Indy Star story

[McQuarters]

As violence rises, prosecutors bargain away gun charges

This story isn't anti-gun. It's about the Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon statute and why it isn't as effective as it should be.

 

[Birds Away]

Welcome to

 

[pudly]

Interesting article. Just more detail adding to the theme that new gun laws won't help if you aren't enforcing existing ones.

 

[femurphy77]

When I saw it I figured it would another typical anti-gun diatribe. I was pleasantly surprised to see I was wrong. WOW! What a concept, enforce the laws, charge the perps and force them to carry out their sentences!!!

 

[Jroe]

I noticed that article as well. Refreshing to see a journalist mention guns and laws without bashing legal gun owners.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Wait, Terry Curry sees SVF as a weapon but wants to "beef up" a way to prosecute SVF.

If only his office had 135 deputy prosecutors, three dozen investigators, the entire IMPD, Sheriff, State Police, Rocky Ripple Town Marshal, inter alia, etc., ad naseum, maybe he could find a way to do this instead of spending so much time and effort on the money vacuum in Fountain Square.

"Beef up". First the nonsense about Murder sentences and then I have to heart his. Just not my week.

 

[churchmouse]

Wait, Terry Curry sees SVF as a weapon but wants to "beef up" a way to prosecute SVF.

If only his office had 135 deputy prosecutors, three dozen investigators, the entire IMPD, Sheriff, State Police, Rocky Ripple Town Marshal, inter alia, etc., ad naseum, maybe he could find a way to do this instead of spending so much time and effort on the money vacuum in Fountain Square.

"Beef up". First the nonsense about Murder sentences and then I have to heart his. Just not my week.

I have been flamed for stating our prosecutors are a joke. They are a joke. Not a funny joke either. Talk about a suck hole for the budget.
Enforce the freaking laws. Read up, they are in there. Use them. Catch these POS and keep them. Our city is a freaking joke for repeat offenses.

 

[Leadeye]

Sadly, it's all about the money.

 

[churchmouse]

Sadly, it's all about the money.

Those guys have a massive budget.

 

[LionWeight]

Why pass a law if it's not going to be enforced? In order to get unburied you would have to start by doing it right the first time. Prosecute the perps and put them away, fewer breaking the law, you just picked up 2 minutes this week. Do it again for the next batch, you just picked up 3 more minutes. Eventually things change. Doing the same thing that isn't working over and over and expecting a different result is the defenition of stupidity.

 

[McQuarters]

Welcome to

Thanks, Birds. Happy to be here.

 

[rugertoter]

Sadly, it's all about the money.

Just about everything is anymore.

 

[Sawed off]

It has been that way for so many years. Complain about gun related crimes but do nothing to punish the perp. If they want to make things' better try making a serious effort in punishing those who break the law for a change.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

"Twice, Beasley had been charged with possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, an offense specifically designed to reduce the murder rate. The crime carried a 20-year prison sentence. Yet — twice — prosecutors dropped the gun charge, allowing Beasley to plead guilty to a lesser offense and escape a long prison term."


It's all about wins and losses. A lesser crime that doesn't have to be prosecuted is fast and checks a win in the win column. That's it in a nut shell.

 

[dirtdigger]

". According to data from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, even a 10-year mandatory sentence would have cut this year's homicide rate by 25 percent.[FONT=arial, sans-serif]"That's because either the suspect or the victim would have still been in prison for an earlier gun charge conviction," Lotter explained."[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]That's pretty significant. I'd be the first to say let the bad guys shoot bad guys, but the reality is there is often human collateral damage when bangers start pulling the trigger on each other.Eventually, LEO will have an encounter with these individuals and may become the casualty. Fix/ammend the law to keep the gun charges as part of the sentence. I realize the jails are full, but you know what you will get with these bad guys back on the street. [/FONT]

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

". According to data from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, even a 10-year mandatory sentence would have cut this year's homicide rate by 25 percent."That's because either the suspect or the victim would have still been in prison for an earlier gun charge conviction," Lotter explained."

That's pretty significant. I'd be the first to say let the bad guys shoot bad guys, but the reality is there is often human collateral damage when bangers start pulling the trigger on each other.Eventually, LEO will have an encounter with these individuals and may become the casualty. Fix/ammend the law to keep the gun charges as part of the sentence. I realize the jails are full, but you know what you will get with these bad guys back on the street.

The problem digger is not with the law, it's with the plea system. Prosecutors are elected. They are elected on their conviction records. A "win" to a lesser crime is quick, cheap, and a sure thing - then move on to the next one. A prosecutor that will stick to the original charges is rare when a deal can be struck to up his batting average and thus secure his job.

 

[Hookeye]

And teacher performance is measured by how many kids they pass

 

[dirtdigger]

The problem digger is not with the law, it's with the plea system. Prosecutors are elected. They are elected on their conviction records. A "win" to a lesser crime is quick, cheap, and a sure thing - then move on to the next one. A prosecutor that will stick to the original charges is rare when a deal can be struck to up his batting average and thus secure his job.

Well if I read right there is a loop-hole for the prosecutor to plea deal with. Take that away from him and the judge. Plea bargain all you want with any other charge , but the gun charge sticks and sentence to go with it. Makes sense to me, unless I'm misunderstanding something.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Well if I read right there is a loop-hole for the prosecutor to plea deal with. Take that away from him and the judge. Plea bargain all you want with any other charge , but the gun charge sticks and sentence to go with it. Makes sense to me, unless I'm misunderstanding something.

Kirk - help me out - isn't it the Prosecutor's discression what charges he will or will not bring/prosecute?