New Crime Scene Unit Unveiled
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New Crime Scene Unit Unveiled By: Nicole Graves-Watson, Community Justice Coordinator Last fall, the Essex County Prosecutor’s allows detectives to visually reconstruct Office unveiled a 15,000 square foot crime scenes. The facility is also home to crime scene investigation facility. The the vehicular homicide unit, a team that $2.5 million unit, funded by forfeiture investigates fatal collisions, serious money seized from criminals, was bodily injuries and fatalities involving designed to improve the collection, motor vehicles. There is a processing processing and packaging of forensic room equipped with a hydraulic lift and evidence in Essex County. “Essex County is now at the forefront of fusing science and technology with fighting crime. This building is the optimum showcase of future crime scene investigations,” said Paula Dow, Essex County Prosecutor. The facility features a forensic processing room, digital photo processing room, and a drying chamber designed to process and package blood soaked evidence. Its high-tech computer system -7- air tools, which allows investigators to The facility has space to accommodate examine motor vehicles from all angles. additional employees and store large “It’s an improvement in surroundings amounts of files. and the equipment puts us on par and well above other police agencies across In addition to investigating homicides, the state and shootings and sex crimes, the crime scene country,” stated unit is able to Howard Johnson, assist county Essex County police detective of 13 departments in years. burglaries and other routine Six crime scene matters. vehicles, each Recently it equipped with assisted the digital cameras, West Caldwell portable lighting Police Depart- systems, scene ment in solving guard kits and a case involving measuring a string of devices, fill the burglaries. The parking lot unit collected outside of the Crime Scene Unit. forensic evidence at the crime scene, Employees at the Crime Scene Unit have which was later used to find the doubled to twenty. Staff members perpetrator. include assistant prosecutors, supervisors, detectives, and clerical staff. “It’s a pleasure to work in a unit like this. We have every tool that we need to get the job done,” said Captain Robert Carella. Captain Carella oversaw the production of the crime scene facility which began as an abandoned-looking warehouse. Arrangements were made for Essex County prisoners to gut out and clean the building. Contractors were later hired to design the state of the arts facility. “No other prosecutor has placed this much effort in the crime scene unit. We are greatly appreciative of Prosecutor Dow’s efforts. Given our new equipment, we can obtain the forensic evidence to help better prosecute our cases,” said Captain Carella. \\\\\\\\\\\ -8- The Vertical Court System By: Paul Loriquet, Press Agent When Paula Dow began her journey as victims, witnesses and police officers Acting-Prosecutor of Essex County in much earlier – when the crime is fresh in 2003, her office had recently initiated a their minds and the investigation can still Vertical Court pilot program designed to be shaped.” improve the criminal court system. Serving as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Assistant Prosecutor Howard Zuckerman, Attorney’s Office for eight years, Dow a supervising attorney in the Trial Section knew first-hand about the benefits of a of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Vertical Court system. “The Vertical recently prosecuted a case which helps Court system streamlines prosecutions, illustrate the many advantages of the new system. On February 12, 2006, a brutal attack occurred at the apartment home of a 53 year-old victim on North Walnut Street in East Orange. During the evening hours, while she lay asleep, her attacker, Sylvan Blackmon, 63, also of East Orange, poured boiling water containing reduces time from arrest to disposition, butter on the victim’s body. The victim fosters greater accountability and sustained 3rd degree burns on her neck provides better utilization of limited and chest area. She was treated and resources,” said Prosecutor Dow. released after spending a lengthy stay in the Burn Center of St. Barnabas Medical Dow helped influence her office to Center in Livingston. transform all fifteen (15) Criminal Courts from a standard flow to a vertical flow in The investigation determined that the managing criminal cases. “There are victim and the defendant had an ongoing numerous benefits to the Vertical Court relationship which apparently concluded system. First, the cases are reviewed by during a dispute. A witness, the one Assistant Prosecutor (AP) versus superintendent of the apartment, who multiple Assistants. Generally, all of the later testified at trial, said that after defendants’ cases are handled in one hearing screams he responded to the court. Lastly, the AP’s are in contact with victim’s apartment. Upon entering the -9- apartment, he noticed the defendant in Besides producing a favorable outcome