OCR Text |
Show State's Unique One-man Probes Realize Results LANSING. MICH. Michigan's unique one-man grand jury system Is developing into a sizable government govern-ment activity, with seven inquiries now in progress in six counties and more than $600,000 in state and lo- cal funds earmarked to pay the ; bills. Targets of the jurors range from gambling, bribery and liquor control con-trol to labor and local courts. An estimated 2,800 witnesses have testified tes-tified before the inquisitors. As an aftermath of the investigations, investiga-tions, nearly 200 citizens haye been indicted, the list including legisla-: legisla-: tors, state and local police officials, labor leaders, bankers, industrialists and gamblers. The Michigan system of one-man grand juries dates back to the Detroit De-troit police court procedure of the 1880s. The statute providing for the system, which was not written until un-til 1917. enables a justice of the peace, police judge or judge of a court of record to act as a grand juror whenever, upon filing of a complaint by a citizen or official, he has cause to suspect that a crime has been committed within his jurisdiction. Provision is made for subpoening witnesses, who may be punished for contempt of court. Legality of the one-man probe has been upheld several times by the Michigan Supreme court, most recently re-cently in 1945. |