N.J. Police Discourage Witness Testimony in Gang Cases
New Jersey’s governor has directed police to use fewer witnesses in gang prosecutions for fear that they cannot be protected from retaliation.
Gov. Jon Corzine is pushing for stricter sentences for intimidation and more money to relocate witnesses who may be in danger, Attorney General Anne Milgram told the New York Times. But until changes can be made, Corzine is asking police to use witnesses sparingly when other evidence will suffice.
Police already are relying less on witnesses and more on video surveillance, sting operations and police testimony, the newspaper says. But the cases that can be prosecuted without witnesses tend to be lesser crimes, such as drug sales or gun possession, and carry shorter sentences.
In one case, Trenton police turned down an offer of help from a minor drug dealer willing to secretly record conversations with the suspected leader of a heroin ring believed to have ordered the murder of a rival. The lead investigator, Daniel Pagnotta, said detectives instead set up a sting operation and arrested the suspect on narcotics charges.
“We knew we could have gotten evidence to link him to the murder,” said Pagnotta. “But it was pretty obvious that if we did, our witness would end up dead. So we took what we could get.”
