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American Morning
Schiavo Deadline; Ex-Housekeeper Speaks; Atlanta Officials Holding News Conference Regarding Shootings
Aired March 18, 2005 - 09:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A last-minute move in Washington to keep Terri Schiavo alive, but will it work? And just who is the subject of a mystery subpoena?
At the Michael Jackson trial an intimate portrait of the inner sanctum: boys running wild at Neverland.
And murder upon murder in Philadelphia. A killing spree that has the mayor pleading for citizens to speak out on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. Rob Marciano helping us out this morning.
So thanks for that.
Coming up in just a few minutes, the mayor of Atlanta is holding a news conference to talk about the police response in last week's courthouse shootings. A look at that's ahead. We're going to bring it to you.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Also, more than 11 hour of testimony on Capitol Hill on steroids in baseball. But when it was all over, did anybody in the game actually admit doing anything wrong? We'll look at that long but extraordinary session.
O'BRIEN: Jack Cafferty has got a look at states' rights this morning.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I don't know about whether anybody admitted anything, but Mark McGwire's reputation is a mess just because of what he did yesterday. What a joke.
The "Question of the Day" today has to do with the Terri Schiavo case. State courts in Florida have ruled that they can remove the feeding tube. But at the last minute Congress got involved and issued a subpoena ordering the doctors not to disconnect the feeding tube until federal courts could take a look at this.
The question we're asking is whether or not the federal government has any business interfering in a state case where the state courts have already ruled. AM@CNN.com is the email address. O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.
Let's get right to the headlines. Carol Costello in for us.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," the man described as a person of interest in the case of a missing Florida girl is expected to be in court today. John Couey is his name. He's facing unrelated charges right now. Police say he is cooperating, but there's still no word if there is a connection between him and this girl, Jessica Lunsford.
She disappeared, what, more than three weeks ago now? Her father says he will continue with the search, however.
Congress facing a $2.6 trillion problem. That's the sum of next year's federal budget. The Senate approved its version of the plan, but its priorities differ from what President Bush and the House wanted. The sides will try to iron out an agreement when Congress resumes in two weeks.
And President Bush is taking his Social Security reforms directly to the voters. He's on the road again. You see him?
The President speaking at Pensacola Junior College in Florida this hour. He'll meet with senior citizens in Orlando later today.
I believe this is of him arriving there. It is all part of a 60- day Social Security blitz.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Carol. Thanks a lot.
Well, a surprising last-minute effort by the House to stop the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns live for us from Capitol Hill this morning.
Joe, good morning. What exactly is Congress expected to do?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Soledad. What we know is that there are attempts operating on dual tracks now in the House and Senate to issue subpoenas in the Terri Schiavo case.
Of course that feeding tube scheduled to be removed today around 1:00 Eastern Time in Florida. The House Government Reform Committee, chaired by Virginia Congressman Tom Davis, apparently planning to issue a subpoena later today. As well now, the new information we have been able to confirm is that Senator Mike Enzi, the chairman of the Health and Education Committee on the Senate side also talking about issuing a subpoena in this case. Now, the general principle here is that the Congress is attempting to preserve its rights to inquire into the Schiavo case, and in that way they have to preserve the witness herself.
We're told the Health and Education Committee is now planning a hearing in this case on or about March 28. Of course, original reports were that the attempt would be to have Schiavo come before the committee herself. Obviously, that sounds like it could be a very difficult situation.
Last night, Congressman Tom Davis, the chairman of the other committee, the Reform Committee on the House side, issued a statement. We have a graphic of that to show you.
Here's what it said in part: "Later this morning, we will issue a subpoena which will require hospice administrators and attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive. This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety. This fight is not over."
So clearly, the House of Representatives now and also the Senate, apparently, weighing in on this issue. A last-ditch effort to keep that feeding tube from being removed -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So are you saying that Terri Schiavo will be named in a subpoena, that she will be subpoenaed?
JOHNS: It sounds to us right now as though Mike Enzi is attempting to issue a subpoena to Terri Schiavo. Of course, we have not been able to talk directly to the senator. A lot of these developments happened late in the evening, early in the morning. But the word is that a subpoena may be issued in her name.
Now, of course, it doesn't sound very possible that she could be here. Nonetheless, these are some questions that have to be answered later on today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Maybe she couldn't be there, but certainly could keep the doctors from removing her feeding tube to preserve her for her testimony. Interesting maneuvers.
All right. Joe Johns joining us this morning. Joe, thanks for that update -- Rob.
MARCIANO: There will be no testimony today in the Michael Jackson molestation trial. But Jackson's former housekeeper is shedding some light on what she says she saw going on inside the pop land's -- or in Neverland Ranch.
Here is CNN's Miguel Marquez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the most intimate picture so far of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. A former housekeeper, Kiki Fournier, testified about her 12 years working at Jackson's sprawling estate.
STEVE CORBETT, "SANTA MARIA TIMES": This is a woman who has a firsthand view of what took place at Neverland.
MARQUEZ: Fournier described a permissive and sometimes wild scene, a place she sometimes called Pinocchio's pleasure island. Over the years she said thousands of kids visited, many of them from the rougher side of Los Angeles.
She told prosecutors she saw kids three or four times who appeared to be intoxicated while Jackson was present. She also testified she saw Jackson on one occasion appearing intoxicated, along with kids.
CORBETT: This young woman testified that she had problems with the lack of authority that she saw at Neverland where these children were giving free rein, became wild.
MARQUEZ: Over strenuous objections from Jackson's defense, she also listed aboutr 13 boys, all in their early teens, who had developed what she called special relationships with Jackson. She defined that as "a close friendship" they shared with the pop star. She also testified she never saw Jackson do anything inappropriate with any of them.
CORBETT: The prosecution tried to establish that these young boys were all of the same -- of a similar age, that Michael Jackson picked certain children and left others behind.
MARQUEZ: The longtime housekeeper also testified that the accuser and his brother had a room of their own and they destroyed it. She also said by the end of their stay, the kids had become demanding and seemed spoiled.
(on camera): A local LA weatherman had a much different take on things. He testified he met the accuser and his family years ago at a comedy camp, was so moved he bought them gifts without the family asking. And he described the kids as wonderful children.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: The prosecution is asking the judge to allow evidence of previous suspected misconduct by Jackson. Defense attorneys are expected to submit their written objections today over the prosecution's request.
O'BRIEN: Let's take you to Atlanta, which is where Atlanta's mayor, Shirley Franklin, is now addressing a news conference. She's joined by the police chief as well, Richard Pennington.
They're talking about the role of the city police in the shooting and the search and the wake of the search for Brian Nichols, the suspect in the Atlanta shootings recently. Right now the mayor said she's going to read some passages from the bible because she really wants to talk about community healing. Let's listen in.
MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: ... and can heal and give us guidance when it is not clear why things have happened and how things have happened. We continue to ask for god's blessing for our city and for all of our people. As we gather over the next few days and weeks, may our faith leaders in our churches, mosques, synagogues and temples come together with their respective congregations to talk and pray for reconciliation and healing in our city.
We remember with fondness those who have lost their lives: Rowland Barnes, Julie Brandau, Hoyt Teasley and David Wilhelm. We remember them for their service to our community, their fairness, their generosity, and their commitment to their families and friends. They each served with honor as public servants, sacrificing their personal safety for our safety. They served as men and women of justice, that we may live in a safe city, that we may live in a safe city.
We thank each for their service to our community, and we pray for peace in the lives and hearts of their families and friends. They have left their footprints in the sand as a sign to guide us in our lives.
So I ask all people of faith in this community to commit themselves to reconciliation and healing. Recognizing that the investigation and the prosecution will have to continue, it is important for us to remember the legacies of these four as men and women of faith, people who have served our community well, who have served it with all of their hearts and souls, that we may follow their legacy.
Now, regarding the criminal investigation and the debriefing on who did what, when, how and why, it is our intent over the next days and weeks and months to answer all the questions candidly and truthfully. But we have to have an opportunity to have a full, comprehensive debriefing and analysis.
One of the most important priorities for us is to develop a solid, factual and accurate case. It is imperative that we provide the district attorney the information needed to effectively and fairly prosecute this case.
Today we are prepared to release through the media to the public a preliminary timeline of the city of Atlanta's response on the day of the slayings. Please remember that this is an ongoing investigation and this is a preliminary timeline of the city of Atlanta's response that day in the first hour or so.
