District Attorney: Cuts cost crime-fighting

District Attorney: Cuts cost crime-fighting

By Dave Wedge | Wednesday, September 29, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Angela Rowlings

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said plummeting budgets have led to crippling crime-fighting cuts, including layoffs to community liaisons instrumental in helping prevent violence such as yesterday’s Mattapan slayings.
“Our challenge is to try and stay ahead of this stuff as best we can,” said Conley. “Year after year, this Legislature, this governor, has cut law enforcement budgets and prevention efforts. This has taken a successive toll on what’s going on in this city. As our resources shrink, we’re forced to scale back our efforts. I understand these are difficult times but these are core functions of government.”
An aide to Gov. Deval Patrick declined to comment but highlighted several anti-violence initiatives pushed by the governor, including advocating for tighter gun laws, funding summer job programs and providing grant money to community-based programs. Patrick also used $6 million in federal stimulus money to keep cops on the streets, the aide noted.
But Conley said his office, which has seen its budget slashed by nearly $1.5 million since 2009, has had to cut crucial outreach programs and is scrambling to keep up with increasing caseloads.
“There’s no denying that homicides and shootings are up this year,” Conley said. “It indicates there’s a cohort of intensely violent individuals. They are priority No. 1 - infiltrating these groups, identifying them and targeting them for prosecution.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1285101

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SJC rebukes DA for participating in witness reward program

SJC rebukes DA for participating in witness reward program

By Charis Anderson / The Standard-Times | Tuesday, September 28, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

NEW BEDFORD — The state Supreme Judicial Court on Monday upheld the murder conviction of reputed Monte Park gang member Wayne Miranda, but issued strong disapproval for the prosecution’s participation in a reward program that helped convict him.
Miranda was convicted in July 2008 of second-degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the 2005 shooting death of Christopher A. Barros.
The justices said they "expressly disapprove" of the prosecution’s involvement in the reward program sponsored by the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce through which witnesses are paid for testimony that leads to a conviction, the ruling stated.
Two of the prosecution’s witnesses received payments through the program, according to the ruling.
The court ruled that, in the future, prosecutors may not provide, or participate in providing, conviction-contingent monetary awards to witnesses.
"The interests of justice ... are not well served when a witness’s reward is contingent on the conviction of a defendant rather than the provision of truthful information or testimony," the justices wrote in their ruling.
The chamber’s program offers witnesses a $3,000 reward if they provide information that leads to a defendant’s indictment and another $2,000 if the information results in a conviction.
Payment of the rewards is conditioned on the chamber receiving a verification letter from the District Attorney’s Office stating that a given witness had provided information that led to an indictment, conviction or both.
To read the rest of this story, go to www.southcoasttoday.com
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1284875

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More pervs getting busted again Data comes on heels of SJC’s GPS ruling

More pervs getting busted again
Data comes on heels of SJC’s GPS ruling

By Laura Crimaldi | Saturday, September 25, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

The number of sex offenders who have been busted again since being removed from GPS devices has doubled in the past five months, with suspects facing new charges for drug dealing, armed robbery, assault and battery - but not new sex offenses.

“I suspect that would not have happened if they had the GPS on,” said Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett. “Sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated.”

The 22 new arrests include five charges of assault and battery, one armed robbery and one assault and battery on a correctional officer, according to the Office of the Commissioner of Probation. That figure is twice the 11 new arrests reported by probation in April after an inquiry from the Herald.

The new arrest figures also come a week after the Supreme Judicial Court ruled to block new GPS regulations and bans against sex offenders lurking around schools, libraries and playgrounds unless they break the rules.

Probation, which administers the GPS monitoring program, did not identify the offenders who were rearrested.

However, all are among a group of 222 sex offenders who were charged with a sex crime before Dec. 21, 2006, said probation spokeswoman Coria Holland. Those sex offenders can petition the court to go off GPS monitoring because of a 2009 SJC ruling, but probation officials could not say how many were cut loose from the program because of that decision.

“My position is that means 10 percent of those who had been taken off (GPS) got caught,” said Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. “These cases are the hardest cases to bring. They are underreported and very often the reporting doesn’t come until well after the additional offense has occurred.”

In all, 730 sex offenders are currently on GPS monitoring, Holland said. She added another 612 sex offenders went off GPS between Aug. 19 2009, and Aug. 21, 2010, for reasons including new busts and the end of their probation.

The Level 3 sex offender at the center of the SJC ruling, Ralph W. Goodwin, 49, of Lowell, is due to appear for a probation surrender hearing next month after he failed again to comply with the mental health conditions of his 10-year probation, Holland said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1284078

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