GUN VIOLENCE PROSECUTION:
(PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS)
The Office of the District Attorney of Lancaster County is responsible for all prosecution of gun related crimes of violence, and crimes related to the sale, regulation, and possession, of firearms under the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act, P.L. 18 § 6101.
Located approximately 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia, the County is within a few hours driving distance of Washington, Baltimore and New York City. Due to this close proximity to these major urban areas, Lancaster County has long felt their influence on it’s crime problem. This is especially true of drugs, gangs, and firearms. While a gang problem exists in many areas of the County, Lancaster City has experienced the most significant problem with gangs and their related violence.
Traditionally cases involving the use of firearms in violent crimes have been aggressively prosecuted in Lancaster County. There has not, however, been a systematic coordinated effort to aggressively prosecute all crime involving firearms including the unlawful possession of firearms.
To assist investigators and to aggressively prosecute firearms related crime, especially crimes of violence, the Office of the District Attorney in July 2001 made application to the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, for a grant under the Community Gun Violence Prosecutor Program, to fund an Assistant District Attorney who would be dedicated solely to gun violence prosecution. The prosecutor would also identify those cases involving the unlawful possession of firearms, especially by convicted felons, for aggressive prosecution. Because of the success of this Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, and to take advantage of enhanced penalties under federal law, the District Attorney has assigned three additional attorneys to prosecute firearm cases, and the United States Attorney has cross-designated those four Assistant District Attorneys as Special Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This will allow our office to pursue federal charges without overly burdening the legal staff of the Office of the United States Attorney. United States Attorney Patrick Meehan has been a tremendous partner in this effort.
Furthermore, the Pennsylvania legislature passed legislation that has been signed into law mandating a minimum 5 year prison sentence for any drug dealer who possesses a firearm. In addition to federal prosecution, these attorneys will aggressively prosecute in state court those drug dealers who possess firearms.
The addition of dedicated firearms prosecutors has provided flexibility to ensure that violators are prosecuted in the most expeditious manner, while allowing the office to select the system that is likely to have the most impact for a particular crime, especially where enhanced penalties are provided.
While information on the involvement of firearms is currently maintained only on violent Index Offenses, the District Attorney of Lancaster County has already met with District Attorneys from counties that comprise the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and who have applied for similar grant funding, to address this deficiency. It is the intent of these counties, including Lancaster County, to create an Eastern District Regional Prosecutor’s Network (EDRPN), to develop comprehensive strategies for maintaining records of firearm involvement in all crime categories, tracing firearms, mapping, and networking across county lines.
The Office of the District Attorney of Lancaster County feels that the coordinated prosecution of persons who use firearms in the perpetration of violent crime will have a deterrent effect. To that end, a Community Outreach Task Force has been established, in an effort to enlist the assistance of the community and criminal justice agencies in sending a strong message to the community that firearm offenders will be a aggressively prosecuted. The intent of this message, through posters, flyers, videotapes, literature and lectures is to prevent crime from occurring. At the same time, pursuing every opportunity to take advantage of enhanced penalties will help to insure that the most dangerous criminals are incarcerated and for longer periods. It is felt that this strategy, implemented by the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, will result in a reduction in violent crime involving firearms use that can be documented.