Before I turn the podium over to Chief Pennington and Chief Dreher, let me take this opportunity to thank the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Fire Department for their continuing efforts to protect and serve the people who live, work and visit our city. They have a very, very hard job each and every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And I, for one, believe we owe the proud men and women of APD a debt of gratitude for all that they do to keep us safe.
Their efforts are -- have significantly decreased crime, and under the leadership of these two veteran law enforcement officers, crime in Atlanta continues to decline. It has decreased some 14 percent.
Last night APB captured its tenth fugitive on Atlanta's top ten most wanted list. And that is the tenth person since January. Tomorrow in Birmingham, Atlanta will celebrate another significant achievement as APD receives accreditation from the nation's premier law enforcement accrediting agency.
So I thank all of you for coming. I thank APD, the fire department, and all of the law enforcement agencies for the fine work they do every day.
And now I turn the podium over to Chief Pennington and Chief Dreher.
Thank you.
CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Good morning.
First of all, I'd like to thank Mayor Franklin for her kind comments and her support of the Atlanta Police Department. Each of you should have a copy of the preliminary outline of the events that occurred from the time the Atlanta Police Department command team was notified through the first hour and a half of establishing the command operations.
And what I'd like to do is discuss some highlights listed on the preliminary timeline. And I don't want to go through each and every one of them, but I want to talk about some that I think that are very significant.
At 9:05, the Atlanta Police Department's communications received a cell phone call from a citizen at Pryor (ph) and Alabama that an officer was down. At that same time, an APD homicide investigator was already at the scene for an appointment in court and was searching for a parking space.
At 9:06, the first dispatch zone 5 officer arrived on the scene and called into the Atlanta Police Department radio that an officer needed help.
At 9:11, Atlanta Fire Rescue was dispatched to the scene regarding the shooting incident.
At 9:15, the Atlanta police command staff was notified by APD communications that a Fulton County deputy was shot.
At 9:30 Assistant Chief Alan Dreher arrived to the scene to assist the situation and take control of the scene.
At 9:40, APD command staff were notified that the APD communications -- by the APD communications that a judge and court reporter were shot.
At 9:45, APD takes command of the scene at this point on the street, coordinating the investigative efforts of the assisting agencies, which included the FBI, the United States Marshals, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the GBI, Fulton County Sheriff's Office, Fulton County Police Department and Fulton County Marshals.
At 9:50, a briefing room was staged on the ninth floor of the Fulton County building. And at 9:50, APD coordinated assignments for supporting law enforcement agencies.
And those were some of the highlights that I think were very significant. But what I want to reiterate what Mayor Franklin said.
It is customary for us to debrief and determine what worked and what did not work. That is our standard procedure.
In this current situation, the criminal investigations takes priority. At a later date, we will complete a debriefing analysis and will respond honestly to questions regarding APD's involvement in this case.
That is our long-term plan. However, there are areas that we already know worked well and a few where we know we need to make an improvement or make some improvements. And what I will do is just talk about some of the pros in this case, I think things that we did extremely well. And I will also talk about some things that we might have to look at in terms of improving.
First of all, I thing the information that was shared between all the agencies was outstanding. The lookout was given at 9:08 a.m., and all the agencies were notified about the suspect.
Federal and state agencies joined into this effort. Lookout posted on the interstate message board by DOT. The Atlanta fire chief on the scene with the command post.
Carjacking scenes were secure, processed, and vehicles impounded. The identified suspect's last known address, we sent a team to sit on all his known locations and some of his associates and friends. Local businesses quickly and willingly shared video of their garages and other areas. Coordination with the Gwinnett County Police Department, we think that that was outstanding as well.
Some of the communications -- as you know, many of the law enforcement agencies in Atlanta are not on the same radio frequency. And so that posed a problem for us at some point. So that meant that we'd have to contact some of the law enforcement agencies via cell phone or via regular telephone communications. And so in the future, I think it's going to be important for us to look at how well we can share communications and be on the same frequency, or have the ability to get on the same frequency when emergencies of this nature occur.
Plain talk is another thing that we're going to look at. You know, police departments all have various codes. And many of our agencies and departments do not have the same standard codes in our departments. And so we want to look at -- in fact, I've already put a team of people in my department from our communications division to look at plain talk processes in the Atlanta Police Department so we can have the ability to just, instead of using codes, just have plain talk.
