Police reports are not admissible as evidence. When evidence is admitted, the other side must be able to cross-examine it; one cannot cross-examine the written word. The police officers who wrote the reports could be sworn in as witnesses, but the reports themselves are not admissible.
Under certain circumstances, official government records, such as police reports, are admissible as evidence in many jurisdictions.
Under certain circumstances, official government records, such as police reports, are admissible as evidence in many jurisdictions.
Some think the closing statements in Ayala's trial were out of order. With Matt Murdock (the defense) going first and then the DA going last. While wrong in some jurisdictions, in New York State this is how criminal cases work.
The courtroom interiors were shot in a real courtroom at 100 Center Street, New York, NY. The exteriors are the real exteriors of a different building, 60 Center Street, at which only civil trials take place.
When Nicky Torres arrives in court he immediately takes the stand and begins testifying, without being sworn in first by the bailiff. Title 28 of the United States Code regarding the federal rules of evidence, under rule 603, states that "all witnesses are required to declare, by oath or affirmation, that they will testify truthfully, under penalty of perjury". All 50 states also have their own version of this rule that applies to state/county/city courts, New York's rules of evidence regarding witness testimony is found at New York Code Title 9, § 517.6 which says "Before testifying, every witness shall be required to declare that the witness will testify truthfully, by oath or affirmation administered in a form calculated to awaken the witness's conscience and impress the witness's mind with the duty to do so". If a witness is not sworn in (which never happens) their testimony does not become part of the record, and would not be able to be considered by the jury. A witness testifying is also required to do so under oath by the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which says "in a criminal trial the accused shall enjoy...the right to confront the witnesses against him, and the opportunity to cross-examine them under oath".