News: Lawsuit for SCPD in Gilgo Case
(Long Island, N.Y.) Prior to the holidays, the mother of the once missing person Shannan Gilbert sought legal counsel in an attempt to sue Suffolk County if certain changes are not met. The attorney handling the claims of Gilbert’s mother has spoken about her desire to seek justice for the alleged botchery of the Suffolk County Police Department in handling her daughter’s case. Unless the cases of all the Gilgo Beach victims are given to federal investigators, she will seek legal action.
The claim is that the Suffolk County Police Department blew the case of the once missing woman because they had been workers in the sex trade. While wanting a federal takeover of the investigation, Gilbert’s mother hopes the Department of Justice will take the case and hand it over to the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Alleged discrimination aimed at the women because of their ties to the sex trade has been an ongoing aspect of the case, and is now being labeled as a violation of their civil rights.
Gilbert’s mother and her attorney have expressed their hopes of beginning an investigation into the Suffolk County Police Department in addition to their pending plans for a lawsuit. Nonetheless, there are obvious discrepancies among the branches of law enforcement and many officials have expressed the need for the departments to work together. This is especially true in the case of the Gilgo Beach homicides.
While the police commissioner has stated that he supports the theory of one killer being responsible for the ten bodies found amongst the beach wetlands, the district attorney has openly denied the single-killer-theory by stating that many killers are behind it. The police commissioner was criticized for his handling of the high-profile case and for the alleged dangers in presenting multiple theories to the public.
The police department has also been criticized for the political influence of the former Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. Throughout the investigation, federal assistance has been given to certain aspects of the search. Despite the police department’s twenty-four percent drop in overall crime since 2004, it’s uncertain whether the FBI will be further involved in the Gilgo Beach case.
The body of Gilbert was found in recent weeks near the Oak Beach home where she was last seen alive. An interim police commissioner has been appointed until a new one can be placed in the position. As of last September, the Department of Justice informed the Suffolk County Police Department of the need to combat hate crimes on Long Island.