A protocol is something that we're going to look at in terms of the protocols in these types of situations -- who actually is in charge, what is the role that each and every agency will play when an emergency occurs of this event. And then I'm going to also go back and look at what transpired about the car in the garage, what did we do right, what did we do wrong, and look at our involvement in every scenario.
I thing it is important. Many people will criticize, there are a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks and people that say you should have done this and should have done that. But many of you don't know that it was a crisis, it was chaotic.
Calls were coming in. We received over 1,500 calls on our task force on line. And many of our officers had to respond to many of those calls. And, you know, a lot of those calls did not turn out to locate Brian Nichols.
And so we were running from call to call, and we had a lot of things going on. And so we need to just sit down and assess what transpired. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to do an after-action report and analyze and evaluate in terms of what the Atlanta Police Department should have done or could have done better, along with the coordinating agencies.
And so, in a nutshell, let me say that I am still proud of my officers. I think my officers did an outstanding job. And I want to commend them.
And I'd like to commend the public for their support. And I'd like to commend the media, too, because had it not been for the media posting his picture throughout the metropolitan area and throughout the country, it gave citizens...
O'BRIEN: You're listening to the Atlanta police chief, Richard Pennington, saying that he is proud of his officers and also highlighting the role of the media and others in eventually the capture of suspect Brian Nichols in the Atlanta shootings. He listed a preliminary timetime which he said had some critical importance, highlighting at 9:05, the first call coming in, 9:45, the Atlanta police finally taking command of the situation and setting up a control center.
Let's go right to Drew Griffin. He is in Atlanta.
Drew, first, why is this timeline so critical? There's been lots of criticism obviously.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what the chief is trying to do and what the mayor is trying to do, they're trying to defend and deflect criticism of just how the Atlanta police handled this. Of course, we had criticism all week long from the very beginning of how the sheriff's department handled what happened inside the courthouse. But once Hoyt Teasley was killed on the street, this became an Atlanta Police Department crime.
And, Soledad, if you look at the timeline of how long it took from the time, 9:05 a citizen calls in, officer down, to the time that the Atlanta police realized the scope of this, realized that a judge and a court reporter are dead inside the courtroom, that's a full 25 minutes. And it's not until 9:45 that the chief says the Atlanta Police Department actually takes control of the scene.
Well, by this time you have three people dead, you have five cars in downtown Atlanta hijacked within 15 minutes. And apparently you have a suspect, Brian Nichols, who jumps on a MARTA train and is gone from downtown Atlanta while the police are still searching for a car that he is not in.
So there are a lot of questions yet to be -- remain. The chief trying to not only defend his officers' actions for their bravery in the chaotic events, but also deflect criticism for how poorly executed the initial minutes of the search for Brian Nichols was handled. And as we now know, the search for 10 hours of a car that Brian Nichols had left downtown when he took a MARTA train up north of Atlanta.
O'BRIEN: Drew, we heard the chief list what his officers did well and what they sort of did well administratively as well. But when you look at the things that he said were cons, described them as cons, the communications.
A lot of the different law enforcement agencies not even on the same frequency. And so, of course, they had to then call on their cell phone or call on a landline in order to get through.
He also pointed out that plain talk, when you're talking in code over the frequency, if they could get in the frequency, they're talking about codes that not all the law enforcement agencies shared. He calls these, you know, under the con list. But these are hugely important, I would think, problems within the Atlanta Police Department.
GRIFFIN: Well, they're problems with the Atlanta Police Department, Soledad, but these are problems all across the country. Keep in mind, this was also part of the post-9/11 attacks, where we had different frequencies going on.
This is a bigger picture for law enforcement agencies and for police and fire agencies all across the nation. But this is a glaring example of how that failed.
If, in fact, we don't know for 25 minutes at the Atlanta Police Department that there is two people dead upstairs in a courthouse, we also obviously don't know who the suspect is. Yet everybody in that courtroom knew who that suspect is and knew who they should be looking for. That should have been handled immediately.
Yes, there was a lot of brave action by officers. But as we're seeing, Soledad, in this timeline, officers who pretty much were operating without any information. And I think that when it's all said and done, when Mayor Shirley Franklin has her task force looking into this, we will find out that the command and control issues are going to far outweigh the officers' bravery because a lot of these officers were literally on the street searching for something that they didn't know what they were searching for.
O'BRIEN: Well, as you say, lots of questions to be answered. Drew Griffin at the CNN Center for us.
Thanks, Drew.
