Police Body-Worn Cameras: What Prosecutors Need to Know

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Author(s): Kristine Hamann, PCE

As police departments across the United States embrace the use of police body-worn cameras (“BWCs”), it is imperative that prosecutors be involved in the uptake process as early as possible. The cameras will inevitably capture a great deal of evidentiary material that will be used in every type of criminal prosecution. Thus, systems and policies must be developed to ensure that this evidence is properly captured and delivered to the prosecutor in a timely and usable way.

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The Benefits of Electronic Discovery in King County

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Author(s): Kristine Hamann, PCE

Prosecutors are obligated to provide timely and complete discovery, particularly with regard to exculpatory and impeachment material. The discovery process can be complex and time consuming. Failure to properly record discovery documents provided to the defense can jeopardize cases and put prosecutors at risk of being charged with ethical violations.

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Development of Database to Improve Understanding of Illegal Prescription Drug Activity (2018)

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Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office (Conroe, TX)

Population: 607,391 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 50 | Contact Information

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has developed a Pre-Crime Unit (PCU) with Innovative Prosecution Solution grant funds, which targets the sources of prescription drug abuse through aggressive and responsible investigations and prosecutions to combat increases in drug overdose and drugged driving. The PCU team consists of a prosecutor, investigator, and paralegal.

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Emergency Preparedness

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Are You Prepared?

Disaster has hit prosecutors’ offices in a variety of ways: flooding (East Baton Rouge, Houston), hurricanes (New Orleans, Miami), fire (Missouri; New Jersey) and terrorism (New York). Even less destructive forces, like a snow storm, can impede a prosecutor’s office ability to function. Planning in advance of an emergency is critical for the safety of employees and for assuring that essential work can continue. Here are three areas for consideration:

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Secure in our Convictions: Using New Evidence to Strengthen Prosecution

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Author(s): Kristine Hamann, Rebecca Rader Brown

In May 2013, a Colorado man fails to show up to work. Concerned, the man’s boss visits his house, where the man’s roommate refuses to let the boss enter. The boss contacts the police, who launch a missing person investigation. Using cell tower technology, police are able to approximate the missing man’s location in the hours leading up to his disappearance.

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NIBIN Prosecutor to Improve Gun Crime Prosecution (2018)

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Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (Indianapolis, IN)

Population: 954,670 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 160 | Contact Information

To combat gun related crime, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) used a grant from Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) to provide prosecutors with key intelligence about the firearms used and any associated violent crime drivers.

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Multi-Disciplinary Team Improves Targeted Drug Trafficking Prosecutions and Public Education (2018)

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Easton Baton Rouge Office of the District Attorney (Baton Rouge, LA)

Population: 440,059 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 54 | Contact Information

The East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office (EBRDA) aims to disrupt the market for opioids by targeting high-profile drug dealers. With Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) funding, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of representatives from EBRDA, the Baton Rouge Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Louisiana National Guard, and others collect and analyze a robust dataset pertaining to opioid prescriptions, overdoses, Narcan distributions, opioid-related arrests, and other relevant data.

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Prosecutor and Ceasefire Coordinator to Prevent and Prosecute Gun Crime (2018)

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Clare County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (Harrison, MI)

Population: 30,856 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 5 | Contact Information

The Clare County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (CCPA) has created a multiagency counterdrug task force including: medical personnel, pharmacists, probation and parole representatives, substance abuse counselors, and other law enforcement members who meet regularly to review current opioid related case investigations and plan future investigations based on gathered intelligence.

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Opioid Abuse & Prevention Task Force to Combat Overdose Deaths (2018)

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Covington County District Attorney’s Office (Andalusia, AL)

Population: 37,570 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 3 | Contact Information

The Covington County District Attorney’s Office (CCDA) has created an Opioid Abuse & Prevention Task Force, which includes paramedics, law enforcement, an administrator, a training coordinator, an investigator, and a prosecutor.

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Prioritization, Streamlining, and Precision Prosecution of Opioid Related Violent Crime (2018)

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Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (Detroit, MI)

Population: 1,793,561 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 180 | Contact Information

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO) is working to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths by utilizing data science to locate and prioritize hotspots of overlapping opioid-related activity and violent crime, eliminating the threshold for case referrals to WCPO’s drug unit, and employing a one-person grand jury to streamline investigations of opioid-related overdose cases.

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