Your County Courts & Convictions.

[lpstopper]

Do the courts in your respective areas work well with your department when it comes to prosecuting criminals and actually giving them jail / prison time? I ask this because I feel that every time we lock someone up around here, they are back out within a few days. In the area i work, virtually everyone i stop is a convicted felon, has serious charges like Robbery, Multiple drug trafficking offenses and murderers. The thing that bothers me is these people are out on the street within no time. Ive come across guys with murder charges that the courts amended to assaults who only served 2 years. I locked up a guy the other day for trafficking pills who the week prior was arrested for trafficking MJ. I saw a guy with a robbery/att. murder who they put on home incarceration! of course, he cut his bracelet off and is wanted My frustration is i feel like its pointless to lock these guys up because the courts are not doing anything with them. Are the prosecutors / judges strict with sentencing in your areas?

[Iowa #1603]

Do the courts in your respective areas work well with your department when it comes to prosecuting criminals and actually giving them jail / prison time?

You have been on this forum since 2007 and have over 1000 posts and you need to ask this question?

My frustration is i feel like its pointless to lock these guys up because the courts are not doing anything with them. Are the prosecutors / judges strict with sentencing in your areas?

The point is to do YOUR job correctly and don't really worry what happens after you pass it on to the prosecutor

[Tic Tac]

California has just been kicked in the cojones by AB 109, wherein most felony convictions result in a JAIL sentence (which can be numerous years). My county jail has 416 beds. They are filling up with felons. Misdemeanor convictions equal supervised release, alternate custody (ankle bracelet) or if the dutbag is smart a seriously shortened terminal sentence. Welcome to the new world.

[PeteBroccolo]

Recidivism = job security. Do your job, and let the Judges and Prosecutors, whom I understand are ELECTED into their positions in most, if not all, of the USA, sweat whether or not the deals and sentences fit the community's expectations.

[MDPOLICE]

I do my job by locking the bad guy up and presenting a good solid case to the court. What the prosecutor decides to do is on them.

I work in a large metropolitan area where we have a very large court docket meaning 20 to 25 people just on the morning docket. Lot of the time the prosecutor will put a case on the stet docket or gives some silly plea out to get through them. Alot of times they will do this because they know the judge will not give any serious punishment anyways even if there is a trial with a guilty finding. So it would be a waste of time. It seems at times that the prosecutors in District Court are just trying to do their time so they can move onto bigger things. Not saying this is all of them, there is some aggressive ones still out there. I've seen judges give out no jail time for guilty convictions where the Defendant had prior convictions for the same thing. So what can you do. NOTHING.

[Maverick1701]

our county attorney is worthless...we have backlogs of cases waiting to go to court from before I started with the department (3 yrs ago). Most of the cases get tossed because too much time as lapsed. He is either focused on his personal practice or off on a cruise.

However...our DA is one badass M-F'er and I have the utmost respect for him and his office.

[chiefjack]

Don't waste your time, energy, and emotion on something you have absolutely NO control over.

Arrest the crooks, put them in jail, do your paperwork and go home after your shift with the satisfaction that you did your part by getting the crook off the street, albeit for a short time, and if the other parts of the system don't do their part, let it go...

[Fugitive Hunter]

Wow I always thought the south was real tough on criminals. Well I work in Maricopa County AZ..our reputation speaks for itself lol

[mp1161]

I do my job by locking the bad guy up and presenting a good solid case to the court. What the prosecutor decides to do is on them.

I work in a large metropolitan area where we have a very large court docket meaning 20 to 25 people just on the morning docket. Lot of the time the prosecutor will put a case on the stet docket or gives some silly plea out to get through them. Alot of times they will do this because they know the judge will not give any serious punishment anyways even if there is a trial with a guilty finding. So it would be a waste of time. It seems at times that the prosecutors in District Court are just trying to do their time so they can move onto bigger things. Not saying this is all of them, there is some aggressive ones still out there. I've seen judges give out no jail time for guilty convictions where the Defendant had prior convictions for the same thing. So what can you do. NOTHING.

There problem in PG is that there is not enough attention to the amount of cases that are presented in front of ASAs. Hire more and honestly build another court house, so we don't have to STET every criminal citation that is presented in front of the court.

I have had cases in two other countys and Baltimore City......PG by far is the busiest. Taking the heavy course load off the ASA's so they can better focus on individual cases would help.

[MDPOLICE]

There problem in PG is that there is not enough attention to the amount of cases that are presented in front of ASAs. Hire more and honestly build another court house, so we don't have to STET every criminal citation that is presented in front of the court.

I have had cases in two other countys and Baltimore City......PG by far is the busiest. Taking the heavy course load off the ASA's so they can better focus on individual cases would help.

I dont know if building a third court house in PGCO would be any better. If they had a night court like some other jurisdictions do that might work a little better if they hired more ASAO's.

