equal protection and want to help LACCDIA get a fair shake for themselves and for their clients, send us email at the link below. Click here to Email the LACCDIA |
 |
| |
 |
Los Angeles County Criminal Defense Investigators Association (LACCDIA)
See the Facebook Page for this event at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176690989015067&num_event_invites=149
Time/Date: Thursday, December 16 · 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location Hop Louie's -- Chinatown
950 Mei Ling Way
Los Angeles, CA
More Info The Los Angeles County Criminal Defense Investigators Association will hold its annual holiday meeting
and election at Hop Louie's Restaurant, a venue straight out of central casting in the tradition of old fashioned
gumshoes.
LACCDIA is the representative organization for court appointed investigators in Los Angeles County. It has been
designated by the California Association of Licensed Investigators as a CALI Affiliated Specialty Association.
Free for members; non-members and guests, $20.00.
See the Facebook Page for this event at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176690989015067&num_event_invites=149
Time/Date: Thursday, December 16 · 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location Hop Louie's -- Chinatown
950 Mei Ling Way
Los Angeles, CA
More Info The Los Angeles County Criminal Defense Investigators Association will hold its annual holiday meeting
and election at Hop Louie's Restaurant, a venue straight out of central casting in the tradition of old fashioned
gumshoes.
LACCDIA is the representative organization for court appointed investigators in Los Angeles County. It has been
designated by the California Association of Licensed Investigators as a CALI Affiliated Specialty Association.
Free for members; non-members and guests, $20.00.