“As officers of the court with responsibilities to the administration of justice, attorneys have an obligation to be professional with clients, other parties and counsel, the courts and the public. This obligation includes civility, professional integrity, personal dignity, candor, diligence, respect, courtesy and cooperation, all of which are essential to the fair administration of justice and conflict resolution.” — California Attorney Guidelines of Civility and Professionalism
The Santa Barbara Police Officers Association (SBPOA) supports the right of a criminal defendant to be represented by legal counsel. Defense attorneys are an integral part of the criminal justice system and there are many Santa Barbara defense attorneys whose work is respected by the SBPOA.
The State Bar of California has set forth Guidelines of Civility and Professionalism that all attorneys should follow. (Noozhawk’s note: Scroll down the page for the guidelines.) The SBPOA is saddened to see that defense attorney Darryl Genis has elected not to join his respected defense attorney colleagues in adhering to the State Bar’s guidelines. These guidelines include the prohibition of grandstanding; trying cases in the media; insulting judges, elected leaders and others; making false allegations; manipulating truth; presenting faux facts; and using clients to conduct investigations into their own cases.
The SBPOA encourages the media to use discretion in the use of Darryl Genis as a reliable information source. He has been castigated many times by local judges for his incessant and unprofessional courtroom conduct and he has been found in contempt of court. We invite the local media to investigate Darryl Genis’ conduct and report the findings.
Darryl Genis is now alleging that Santa Barbara police officers have committed criminal acts during the arrest of several of his clients. Darryl Genis is, again, employing conduct absent in the local, reputable criminal defense attorney community. Darryl Genis’ accusations against SBPD officers are irresponsible and unprofessional. He is unable to rely on the truth so he employs fact-less invective to malign various witnesses, particularly police officers, who are innocent of any wrongdoing.
It is important to note that reputable defense attorneys do not discuss specifics of their clients’ cases in a public, noncourtroom, forum — to do so is forbidden in the State Bar’s attorney guidelines for conduct.
The members of the SBPOA have chosen our occupation because we have a passion for your protection. We work 24/7 to protect and serve you. Now is a time when we, your law enforcement professionals, ask you for your help by employing discernment in what you hear and read about us. Please understand the difference between truth and a legal argument created by a defense attorney who has chosen to abandon ethical conduct.
Thank you.
The Men and Women of the Santa Barbara Police Officers Association
— Officer Eric Beecher is president of the Santa Barbara Police Officers Association.