Like any world, Riterra is not perfect and there exists those who disturb the public peace and need criminal prosecution.
Policing
- The Primary policing organization for Riterra is the Volontà di Valore (usually just referred to as the police or the VdV) and like all government functions is headed out of quiretteh. The "head" of this organization is similar to the senate with a Primo Magistus and Primo Résonne (referred to as Valor Magistus and Valor Résonne). Reporting to them are the six pairs that oversee policing in the six continents and reporting to those six pairs would be regional heads depending on the size and population distribution of the continent.
- The police uphold the values of justice and wear blue to honor the Knight of Willpower, Valorious
- Each officer is a unit consisting of a Maestro and Resonator.
- A good mix of different elements and attributes are kept on hand to ensure maximum coverage to assist in taking down suspecting utilizing resonators in criminal activities.
- Officers can also carry Rubato Crystal using pistols, but these are expensive to use so they're usually reserved for crisis situations where their own resonator has been incapacitated.
- Resonators are typically traded around a local precinct with some working independent of their actual owning maestro
Evidence Gathering
- In order to secure the necessary evidence for a criminal trial, the police employ a variety of powers and procedures. Because those powers and procedures, if exercised improperly, would enable the police to interfere with the protected freedoms of the suspect, they are normally subject to close scrutiny by the courts or in extreme cases the Senate and the Primos.
- Search of a suspect's person or property is allowed if there is a probable cause or a reasonable ground for suspecting that evidence can be found.
- It is required of law enforcement to state the reasoning for the search and properly identifying themselves as members of law enforcement by presenting their government issues tuners for verification.
- Additionally, this must be done in public and is absolutely forbidden in a private or obscured place.
- A search of the private premises requires the court to assign 2 members of the community with no relation to the suspect as impartial members of the search. These impartial members are witnesses for the court trial and are available to be called by both the defense or prosecuting bodies.
- This search may also have limits on time and is only valid for one search attempt
- Torture of any kind is expressly forbidden by the courts. Any admission or testimony found to be obtained under duress is immediately thrown out.
Appeals
- There is one chance for the appeal of a ruling
- In the event there is a reason to question the judgement of a local court, one of the grand masters and their main resonator will be sent to the court to listen to the arguments and either throw out or sustain the original judgement.
- Note: Appeals are very rarely approved and a significant flaw in the ruling has to be discovered
Who can be tried and where
- Maestros and resonators share the same Riterran court system, however Naturals found committing crimes would be detained and sent to their tribunals for judgement under the Naturalian Court system. Similarly, Lunar Maestros and Resonators are deported back to Luna to face judgement there.
- Note: The above only applies to criminal offenses, civil affairs are handled by local courts regardless of the species or nationality of the involved parties.
- The Grand Masters are considered above the law and are free to do as they please, however, another Grand Master may bring a criminal Grand Master to justice, which in that case this clause is nullified.
- The only other exception to this law is in acts of Government Conspiracy, in which case the offending Grand Master is immediately stripped of their title and tried accordingly.
- Their title will be restored upon an innocent verdict
- Note: this does not apply to Resonators unless the crime was committed under command of the Grand Master Maestro in question
Levels of crime with examples
- Infractions - typically small fines
- These are your small, petty crimes, usually not anything too serious, your typical "slap on the wrist" type crimes
- Traffic violations (although sometimes these can rise to the level of misdemeanors and felonies)
- Littering
- Public intoxication
- Disturbing the peace
- Keeping an unregistered Resonator
- Participating in a Resonator battle outside of an official battleground or set arena
- Referred to as "street fighting"
- Misdemeanor - larger fines to jail-time
- These are the infractions that are more serious, but ruled to be lesser than a felony.
- Felonies - Jail time with hard labor
- These are the most serious offenses, examples below
- Note: in the Riterran court system, should a person be tried, and found guilty of a felony a second time will be immediately executed upon being found guilty of a second felony
- Murder
- Sexual assault
- Burglary
- Kidnapping
- Arson
- The creation and consumption of "True Meat"
- Typically results in an execution
- Conspiracy against the government
- Depending on the severity of this crime, an immediate execution may be suggested