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Slate Magazine
Walk the Walk - Who decides whether a suspect like Dominique Strauss-Kahn takes a "perp walk"?
By Christopher Beam
May 18, 2011 - The arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for the alleged rape of a hotel maid in New York has provoked outrage in his native France, and not just for the reasons you'd expect. Many of his compatriots are furious that New York Police Department cops trotted him out in front of cameras after his arrest on the way to his arraignment?an NYPD tradition known as the "perp walk."
"I found that image to be incredibly brutal, violent and cruel," said Elisabeth Guigou, former justice minister of France. "I am happy that we do not have the same judicial system." The daily Le Parisien on Tuesday ran the headline: "DSK Handcuffed: Photo Shock." Asked about the images at a press conference, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the practice: "I think it is humiliating, but if you don't want to do the perp walk, don't do the crime."
Well, that's exactly the point, argue critics of the perp walk: Those walking "perps" haven't been convicted of any crimes. Parading a defendant in front of the media, critics say, violates the defendant's privacy and prejudices juries in favor of conviction. Especially when that image is replayed ad nauseam on cable news, often in slow motion and accompanied by ominous music. As one lawyer told the media site Poynter, "Everyone looks guilty when they are slo-mo'ed."Why are perp walks allowed?
"It's traditional," says Nicholas Casale, a retired first-grade detective with the NYPD, who provided security for Bernie Madoff when he appeared in court. He views the perp walk almost as a kind of service: "It promotes the arrest, it allows the defendant an opportunity to make a statement to the press, and it's centralized," he said, so the media can get all their photos in one place. But the various gradations of the perp walk show that it is mostly a tool of law enforcement.
The most humiliating method is when the police?or, in many cases, the feds?arrest someone in a public place, like his office, and trot him past the media, which have been tipped off in advance. In the 1980s, then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani famously gave Wall Street financiers the full monty when cracking down on white-collar crime. The message: These guys are no better than street criminals. (The Department of Justice actually prohibits tipping off the media about arrests: "In cases in which a search warrant or arrest warrant is to be executed, no advance information will be provided to the news media about actions to be taken by law enforcement personnel, nor shall media representatives be solicited or invited to be present.")
Less extreme is parading the perps in front of cameras on the way from the local police precinct to the arraignment. Sometimes the accused will cover his or her head with a jacket. But police don't go out of their way to help someone hide. "The officer's not gonna say, 'Let's look in the closet and see if we have any extra hats or anything,' " says Casale.
Of course, cops don't have to create a media spectacle at all. The perp walk is discretionary. Anytime you see one, it's because someone in law enforcement is trying to get some publicity. "Its sort of like a hunting dog with prey in its mouth posing for a picture," says Daniel Horwitz, a criminal defense lawyer and former assistant district attorney in New York City. "It's barbaric."The police have other options. In some cases, cops take suspects out a back door and transport them to a sealed courtroom.
One reason is safety. Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby during a perp walk, after all. A suspect might also avoid a perp walk by agreeing to cooperate with law enforcement, in which case cops would go out of their way not to reveal the person's identity. Good defense lawyers can sometimes negotiate a deal for high-profile defendants to avoid a perp walk circus. There are legitimate reasons for a perp walk, aside from humiliation. If a defendant may have committed other crimes, police might want to broadcast his name and face to get other victims to come forward.
A prosecutor may also opt for a perp walk if a suspect is considered a flight risk. Instead of simply issuing a court summons, law enforcement conducts a surprise arrest and invites the press. "It helps them with the bail argument," says Ryan Blanch, a criminal defense attorney in New York. "If [the prosecution] wants to argue for no bail, they can say, we had to rip him from his house." It also makes running away harder, if they do get out on bail. Whatever the rationale, perp walks have become as much a staple of the U.S. criminal justice system as the Miranda warning.
They've been ruled constitutional, so long as they serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose. If police transport a suspect from the station house to court and photographers happen to document it, that's OK?even if the press was tipped off. Less OK would be the cops trotting the suspect out, driving him around in a squad car, and bringing him back to the station purely for the media's benefit. There's wiggle room, of course: Maybe there's no parking spot right in front of the courthouse, and the cops have to walk the suspect a few blocks.Despite French objections, perp walks aren't disappearing anytime soon. Police love them. The media love them. And by the time any of the perp-walked suspects are proved innocent, everyone else has moved on.
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May 21, 2001 ABC NEWS
Posh, Pricey NYC House Arrest for Ex-IMF Leader
And then there's Madoff, who was under house arrest for more than a year before he began serving a 150-year prison term in 2009 for swindling investors of billions. In a case study posted on its website on its involvement with Madoff, the company said round-the-clock monitoring was done by retired federal and high-ranking New York City officers who kept tabs on everything, from deliveries in and out of the building to recording his every move.
Security experts say it would take at least three experienced guards to do the job well in Strauss-Kahn's case — two working at all times and one on reserve.
"You can't to go sleep. You need fresh guys all the time," said Beau Dietl, a longtime former NYPD detective who now does security and is a private eye. "You can't let the guy out of your sight."