A short break. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 18, 2005 - 09:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A last-minute move in Washington to keep Terri Schiavo alive, but will it work? And just who is the subject of a mystery subpoena?
At the Michael Jackson trial an intimate portrait of the inner sanctum: boys running wild at Neverland.
And murder upon murder in Philadelphia. A killing spree that has the mayor pleading for citizens to speak out on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. Rob Marciano helping us out this morning.
So thanks for that.
Coming up in just a few minutes, the mayor of Atlanta is holding a news conference to talk about the police response in last week's courthouse shootings. A look at that's ahead. We're going to bring it to you.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Also, more than 11 hour of testimony on Capitol Hill on steroids in baseball. But when it was all over, did anybody in the game actually admit doing anything wrong? We'll look at that long but extraordinary session.
O'BRIEN: Jack Cafferty has got a look at states' rights this morning.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I don't know about whether anybody admitted anything, but Mark McGwire's reputation is a mess just because of what he did yesterday. What a joke.
The "Question of the Day" today has to do with the Terri Schiavo case. State courts in Florida have ruled that they can remove the feeding tube. But at the last minute Congress got involved and issued a subpoena ordering the doctors not to disconnect the feeding tube until federal courts could take a look at this.
The question we're asking is whether or not the federal government has any business interfering in a state case where the state courts have already ruled. AM@CNN.com is the email address. O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.
Let's get right to the headlines. Carol Costello in for us.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," the man described as a person of interest in the case of a missing Florida girl is expected to be in court today. John Couey is his name. He's facing unrelated charges right now. Police say he is cooperating, but there's still no word if there is a connection between him and this girl, Jessica Lunsford.
She disappeared, what, more than three weeks ago now? Her father says he will continue with the search, however.
Congress facing a $2.6 trillion problem. That's the sum of next year's federal budget. The Senate approved its version of the plan, but its priorities differ from what President Bush and the House wanted. The sides will try to iron out an agreement when Congress resumes in two weeks.
And President Bush is taking his Social Security reforms directly to the voters. He's on the road again. You see him?
The President speaking at Pensacola Junior College in Florida this hour. He'll meet with senior citizens in Orlando later today.
I believe this is of him arriving there. It is all part of a 60- day Social Security blitz.
Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right, Carol. Thanks a lot.
Well, a surprising last-minute effort by the House to stop the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns live for us from Capitol Hill this morning.
Joe, good morning. What exactly is Congress expected to do?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Soledad. What we know is that there are attempts operating on dual tracks now in the House and Senate to issue subpoenas in the Terri Schiavo case.
Of course that feeding tube scheduled to be removed today around 1:00 Eastern Time in Florida. The House Government Reform Committee, chaired by Virginia Congressman Tom Davis, apparently planning to issue a subpoena later today. As well now, the new information we have been able to confirm is that Senator Mike Enzi, the chairman of the Health and Education Committee on the Senate side also talking about issuing a subpoena in this case. Now, the general principle here is that the Congress is attempting to preserve its rights to inquire into the Schiavo case, and in that way they have to preserve the witness herself.
We're told the Health and Education Committee is now planning a hearing in this case on or about March 28. Of course, original reports were that the attempt would be to have Schiavo come before the committee herself. Obviously, that sounds like it could be a very difficult situation.
Last night, Congressman Tom Davis, the chairman of the other committee, the Reform Committee on the House side, issued a statement. We have a graphic of that to show you.
Here's what it said in part: "Later this morning, we will issue a subpoena which will require hospice administrators and attending physicians to preserve nutrition and hydration for Terri Schiavo to allow Congress to fully understand the procedures and practices that are currently keeping her alive. This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety. This fight is not over."
So clearly, the House of Representatives now and also the Senate, apparently, weighing in on this issue. A last-ditch effort to keep that feeding tube from being removed -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So are you saying that Terri Schiavo will be named in a subpoena, that she will be subpoenaed?
JOHNS: It sounds to us right now as though Mike Enzi is attempting to issue a subpoena to Terri Schiavo. Of course, we have not been able to talk directly to the senator. A lot of these developments happened late in the evening, early in the morning. But the word is that a subpoena may be issued in her name.
Now, of course, it doesn't sound very possible that she could be here. Nonetheless, these are some questions that have to be answered later on today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Maybe she couldn't be there, but certainly could keep the doctors from removing her feeding tube to preserve her for her testimony. Interesting maneuvers.