[NORCOCOP]

Yeah its the same most places they get an SIS conviction to chalk up as a win. The crap head pleads guilty and does a few years of probation that will not even count as a real conviction as soon as they are off probation. The probation is not enforced and no number of violations reuslt in the supposed required upgrade to an SES conviction.

[stormz5192]

Offer a plea and get the cash.

[XD4ME]

Arrest/charge the frequent fliers for everything you can and hope the Judge/PO gets sick of seeing their face every two weeks.

[sanitizer]

Don't waste your time, energy, and emotion on something you have absolutely NO control over.

Arrest the crooks, put them in jail, do your paperwork and go home after your shift with the satisfaction that you did your part by getting the crook off the street, albeit for a short time, and if the other parts of the system don't do their part, let it go...

I often wondered if I arrested someone without wrist where would the courts slap them before sentencing them to community service or house arrest.

[Iowa #1603]

I often wondered if I arrested someone without wrist where would the courts slap them before sentencing them to community service or house arrest.

It would become a "pat on the back"

[statebear]

Do the courts in your respective areas work well with your department when it comes to prosecuting criminals and actually giving them jail / prison time? I ask this because I feel that every time we lock someone up around here, they are back out within a few days. In the area i work, virtually everyone i stop is a convicted felon, has serious charges like Robbery, Multiple drug trafficking offenses and murderers. The thing that bothers me is these people are out on the street within no time. Ive come across guys with murder charges that the courts amended to assaults who only served 2 years. I locked up a guy the other day for trafficking pills who the week prior was arrested for trafficking MJ. I saw a guy with a robbery/att. murder who they put on home incarceration! of course, he cut his bracelet off and is wanted My frustration is i feel like its pointless to lock these guys up because the courts are not doing anything with them. Are the prosecutors / judges strict with sentencing in your areas?

I use to work in an area just like yours and depending on what stats you read, maybe even worse (crime wise per captia, until I transferred out to where I'm at now. I too use to get ticked off about locking folks up and then seeing them out on street in no time. It is what it is. I have worked in 2 states and in several different counties and they are all the attorneys same. They all make deals and plead criminals down to BS convictions with virtually no jail time.

Until the world becomes like a Judge Dreed movie, the BS will continue. The good thing about your area is today’s victim was yesterdays suspect, so in the end they end up killing each other off anyway. The problem lies with the innocent folks they drag along down with them during the process. But, that is not our fault, the attorneys have to swallow that pill, as we do our jobs and get them of the street, what happens after that we have no control over.

Stay safe out there brother and keep locking them up, before you know it you won't be seeing them anymore anyway, their own homies will eventually take care of them.....

[PeteBroccolo]

Speaking of BS:
http://blogs.canoe.ca/crimescene/gen...rson-homicide/

[LawFowl]

Recidivism = job security. Do your job, and let the Judges and Prosecutors, whom I understand are ELECTED into their positions in most, if not all, of the USA, sweat whether or not the deals and sentences fit the community's expectations.

THIS

I'm only concerned with my job and going hunting and fishing in my off time. Of course I don't want to have to go sit in trial (been to trial three times, two for DWI (lost one) and one for criminal mischief) and made to look like an idiot. I prepare the best case I know how to present, and that's all you can do.


I actually look up all of my DWI cases. First and second timers aren't hammered too bad. First timers only do jail if they're a no gotty (or so it seems). Once you get your third in Brazoria County, you're gonna do some time.....unless your counsel if friends with the prosecutor.

[LA DEP]

Don't waste your time, energy, and emotion on something you have absolutely NO control over.

Arrest the crooks, put them in jail, do your paperwork and go home after your shift with the satisfaction that you did your part by getting the crook off the street, albeit for a short time, and if the other parts of the system don't do their part, let it go...

I was told by my FTO on day one of patrol training to NEVER follow cases after we had done the paperwork ect....made for a much happier, and less heartburn filled patrol experience....one of the reasons I did almost 17 years in a radio car before moving on.....I also told each of my 35+ trainees the exact same thing

[stormz5192]

Another thing I have noticed is the "accused" come in an file an IA, hoping that if they create enough noise, the charges will disappear.

[XD4ME]

Thankfully that does not fly at my agency. Usually when they learn the incident was recorded they drop their lies. The dumb ones continue to press the issue and some pick up extra charges for their efforts.

[MDPOLICE]

Here they just pull some BS lawsuit out of their *****. A lot of the times the ASA will drop cases if it gets BS media attention. Seen it plenty of times.

[Koala45]

People complain that ours is bad and I'll admit that it's not optimal, but they usually do the best they can with what they've got.

[sanitizer]

Another thing I have noticed is the "accused" come in an file an IA, hoping that if they create enough noise, the charges will disappear.

Here they just pull some BS lawsuit out of their *****. A lot of the times the ASA will drop cases if it gets BS media attention. Seen it plenty of times.

Add political pressure from special interest groups and community activist.