Group
Project
My role is the District
Attorney: meaning writing this paper from the perspective of the District
Attorney
Phase 2 – Agency Perspective
and Role The student will describe the perspective and role their agency
has in dealing with the Group Project problem as assigned buy the instructor.
·
What are the traditional and
practical approaches for the agency’s dealing with the problem?
·
Why is/has there been a
reluctance to change approaches/strategies?
·
What motivations would be
required to affect a different approach or strategy (other that direction from
a higher jurisdictional authority)?
The student will submit a 3
page paper describing the perspective and role of the designated criminal
justice component to include the considerations referenced above. This
description will be supported by 2 outside resources.
Phase 3 – Research/Resource
Availability The student will identify and describe the resources
available to their designated agency for addressing the Group Project problem.
·
What resources are available
within the agency to address the Group Project problem?
·
What resource shortfall
precludes a more effective response?
·
What data (identify and
summarize) supports their current role or level of involvement
·
What data (identify and
summarize) may dictate a change in that role.
The student will submit a 3
page paper describing the resourced and data available to their designated
criminal justice component to include the considerations referenced above. This
description will be supported by 2 outside resources.
Phase 4 – Group Collaboration
and Presentation Each Group will submit a collective paper which will
address:
·
A summary of the problem
assigned to the group
·
A brief description of each
criminal justice agency’s traditional role in dealing with this issue
·
A description of how the group
came together to identify a solution to the issue while maintaining their role
as representative and advocate for their respective agencies
·
A description of the solution
to the assigned problem and each agency’s role in it.
The spokesperson will submit
an 8 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) page paper reflecting the Group’s work and
addressing each of the Phase 4 required elements. This description will be
supported by 4 outside resources. Additionally, each member of the Group
will submit a Peer Evaluation form, ranking the participation and cooperation
of each member of the Group.
Phase 5 – Consequence of
Inaction Each student will submit a 2 page paper addressing the impact on
the criminal justice agency they represent if the solution presented by their
Group is not adopted. This opinion will be supported by 2 outside
resources.
Formatting for Group Project
papers
Individual papers will include
a heading identifying the student, the number and title of the class and
Project Phase the paper is addressing and the date of submission.
Group papers will include a
cover page (not included in the page count), identifying the number and title
of the class, the Group designation, students in the Group and their criminal
justice agency, and the date of submission.
All papers will be double
spaced, with 1 inch margins, and 12 point font type.
Resource page (not included in
the page count) Resources other than course instructional material must be
referenced using APA formatting.
GROUP
PROJECT – The Virtual Criminal Justice Alliance ….Background
For the past 11 months, the
Virtual Police Department has applied a variety of investigative resources and
strategies and is prepared to bring a number of criminal charges against the
members of the Very Bad Bike Club. These started out as investigations of
individual calls-for-service, complaints and criminal investigations. They
merged into a collective effort as the pattern of activities and participants
began to form. Based on the investigations, the department believes it has
probable cause to arrest and charge nearly every one of the 63 VBBC members for
conspiracy to manufacture illegal drugs, conspiracy to sell illegal drugs, and
participation in a criminal enterprise. Additionally, numerous individual
VBBC members can be charged with combinations of individual criminal
violations, including possession of illegal drugs, illegal possession of
firearms, robbery, attempted robbery, aggravated assault, and attempted
murder. Despite the confidence the Chief of the VPD has in these cases, no
information has been conveyed to the Office of the District Attorney nor has
there been any involvement with the Grand Jury. As far as the Chief of the
Police is concerned, this is the chance to destroy the VBBC once and for all.
The VBBC has plagued Virtual
for over a decade. Efforts to stop criminal activity by members of the
VBBC have been made almost exclusively by the police department, with little or
no support from the rest of the Virtual criminal justice system. In the past
most criminal charges brought to the Virtual prosecutor’s office by police
detectives have resulted in outright dismissal for lack of probable cause or
plea bargained agreements that reduce potential felony charges to misdemeanors
with payable fines. There have been however, two prior instances of
massive arrests of VBBC members. Approximately 7 years ago raids resulted
in the confiscation of drugs and weapons and the ultimate conviction of 12 VBBC
members. Six of these members are on parole and still reside in Virtual;
two others are currently in the county detention center awaiting trial for new
criminal charges and four others are confined to the State prison near
Virtual.A similar sweep three years ago produced nearly identical results. These
sweeps appear to have been ineffective. In short, the VBBC has a network of
members in jail, in prison, on parole in the community and free on the
street. The current police investigation has affirmed that all of these
VBBC members are in near constant communications with each other.