Nick Casale, who guarded Madoff initially, said the prisoner's wealth must be taken into account. "For the average person, $1 million cash bail is astronomical. But you have to look at how this would impact his wealth, is it substantial, or is it trivial?"
Lawyers said in court that Strauss-Kahn was worth about $2 million, but his wife, journalist Anne Sinclair, is substantially wealthy, and helped secure the $5 million bond the judge added to the bail agreement.
Experts say such agreements are becoming increasingly common for well-heeled defendants — the most high-profile being Madoff, who was under private guard and had cameras trained on him 24 hours a day. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers cited the case — in which Madoff posted $10 million bail — as a reason to release the economist.
"So now what we're saying is that people of status and class and power can perpetrate these type of crimes, hire an expensive legal team, and meet the conditions of bail to satisfy the court to secure their freedom," said Nick Casale, a security expert who guarded Madoff. "Are we going to this caste system of defendants?"
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Le Parisien
Des gardes armes et jour pour surveiller DSK
21 mai 2011 dans - C’était l’une des principales conditions de la liberté surveillée accordée à DSK. Dans le cadre de son assignation à résidence, l’ex-patron du FMI sera surveillé 24 heures sur 24 par un garde armé.
Ce sont des policiers à la retraite équipés de pistolet : ils ne peuvent l’utiliser qu’en cas de danger imminent pour leur intégrité physique et pas pour empêcher le prévenu de s’enfuir », explique Nicholas Casale, directeur de Casale Associates, première société chargée de la surveillance du banquier escroc Bernard Madoff après sa libération conditionnelle.
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National Public Radio
May 23, 2011 - A New York judge ordered Strauss-Kahn released on a bail package that included a $1 million cash bail, a $5 million bond and 24-hour home confinement. Is this justice? How hard is it to sit confined in a multimillion dollar apartment? For a first-hand account, we speak to Nicholas Casale, former detective for the NYPD. Nicholas was assigned to watch over Bernie Madoff when he was under house arrest.
Can Dominique Strauss-Kahn Claim Diplomatic Immunity?
May 17, 2011 - Foreign diplomats have enjoyed diplomatic immunity for centuries. Following the weekend arrest of I.M.F. managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on charges of sexual assault, there have been questions as to whether he could be legally protected by diplomatic immunity. The answer is complicated as is the issue of diplomatic immunity.
For an explanation on diplomatic immunities we speak with Jovan Kurbalija, founder and director of DiploFoundation, a Geneva-based organization researching the role of diplomacy in the modern age. Also on the show is Nicholas Casale, a former NYPD detective for his perspective on how to handle situations in which there is an arrest of someone who might have immunity.
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May 21, 2011 - CBS - NEW YORK — Armed guards stand watch 24 hours a day. Cameras record every move, and monitors alert authorities should the prisoner try to escape. This is Dominique Strauss-Kahn's new jail away from jail, after the former IMF leader charged with sexually assaulting a maid left a New York City jail for a posh and pricey house arrest.
Nick Casale, who guarded Madoff initially, said the prisoner's wealth must be taken into account.
On Friday, Donna Mancino said she couldn't get a working elevator to her apartment while Strauss-Kahn was being moved in. But she and other residents said the only disruptive aspect of his presence was the press staking him out.Raj Rajaratnam, a one-time billionaire hedge fund founder convicted of insider trading, is currently free on $100 million bail but under house arrest at his Manhattan home while he awaits sentencing July 29.
Right now, he's not allowed out at all, but after he's moved to a more permanent location he can leave for court, doctor visits and weekly religious services. Prosecutors must be notified at least six hours before he goes anywhere. He can't be out between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.Security experts say it would take at least three experienced guards to do the job well in Strauss-Kahn's case — two working at all times and one on reserve.Some other white-collar bail agreements make Madoff's look puny.
State Supreme Justice Michael J. Obus signed off on the plan and ordered Strauss-Kahn's release from Rikers Island on Friday.Strauss-Kahn is accused of attacking a 32-year-old housekeeper on May 14 in his $3,000-a-night hotel suite. The West African immigrant told police he chased her down a hallway in the suite, forced her to perform oral sex and tried to remove her stockings. He is scheduled for arraignment on June 6.The 62-year-old was indicted by a grand jury this week on charges including criminal sexual abuse and attempted rape in the alleged attack last weekend at the Sofitel near Manhattan's Times Square.The company has a history of high-stakes, high-wealth clients: It secured Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani, a rich Long Island couple convicted of enslaving two domestic servants they brought from Indonesia by keeping their travel documents while having them perform forced labor. Over the course of the couple's home detention, the firm was chastised by a judge for allowing Mahender Sabhnani to stay out at business meetings in Manhattan until 1 a.m.
