ASSAULT ON POLICE OFFICER PROGRAM (APOP) 

The popular television series “Law and Order” opens each episode with the statement: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups; the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”  In Brooklyn the prosecutors in my office have the good fortune to work with the men and women of the greatest police force in the world, the NYPD.

May is National Law Enforcement Month and, as we do every year, we took some time to pay tribute to those officers and other law enforcement agencies, such as the Court Officers, Fire Marshals, and Bridge and Tunnel Officers who put themselves at risk each day so that others can live in a safe environment. Their devotion to duty along with expert prosecution is greatly responsible for the dramatic reductions in crime in Brooklyn since I took office in 1990.  On May 7 at a breakfast at Brooklyn Law School, I thanked 22 of our finest law enforcement officers at my 18^th annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Awards.  Some of the award recipients were stabbed and shot at.  

One Police Officer, Russel Timoshenko, was killed when he and his partner P.O. Herman Yan were fired upon by three men who were riding in a car they pulled over because its license plates did not match the registration. Yan, who was shot in the arm managed to fire at the fleeing suspects and later provide information that led to an interstate manhunt and the eventual arrests of three suspects. All three face trial for Murder in the First Degree.

Detective Angel Cruz gives us another example of the selfless devotion to duty these men and women provide.  He was stabbed in the head, the knife going into his brain while on a solo foot patrol. Despite the horrific wound, he managed to fend off further attack and even fire five shots at the assailant who was captured by other officers. Cruz survived after undergoing brain surgery and made a full recovery and has returned to duty, now as a Detective.  

To ensure that law enforcement personnel out on the front lines of crime fighting get the support they need from the other equal part of the criminal justice system, in 1990

I implemented the Assault on Police Officer Program (APOP).  APOP consists of a team of prosecutors and investigators who look into cases where an officer has been seriously injured, shot at, or attacked with a deadly weapon, or if there is an attempted assault on a police officer.  In those cases where an officer fired their weapon, APOP must first investigate the police conduct before continuing with the prosecution of the case.  The idea is that the APOP team developed expertise concerning the particular dangers facing cops on the street and their relationship with the officers makes for more effective prosecution. Two members of APOP are themselves former NYPD officers.

A significant case that was handled by the APOP involved an incident on May 10, 2006 when a perpetrator attempted to rob a 74-year-old man at gunpoint as he was walking towards his construction site.  Edwin Grant shot the victim three times.  Off-duty police officer Larry Young saw Grant pistol-whip the victim and rushed to his aid.  Officer Young identified himself as a police officer when Grant and an accomplice shot at him and Officer Young shot back before the suspects fled.   Edwin Grant was arrested later that day and was eventually convicted of Attempted Murder and sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The APOP is headed up by Deputy District Attorney Angelo Morelli, a retired NYPD Sergeant who began his police career in 1957 and came to the DA’s Office in 1990.  He was the ideal person for this position because of his background and relationships within the NYPD. 

Thomas Ridges, another retired police officer, is another key member of the APOP.  In some cases, police officers are reluctant to interact with prosecutors, but Mr. Ridges is able to break down those barriers and form good, positive relationships with the police, especially since he understands their perspective, having been a former police officer himself.   Mr. Ridges was a member of the elite Emergency Service Unit of the NYPD and a former student of District Attorney Hynes at St. Johns Law School, one of the three schools where Mr. Hynes teaches Trial Advocacy.

Another member of the APOP is Deputy District Attorney John O’Mara.  He has been with the District Attorney’s Office since 1978.  He has worked as a Senior Trial Attorney in the DA’s Sex Crimes and Homicide Bureaus and was a Bureau Chief in several Bureaus including Homicide and Investigations.  He has tried over 100 cases throughout the course of his career.

The final member of the APOP team is Deputy Bureau Chief Lewis Lieberman.  He came to the DA’s Office in 1994.  He was a Deputy Bureau Chief in the Domestic Violence Bureau.  Then, he transferred over to the Investigations Bureau and the APOP where he has investigated and prosecuted many types of violent crimes including homicides. 

The news articles listed below, courtesy of the National District Attorney’s Association (ndaa.org), may be of interest to you or members of your community. 

The Times-Picayune

Bill Aims To Limit Access To Ammo

2 measures address concealed weapons

Individuals who provide ammunition to convicted felons should wind up behind bars for up to five years, the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice decided Thursday. Without objection, the panel approved House Bill 73 by Rep. Austin Badon Jr., D-New Orleans, and sent it to the full House for debate. Badon said the bill is designed to make it a crime for those who help felons, who cannot legally own weapons, obtain ammunition. The bill calls for a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 and up to five years in prison. The committee amended the bill to take out a mandatory one-year in jail for the offender at the request of Rep. Gary Smith, D-Norco, who said judges should have leeway in sentencing someone to prison.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/capital/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1210310572170080.xml&coll=1 

Chicago Sun-Times

Gov To Unveil $150 Million Anti-Violence Plan Today

‘A PIPE DREAM’ | Proposal’s funding sources dubious, legislator says

Gov. Blagojevich is proposing a $150 million anti-violence initiative that would provide new state dollars for more teen jobs, after-school programs and community grants in high-crime areas. The initiative, dubbed Community Investment Works, represents the governor’s first tangible response to the wave of shootings in the city that have left 24 Chicago Public School students murdered this school year.

The plan, which the governor plans to unveil today, would allot $30 million to a youth jobs program for 20,000 young adults and $20 million for programming when school isn’t in session. Another $100 million targeting high-crime and economically distressed areas would be split between grants for community-based organizations to acquire vacant buildings or lots, seed money for a job-producing businesses and community groups and grants to police departments for equipment purchases.