All right. Joe Johns joining us this morning. Joe, thanks for that update -- Rob.
MARCIANO: There will be no testimony today in the Michael Jackson molestation trial. But Jackson's former housekeeper is shedding some light on what she says she saw going on inside the pop land's -- or in Neverland Ranch.
Here is CNN's Miguel Marquez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the most intimate picture so far of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. A former housekeeper, Kiki Fournier, testified about her 12 years working at Jackson's sprawling estate.
STEVE CORBETT, "SANTA MARIA TIMES": This is a woman who has a firsthand view of what took place at Neverland.
MARQUEZ: Fournier described a permissive and sometimes wild scene, a place she sometimes called Pinocchio's pleasure island. Over the years she said thousands of kids visited, many of them from the rougher side of Los Angeles.
She told prosecutors she saw kids three or four times who appeared to be intoxicated while Jackson was present. She also testified she saw Jackson on one occasion appearing intoxicated, along with kids.
CORBETT: This young woman testified that she had problems with the lack of authority that she saw at Neverland where these children were giving free rein, became wild.
MARQUEZ: Over strenuous objections from Jackson's defense, she also listed aboutr 13 boys, all in their early teens, who had developed what she called special relationships with Jackson. She defined that as "a close friendship" they shared with the pop star. She also testified she never saw Jackson do anything inappropriate with any of them.
CORBETT: The prosecution tried to establish that these young boys were all of the same -- of a similar age, that Michael Jackson picked certain children and left others behind.
MARQUEZ: The longtime housekeeper also testified that the accuser and his brother had a room of their own and they destroyed it. She also said by the end of their stay, the kids had become demanding and seemed spoiled.
(on camera): A local LA weatherman had a much different take on things. He testified he met the accuser and his family years ago at a comedy camp, was so moved he bought them gifts without the family asking. And he described the kids as wonderful children.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: The prosecution is asking the judge to allow evidence of previous suspected misconduct by Jackson. Defense attorneys are expected to submit their written objections today over the prosecution's request.
O'BRIEN: Let's take you to Atlanta, which is where Atlanta's mayor, Shirley Franklin, is now addressing a news conference. She's joined by the police chief as well, Richard Pennington.
They're talking about the role of the city police in the shooting and the search and the wake of the search for Brian Nichols, the suspect in the Atlanta shootings recently. Right now the mayor said she's going to read some passages from the bible because she really wants to talk about community healing. Let's listen in.
MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: ... and can heal and give us guidance when it is not clear why things have happened and how things have happened. We continue to ask for god's blessing for our city and for all of our people. As we gather over the next few days and weeks, may our faith leaders in our churches, mosques, synagogues and temples come together with their respective congregations to talk and pray for reconciliation and healing in our city.
We remember with fondness those who have lost their lives: Rowland Barnes, Julie Brandau, Hoyt Teasley and David Wilhelm. We remember them for their service to our community, their fairness, their generosity, and their commitment to their families and friends. They each served with honor as public servants, sacrificing their personal safety for our safety. They served as men and women of justice, that we may live in a safe city, that we may live in a safe city.
We thank each for their service to our community, and we pray for peace in the lives and hearts of their families and friends. They have left their footprints in the sand as a sign to guide us in our lives.
So I ask all people of faith in this community to commit themselves to reconciliation and healing. Recognizing that the investigation and the prosecution will have to continue, it is important for us to remember the legacies of these four as men and women of faith, people who have served our community well, who have served it with all of their hearts and souls, that we may follow their legacy.
Now, regarding the criminal investigation and the debriefing on who did what, when, how and why, it is our intent over the next days and weeks and months to answer all the questions candidly and truthfully. But we have to have an opportunity to have a full, comprehensive debriefing and analysis.
One of the most important priorities for us is to develop a solid, factual and accurate case. It is imperative that we provide the district attorney the information needed to effectively and fairly prosecute this case.
Today we are prepared to release through the media to the public a preliminary timeline of the city of Atlanta's response on the day of the slayings. Please remember that this is an ongoing investigation and this is a preliminary timeline of the city of Atlanta's response that day in the first hour or so.
Before I turn the podium over to Chief Pennington and Chief Dreher, let me take this opportunity to thank the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Fire Department for their continuing efforts to protect and serve the people who live, work and visit our city. They have a very, very hard job each and every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And I, for one, believe we owe the proud men and women of APD a debt of gratitude for all that they do to keep us safe.