Robert “Buddy” Pole is the
“president” of the VBBC. While currently on parole for manufacturing
methamphetamine, Buddy Pole continues to orchestrate the criminal enterprise
that is VBBC. Provisions of his parole agreement that prohibit association
with known criminals have gone unenforced. Robert Pole, Jr, (a.k.a.
“Little Buddy” or “Bud Lite”) is currently in the Virtual Detention Center
awaiting trial for carrying a concealed weapon. He seems to be in no hurry
to make the affordable bail. Jail officials believe he is trying to
organize a drug network within the jail. Two Detention Center correctional
officers were recently disciplined for attempting to smuggle cell phones into
the lock-up. It is believed they were destined for Little Buddy’s use. The
youngest member of the Pole family is Patricia (a.k.a. “Tripper”). A
chronic truant and trouble maker in school, Tripper was suspected of providing
marijuana to her junior high school classmates and has continued the practice
in high school. At age 19 and legally an adult, she is just about to
complete her senior year of high school. Tripper’s collections of
miscreant friends, most of whom are VBBC members or “wannabes”, congregate
regularly around the Virtual Mall and commercial centers. Her boyfriend, John
Henry Maxwell applied for a job as a Dunbar Security Force officer but was
rejected because of his record.
In order to rid the city of
Virtual of this criminal gang, Virtual Police Department Chief Clayton Moore
called upon his criminal justice partners:
·
The head of the Virtual Police
Department VBBC task force, Captain Jay Silverheels
·
The chief criminal prosecutor
from the Office of the District Attorney, Raymond Burr
·
The Security Chief of the
state correctional facility, Major Allen Irongates
·
The District Supervisor for
the state department of parole, Martha Street
·
The Operations Director
of the Virtual Security Force, James Dunbar
The Virtual Security Force, a
private security company hired by the Virtual Commercial Merchants Association
to provide security personnel, equipment, etc. to supplement the resources of
the Virtual Police Department in designated business and commercial areas of
the city. VSF personnel hold special police commissions, have arrest authority
on the property of their clients and may or may not be armed depending on their
assignment and qualifications.
At their initial meeting Chief
Moore made it clear to these partners that they had a single goal, to end the
reign of terror emanating from the VBBC and victimizing Virtual’s
citizens. Clearly if there was any hope of success, each criminal justice
partner has to do their part for the collective good of all. The Chief’s
remarks were met with wholesale agreement. It was decided the Virtual
Criminal Justice Alliance would attack the VBBC on two levels (1) the pursuit
of the current police investigations and prosecutions, and (2) a strategic plan
to work collaboratively to reduce crime in Virtual. When the initial meeting
adjourned Chief Moore had designated Captain Siverheels as his
delegate. He was not sure, however, that every agency representative in
the room felt his level of commitment or truly understood the consequences of
failure. He was also curious as to what resources each “partner” was
willing to bring to this operation and what would be held back.
Major Irongate has her own
issues with VBBC. Their presence in the state prison has settled down what
had previously been a powder keg of gang-related unrest. VBBC has become
the dominate force in the prison. John “Jacky” Pole has been able to get
the warring national/international gang members in the prison to suspend their
violence and focus on drug-related profits.With tensions simmering just below
the surface, Irongate knows the self-serving truce may be short
lived. Major Irongate was also asked to represent the Virtual Detention
Center. This facility holds arrestees awaiting a bail hearing, denied bail
prior to trial or in transitional housing from the state prison to attend
court. The jail also holds offenders serving short sentences for convictions on
misdemeanor charges. Nearly all of the prison’s inmate population came through
the Detention Center and may return there to be available for court
appearances. Major Irongate is convinced that these “traveling” inmates are
being used as “mules” for drugs and contraband cell phones.
Of the persons assembled by
Chief Moore, only Dunbar represents a commercial, profit-driven
agency. Simply put, these profits are the difference between the costs for
the security provided and the fees Dunbar charges. Dunbar is eager to
demonstrate a successful partnership with VPD and the Virtual Commercial
Merchants’ Association as a stepping stone to contracts with larger
jurisdictions. In any case, Dunbar’s primary motivation is to make money.
Raymond Burr would applaud
Chief Moore’s plan if he could, but as a pragmatist he feels that this is a
waste of time. He understands, if no one else at the table does, that plea
bargaining is to only way the criminal justice system can do business. He
has also warned the chief before that his detectives need additional training
on establishing probable cause, proper interrogation procedures, appropriate
charging, etc. If the VPD could get its act together he would love to prosecute
a good solid case against the VBBC, but prosecuting a “looser” case will not
solve the problem or help his own political ambitions
