OVERCOMING WITNESS INTIMIDATION

1. OVERCOMING WITNESS INTIMIDATION INNOVATIVE PROSECUTOR TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES | May 17, 2018 Kristine Hamann Executive Director Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence John Delaney First Assistant District Attorney (ret.) Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office

2. OBJECTIVES • Recognize witness intimidation • Work with your communities • Improve courthouse and courtroom security • Use all tools to protect your witnesses • Create a consistent office-wide approach 1

3. WHAT IS WITNESS INTIMIDATION? 2

4. Facebook 3

5. Redacted PolicePaperwork • Witness 4

6. CONTINUUM OF CONSEQUENCES • Refuses to speak with police • Refuses to appear in court • Complies with subpoena but refuses to testify • Testifies and claims loss of memory • Testifies and recants earlier statement • Testifies falsely • Injured or killed 5

7. WHY? • DISTRUST of law enforcement: personal or general • FEAR • Neighborhood climate • Indirectly threatened • Directly threatened • Injured • ALLIANCE with perpetrator: personal, familial, group, neighborhood 6

8. PULL EVERY LEVER • Community relationships • Witness “Protection” • Victim/witness advocates • Grand Jury • Legal Strategies • Vigorous investigation and vertical prosecution of intimidation • Judicial action 7

9. ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS • DA staff participation in community events • Community Zones • Community Action Centers • Community participation in sentencing • Meet with groups about cooperation • Partner with community-based agencies

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11. INITIAL MEETING 10

12. WITNESS-ORIENTED APPROACH • Assign an advocate as early as possible • Provide social services (DV model) • Provide counseling (post traumatic stress) • Emergency cell phone • Constant contact • Engagement by prosecutor 11

13. WITNESS-ORIENTED APPROACH • Get all contact information • Get all means of communication • “next best friend” • Do a risk assessment • Do a safety plan • Identify ”danger zones” • Discuss limiting use of social media 12

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15. VIGOROUS EARLY INVESTIGATION • Jail/Prison • Calls • Visitor logs • Cell searches • Phone records • Informants • Surveillance • Social media 14

16. VIGOROUS PROSECUTION • Specially assigned prosecutor/vertical prosecution • Bring witness intimidation charges – whenever possible, consolidate with main case • Use of the grand jury • Secrecy • No defendant • Delayed discovery 15

17. ARREST TO ARRAIGNMENT 16

18. ARRAIGNMENT • Do not use name of witness • Initials • “person whose identity is known to the affiant” • Redact: affidavit for arrest warrant, search warrant, charging document • High bail • Order of protection/condition of bail 17

19. DISCOVERY 18

20. REDACTION AND DELAYED DISCLOSURE • Redaction: • All witness identifiers • Search warrant affidavit • Police paperwork • Photographs and videos (body worn cameras) • Delay discovery • Judicial order to limit defendant’s access to discovery 19

21. DEFENSE DISCOVERY 20

22. DEFENSE DISCOVERY 21

23. HEARINGS AND TRIAL 22

24. EQUIPPING JUDGES WITH APPLICABLE LAW • Pennsylvania Bench Book • 2007 - Forum on witness intimidation • 2009 - Bench Book suggested • 2011 - Bench Book published • 2013 - Second Edition published • 2018 – Third Edition to be published 23

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26. COURTHOUSE AND COURTROOM SECURITY 25

27. COURTHOUSE AND COURTROOM SECURITY • Prepare courthouse staff • Courthouse announcements • Screening at courtroom door • Safe waiting areas • Separating constituencies • Law enforcement in courtroom • Press – make sure they don’t reveal identity of a witness 26

28. PREVENTING TRANSMISSION FROM OR RECORDING IN COURTROOM • Ban possession or use in courthouse and courtroom • Courtroom announcement: use without judicial permission will result in confiscation and contempt 27

29. DISABLE USE IN COURTROOM 28

30. WITNESS PREPARATION • Getting into and out of the courthouse/courtroom • Safety outside the courtroom • Stay out of “danger zone” • Check social media • Need for relocation • For trial • Forever 29

31. MOTIONS IN LIMINE • Evidence: • Prior acts of intimidation • Forfeiture by wrongdoing • Admissibility of witness’s fear of testifying • Anonymous witness • Controlling the courtroom • Closing Courtroom 30

32. COURTROOM CLOSUREWaller v Georgia, 467 US 39 (1984) • Party seeking closure must advance overriding interest that is likely to be prejudiced • Closure must be no broader than necessary • Trial court must consider reasonable alternatives • Must make factual findings, on the record, adequate to support the closure 31

33. RELOCATION • Use an investigator for this • Who qualifies and when? • Have pre-existing protocols • Temporary relocation • Permanent relocation • Moving expenses and assistance • Rental costs • Storage • Related issues: family court, child protective services, school • Don’t over-promise and under-deliver 32

34. COORDINATED APPROACH • Legal expert • Assign an investigator • Train legal and support staff • Track witness intimidation • Design of office • Partner with the courts, police, hospitals, social services 33

35. HOW TO PAY FOR THIS? • Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding • Sole sourced by federal criminal fines, forfeitures and assessments • Purposes: 34 U.S.C. Sec. 20101 et seq. • Expenditures increased significantly • FY14: $635,000,000 • FY17: $2,573,000,000 • National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) • http://www.navaa.org/budget/index.html#background • http://www.navaa.org/statedirectory.html 34

36. SUMMARY • Anticipate and recognize witness intimidation • Build relationships with communities • Partner with everyone who can help • Use every available tool • Be victim and witness centered 35

37. National Resource and Technical Assistance Center for Improving Law Enforcement Investigations (NRTAC) centerforimprovinginvestigations.org | crimegunintelcenters.org Webinar Speakers: John Delaney, First Assistant DA (ret.), Philadelphia DA’s Office Kristine Hamann, Executive Director, Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence