There’s a saying in legal circles — attributed to former New York Judge Sol Wachtler — that a prosecutor could “indict a ham sandwich” if they wanted to. The message is clear: Prosecutors hold significant power over what evidence a grand jury sees, and the outcome is almost always the same.
However, in Akron, the opposite trend continues. Twice in less than a year, Summit County grand juries have chosen not to indict officers in fatal police shootings.
To be clear, I am not suggesting officers — who have sworn to protect and serve — are comparable to ham sandwiches. The point, as the judge intended, is about prosecutorial power, not the people facing indictment…