Their efforts are -- have significantly decreased crime, and under the leadership of these two veteran law enforcement officers, crime in Atlanta continues to decline. It has decreased some 14 percent.
Last night APB captured its tenth fugitive on Atlanta's top ten most wanted list. And that is the tenth person since January. Tomorrow in Birmingham, Atlanta will celebrate another significant achievement as APD receives accreditation from the nation's premier law enforcement accrediting agency.
So I thank all of you for coming. I thank APD, the fire department, and all of the law enforcement agencies for the fine work they do every day.
And now I turn the podium over to Chief Pennington and Chief Dreher.
Thank you.
CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Good morning.
First of all, I'd like to thank Mayor Franklin for her kind comments and her support of the Atlanta Police Department. Each of you should have a copy of the preliminary outline of the events that occurred from the time the Atlanta Police Department command team was notified through the first hour and a half of establishing the command operations.
And what I'd like to do is discuss some highlights listed on the preliminary timeline. And I don't want to go through each and every one of them, but I want to talk about some that I think that are very significant.
At 9:05, the Atlanta Police Department's communications received a cell phone call from a citizen at Pryor (ph) and Alabama that an officer was down. At that same time, an APD homicide investigator was already at the scene for an appointment in court and was searching for a parking space.
At 9:06, the first dispatch zone 5 officer arrived on the scene and called into the Atlanta Police Department radio that an officer needed help.
At 9:11, Atlanta Fire Rescue was dispatched to the scene regarding the shooting incident.
At 9:15, the Atlanta police command staff was notified by APD communications that a Fulton County deputy was shot.
At 9:30 Assistant Chief Alan Dreher arrived to the scene to assist the situation and take control of the scene.
At 9:40, APD command staff were notified that the APD communications -- by the APD communications that a judge and court reporter were shot.
At 9:45, APD takes command of the scene at this point on the street, coordinating the investigative efforts of the assisting agencies, which included the FBI, the United States Marshals, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the GBI, Fulton County Sheriff's Office, Fulton County Police Department and Fulton County Marshals.
At 9:50, a briefing room was staged on the ninth floor of the Fulton County building. And at 9:50, APD coordinated assignments for supporting law enforcement agencies.
And those were some of the highlights that I think were very significant. But what I want to reiterate what Mayor Franklin said.
It is customary for us to debrief and determine what worked and what did not work. That is our standard procedure.
In this current situation, the criminal investigations takes priority. At a later date, we will complete a debriefing analysis and will respond honestly to questions regarding APD's involvement in this case.
That is our long-term plan. However, there are areas that we already know worked well and a few where we know we need to make an improvement or make some improvements. And what I will do is just talk about some of the pros in this case, I think things that we did extremely well. And I will also talk about some things that we might have to look at in terms of improving.
First of all, I thing the information that was shared between all the agencies was outstanding. The lookout was given at 9:08 a.m., and all the agencies were notified about the suspect.
Federal and state agencies joined into this effort. Lookout posted on the interstate message board by DOT. The Atlanta fire chief on the scene with the command post.
Carjacking scenes were secure, processed, and vehicles impounded. The identified suspect's last known address, we sent a team to sit on all his known locations and some of his associates and friends. Local businesses quickly and willingly shared video of their garages and other areas. Coordination with the Gwinnett County Police Department, we think that that was outstanding as well.
Some of the communications -- as you know, many of the law enforcement agencies in Atlanta are not on the same radio frequency. And so that posed a problem for us at some point. So that meant that we'd have to contact some of the law enforcement agencies via cell phone or via regular telephone communications. And so in the future, I think it's going to be important for us to look at how well we can share communications and be on the same frequency, or have the ability to get on the same frequency when emergencies of this nature occur.
Plain talk is another thing that we're going to look at. You know, police departments all have various codes. And many of our agencies and departments do not have the same standard codes in our departments. And so we want to look at -- in fact, I've already put a team of people in my department from our communications division to look at plain talk processes in the Atlanta Police Department so we can have the ability to just, instead of using codes, just have plain talk.
A protocol is something that we're going to look at in terms of the protocols in these types of situations -- who actually is in charge, what is the role that each and every agency will play when an emergency occurs of this event. And then I'm going to also go back and look at what transpired about the car in the garage, what did we do right, what did we do wrong, and look at our involvement in every scenario.
