FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier in the Tampa field office and Department of Justice spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa in Washington spoke to the Los Angeles Times about their investigation of the Trayvon Martin case. They made it completely clear that their investigation is not focused on the Sanford police department. And if they’re running into problems with the department, they’re keeping a tight poker face.
So there’s no federal investigation into the local police?
Hinojosa: When the Justice Department investigates a whole police department, like we did in New Orleans or in L.A., that is a pattern of practice investigation — that’s something different. We are not doing that here.
What happens if, in the course of your investigation, you uncover improprieties by local police or prosecutors?
Couvertier: If something like that did come up, that would be addressed accordingly, either by state [investigators], federal, or both. But right now we are focused on the circumstances surrounding Trayvon’s death and his civil rights. The state attorney’s office is looking at the death and how everything was handled so they would be aware of any issues and address those accordingly.
I think we’ve been witnessing an ongoing conspiracy and cover-up, and I think the entire investigation of the Trayvon Martin case has been compromised. I think false police reports were filed. I think witnesses were mishandled. I can’t imagine that the FBI can get the facts of this case without running up against false statements and unethical behavior by police officers and their higher-ups.
That’s also true for the Florida state investigator. But I don’t think Roscoe P. Coltrane and Enos are going to be able to keep their stories straight.