the room. Blackmon admitted that he had of his case, Zuckerman was impressed committed the attack and alleged it was with the vertical flow method. “Within in retaliation for the victim stealing his one month from the time of Blackmon’s money. Blackmon was charged with 2nd arrest, the case was on my desk. Under degree aggravated assault, 4th degree the old system, the case would take unlawful possession of a weapon between four to six months before (boiling water) and 3rd degree possession reaching a trial attorney,” said of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He Zuckerman. was convicted on all counts by a jury and was sentenced to six years in State Prison. When Zuckerman received the file in this case, he noticed it was incomplete, so Standard v. BEFORE Vertical Prosecution -10- within days, he along with Detective assigned to the case, I was able to Toni Ann Mattia of the Essex County establish a rapport with the victim and Prosecutor’s Office, interviewed the witness and maintained that rapport victim and witness. In addition, throughout the proceedings.” photographs were taken of the victim while her injuries were still acute and The case was presented to a grand jury on medical records were obtained. “We were April 25, only one month after the able to get statements from the victim defendant’s arrest and ready for trial in and witness while the case was still fresh August. In comparison, under the in their minds. Being the sole attorney non-vertical system, most cases took Streamlined AFTER Prosecution Vertical Prosecution substantially more time before going to trial. Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Carolyn Wright, who heads the Trial Section, claims an added benefit of the Vertical Court system is that it allows for meaningful Pre-Trial Disposition con- ferences to take place prior to an indictment. During this conference, -11- prosecutors meet with defense attorneys evidence to obtain an arrest warrant, in an attempt to resolve the cases through based on probable cause, and are not plea agreements. Under the old system, always tailored to the ultimate goal of very few Pre-Disposition conferences, not conviction. “The Vertical Court system involving narcotics cases, took place prior provides the State an opportunity to to indictment. oversee an investigation not only to meet the burden of probable cause but also to Lastly, Wright says police investigations meet the burden of proof beyond a are often closed after obtaining sufficient reasonable doubt.” \\\\\\\\\\\ -12- Combating Gangs in Essex County By: Thomas Fennelly, Assistant Prosecutor/Director There is a substantial as well as armed street gang problem robberies and within the County of facilitating narcotics Essex. The Essex trafficking. County Prosecutor’s Office maintains a The murder rate database with over within the core urban three thousand iden- communities in Essex tified gang members. County has been Gang membership particularly troubling and criminal activity because it is committed by criminal primarily fueled by street gang members an increase in gang has increased over the activity. Approxi- past decade. mately 105 homicides occurred in Newark The core city in Essex during 2006. Al- County, Newark, is though the total for the largest city in the 2007 is expected to State and the most diminish, it still densely populated in Actual Gang Member delineates a disturb- the country. Only ten from ingly high number. miles west of New Street Gang Awareness Seminar According to the 2006 York City, it New Jersey Institute of Technology FBI Uniform Crime experiences signifi- November 16, 2007 Reports, Newark’s cant and pervasive per capita murder gang related violence. rate is one of the While Newark and the surrounding communities in Essex County have had a long-standing gang problem, it has been exacerbated by the recent infiltration and recruitment by larger national gangs, including the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, and the Netas. In June 2005, the New Jersey State Police estimated that the number of gang members in New Jersey had increased from 7,500 to 17,000 in just four years. Violence by these gangs has been facilitated by an influx of handguns, mainly from out of state, which have been highest in the nation for major U.S. cities. used by gang members to commit an The vast majority of these homicides are increasing number of murders, shootings, committed with a handgun. In addition to -13- the core city of Newark, neighboring Squad and municipal detectives. When municipalities such as East Orange, an arrest is made, the matter is Orange and the Township of Irvington are aggressively prosecuted; however, this Office is hindered by an ever increasing problem of witness intimidation. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Gang Unit was formed in 2001 and has conducted a number of major investigations. The investigative staff of the Gang Unit has also developed a gang intelligence database that contains statistical information on identified gang sets, gang members and associates operating in Essex County.