I thing it is important. Many people will criticize, there are a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks and people that say you should have done this and should have done that. But many of you don't know that it was a crisis, it was chaotic.
Calls were coming in. We received over 1,500 calls on our task force on line. And many of our officers had to respond to many of those calls. And, you know, a lot of those calls did not turn out to locate Brian Nichols.
And so we were running from call to call, and we had a lot of things going on. And so we need to just sit down and assess what transpired. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to do an after-action report and analyze and evaluate in terms of what the Atlanta Police Department should have done or could have done better, along with the coordinating agencies.
And so, in a nutshell, let me say that I am still proud of my officers. I think my officers did an outstanding job. And I want to commend them.
And I'd like to commend the public for their support. And I'd like to commend the media, too, because had it not been for the media posting his picture throughout the metropolitan area and throughout the country, it gave citizens...
O'BRIEN: You're listening to the Atlanta police chief, Richard Pennington, saying that he is proud of his officers and also highlighting the role of the media and others in eventually the capture of suspect Brian Nichols in the Atlanta shootings. He listed a preliminary timetime which he said had some critical importance, highlighting at 9:05, the first call coming in, 9:45, the Atlanta police finally taking command of the situation and setting up a control center.
Let's go right to Drew Griffin. He is in Atlanta.
Drew, first, why is this timeline so critical? There's been lots of criticism obviously.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what the chief is trying to do and what the mayor is trying to do, they're trying to defend and deflect criticism of just how the Atlanta police handled this. Of course, we had criticism all week long from the very beginning of how the sheriff's department handled what happened inside the courthouse. But once Hoyt Teasley was killed on the street, this became an Atlanta Police Department crime.
And, Soledad, if you look at the timeline of how long it took from the time, 9:05 a citizen calls in, officer down, to the time that the Atlanta police realized the scope of this, realized that a judge and a court reporter are dead inside the courtroom, that's a full 25 minutes. And it's not until 9:45 that the chief says the Atlanta Police Department actually takes control of the scene.
Well, by this time you have three people dead, you have five cars in downtown Atlanta hijacked within 15 minutes. And apparently you have a suspect, Brian Nichols, who jumps on a MARTA train and is gone from downtown Atlanta while the police are still searching for a car that he is not in.
So there are a lot of questions yet to be -- remain. The chief trying to not only defend his officers' actions for their bravery in the chaotic events, but also deflect criticism for how poorly executed the initial minutes of the search for Brian Nichols was handled. And as we now know, the search for 10 hours of a car that Brian Nichols had left downtown when he took a MARTA train up north of Atlanta.
O'BRIEN: Drew, we heard the chief list what his officers did well and what they sort of did well administratively as well. But when you look at the things that he said were cons, described them as cons, the communications.
A lot of the different law enforcement agencies not even on the same frequency. And so, of course, they had to then call on their cell phone or call on a landline in order to get through.
He also pointed out that plain talk, when you're talking in code over the frequency, if they could get in the frequency, they're talking about codes that not all the law enforcement agencies shared. He calls these, you know, under the con list. But these are hugely important, I would think, problems within the Atlanta Police Department.
GRIFFIN: Well, they're problems with the Atlanta Police Department, Soledad, but these are problems all across the country. Keep in mind, this was also part of the post-9/11 attacks, where we had different frequencies going on.
This is a bigger picture for law enforcement agencies and for police and fire agencies all across the nation. But this is a glaring example of how that failed.
If, in fact, we don't know for 25 minutes at the Atlanta Police Department that there is two people dead upstairs in a courthouse, we also obviously don't know who the suspect is. Yet everybody in that courtroom knew who that suspect is and knew who they should be looking for. That should have been handled immediately.
Yes, there was a lot of brave action by officers. But as we're seeing, Soledad, in this timeline, officers who pretty much were operating without any information. And I think that when it's all said and done, when Mayor Shirley Franklin has her task force looking into this, we will find out that the command and control issues are going to far outweigh the officers' bravery because a lot of these officers were literally on the street searching for something that they didn't know what they were searching for.
O'BRIEN: Well, as you say, lots of questions to be answered. Drew Griffin at the CNN Center for us.
Thanks, Drew.
A short break. We're back in a moment.
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