The funds will go toward armed surveillance, the installation of cameras and a special bracelet shackled to his ankle that will set off an alarm if he travels too far.The plans hit a snag Friday when a tony Upper East Side apartment complex refused to accept the one-time French presidential contender because of unwanted media attention. Instead, Strauss-Kahn was ensconced Saturday in a lower Manhattan high-rise within the New York Police Department's ring of steel, a network of private and police cameras. He's guarded by Stroz Friedberg, the same security firm that kept disgraced financier Bernard Madoff under surveillance in his own penthouse.
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DER SPIEGEL
Germany's most read magazine
House arrest with roof terrace
Hausarrest mit DachterrasseVon Schmitz, Gregor PeterDank der Dienste einer privaten Sicherheitsfirma durfte Dominique Strauss-Kahn das Gefängnis verlassen - der Angeklagte zahlt 200 000 Dollar im Monat dafür. Das Stammlokal des ehemaligen Polizisten Nick Casale liegt nicht weit von seinem Büro, an der Madison Avenue, im Herzen Manhattans. Das größte Steak kostet hier an die 60 Dollar. Macht nichts, Casale ist jetzt Unternehmer, und es geht ihm gut. "Wir liefern Freiheit", sagt er. Seine Firma "Casale Associates" bewachte vor zwei Jahren schon den Hausarrest von Milliardenbetrüger Bernie Madoff, für 140 000 Dollar pro Monat.
Wenn reiche Angeklagte eine hohe Kaution stellen können, den Richtern die Fluchtgefahr aber zu hoch erscheint, ist das ein Fall für Casale. So wie bei Madoff und nun beim früheren Chef des Internationalen Währungsfonds, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.Allerdings, sagt Casale, seien Madoffs Betrugsgeschäfte zur Zeit seines Hausarrestes schon enttarnt gewesen. Strauss-Kahn sei der wesentlich kompliziertere Fall: "Er wurde in letzter Minute aus dem Flieger geholt, er leugnet die Tat, dabei gibt es DNA-Spuren, die ihn belasten. Die Fluchtgefahr ist viel höher."Casales Kollegen vom Sicherheitsunternehmen "Stroz Friedberg" - Werbeslogan: "We get it right" - bewachen zur- zeit den Franzosen, angeblich für 200 000 Dollar monatlich, die Firma verweigert jede Auskunft. In dieser Summe enthalten sind aber schon Strauss-Kahns Mietkosten von 50 000 Dollar für ein 632-Quadratmeter-Townhouse in Manhattan, in dem er nun auf seinen Prozess wegen versuchter Vergewaltigung eines Zimmermädchens warten darf.Die neue Bleibe - mehrere mit Sandstein verkleidete Bäder, Privatkino, Dachterrasse und Fitnessraum - liegt in Tribeca, 153 Franklin Street. Strauss-Kahns reiche Gattin, Anne Sinclair, hat sie besorgt. In Apartmenthäusern wollte man ihren Mann nicht haben.Um nach Tribeca ziehen zu dürfen, musste Strauss-Kahn nicht nur eine Millionenkaution hinterlegen, sondern auch die privaten Sicherheitsleute engagieren. Sie sollen aufpassen, dass er sich nicht ins Ausland absetzt. "Mindestens einen bewaffneten Wachmann" schreiben die Bewährungsauflagen in der Wohnung vor, daneben 24-Stunden-Videoüberwachung sowie Alarmvorrichtungen an den Türen. Und natürlich eine "Personal Tracking Unit", eine Elektrofessel mit Funksignal, angebracht am Knöchel des Angeklagten. Jeder Besucher wird nach Waffen abgetastet, die Stroz-Leute entscheiden, wer rein darf und wer nicht. Wenn der Ex-IWF-Chef zum Arzt, ins Gericht oder in die Synagoge geht, werden sie an seiner Seite sein.Die 24-Stunden-Überwachung sei wie gutbezahltes "Babysitting", sagt Casale, allerdings "organisiert wie eine Militäroperation". In Madoffs Penthouse koordinierte er drei bewaffnete Kollegen.
Deren Stundenlöhne liegen weit über denen von Söldnern in Kriegsgebieten. Dafür müssen sie ausgerechnet ihren Auftraggeber in Schach halten.Viele Mittel haben die Aufseher nicht, wenn ein Angeklagter ihnen zu entkommen versucht: Gewalt dürfen sie nur in Notwehr anwenden, bei Fluchtgefahr sollen sie die Polizei alarmieren. Entwischt der Auftraggeber, drohen keine juristischen Konsequenzen.Das Geschäft mit den straffällig gewordenen Reichen läuft gut. Ein Ehepaar aus Long Island, das unter Verdacht stand, zwei Hausangestellte wie Sklaven gehalten zu haben, erkaufte sich auf diesem Weg ebenso vorläufige Haftverschonung wie der wegen Drogenhandels angeklagte Sohn von Michael Douglas.
Mittlerweile, berichtet Casale, kämen sogar Anfragen verurteilter, aber vermögender Amerikaner, die ihre Strafe gern mit Wachen in der Wohnung absitzen würden. Das allerdings ist in dem Land, in dem die Gleichheit vor dem Gesetz so gern beschworen wird, noch nicht möglich.
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