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New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: The Neighborhood Watch! ()
Date: March 14, 2014 07:16AM

New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
SB640 has passed General Assembly, expected to become law
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140314/NEWS/140319635/1117/new-bill-offers-witnesses-anonymity-in-cases-of-violent-crime&template=fairfaxTimes

A major Virginia public safety bill has passed the General Assembly and is soon expected to be signed into law by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).

Senate Bill 640, sponsored by Virginia Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Dist. 32) will make witnesses of drug-related crimes and violent felonies eligible for extended protections, including the ability to keep identifying and contact information confidential during court proceedings.

According to the office of Attorney General Mark R. Herring, the Attorney General’s Division of Public Safety and Enforcement drafted the bill and brought it to the General Assembly based on feedback from many Commonwealth’s Attorneys who said they have had difficulty getting witnesses to testify due to fear of reprisals.

“Witness testimony is often a key to getting dangerous criminals off the streets and behind bars, and those who provide testimony should be able to do so without fearing for their safety or their family’s safety,” said Herring in a prepared statement. “This is an important bill that will give more Virginians the protections they may need to feel comfortable testifying against a gang member, drug dealer, or violent felon. I appreciate Senator Howell’s patronage of the bill and the Commonwealth’s Attorneys who brought this issue to the attention of my office and helped us find a good solution.”

According to Howell, the bill represents 20 years of efforts on her part to enact more protections for witnesses who come forward to testify against violent crimes.

“When I first came into office two decades ago in the early 1990s, witness reprisals in gang-related crimes were an issue, and I helped to support some protective laws for witnesses in those situations.”

Virginia law currently allows witnesses of gang-related crimes to request that the criminal justice system keep confidential their address, telephone number, or place of employment of the witness or a member of their family.

SB 640 would extend those protections to witnesses of crimes including the manufacture, sale, or distribution of drugs and violent felonies such as homicide, assault, or sexual assault.

The bill does not limit the right of a defendant or the government to examine witnesses in a court of law.

“Lawyers can still share witness information but it would not be made public,” Howell said.

According to Herring’s office, the bill was supported by a broad coalition of public safety advocates including the Fraternal Order of Police, the Chiefs of Police Association, the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance and the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys.

“The Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys urges the enactment of SB 640, which would extend privacy protections to the victims and witnesses of violent felonies,” said Mike Doucette, past president and legislative chairman for the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys. “Virginia law already offers these protections to the victims and witnesses of criminal street gang violence; it only makes sense to protect these people in all crimes of violence.”

Several other public safety bills that were drafted or introduced by the Attorney General’s office have also passed the General Assembly, including measures to crack down on synthetic drugs, protect the addresses of stalking victims, make 911 calls easier to use in court proceedings, and a bill that would phase out “fox penning.”

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: snitchnditch ()
Date: March 14, 2014 02:39PM

If ya snitch, you gonna end up in the ditch. Majority of these people are violent who are drug dealers/gang/w.e and they snitch out the same people they do business with or do the same dealings, they are the same people who have done these things and got caught up.

This will just make more crimes the cops have to solve. So don't snitch if your guilty and get caught its your fault not some other guys.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: aging debbie does dallas fan ()
Date: March 14, 2014 03:04PM

A major Virginia public safety bill has passed the General Assembly and is soon expected to be signed into law by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).

==============================

ILLEGAL. can be used by facists to prosecute the innocent

an idiot would know that

and mc gold lift (lifting gold out of VA lets say)

never informed republicans there was a "special vote"

he's not the governor he's a criminal

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: aging debbie does dallas fan ()
Date: March 14, 2014 03:06PM

ILLEGAL. there would then be no way to determine if there was any evidence to the jury or not.

ILLEGAL. you'd have to kill the jury after the trial, since they saw the winetss or

ILLEGAL (likely that NJ theif's plan) the jury wouldn't see the witness. the witness would be a dream on paper

-------------------------
guy is a total scam

get him the hell out of VA

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: aging debbie does dallas fan ()
Date: March 14, 2014 03:22PM

because that clearly abrogates 2000 years of law and is irresponsible

-----------------------------
i advocate removal of the governor, bill writers and signers,

and being in bad faith

and thus, powerless and mute in any courtroom

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: LkJJp ()
Date: March 15, 2014 05:17AM

Jesus, not you again.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: unfairfax ()
Date: March 15, 2014 06:31AM

Sorry to be off topic but is "aging debbie does dalllas fan"= "svennestle"?

These 2 posters have the same style of non-coherent posts. I can kinda get what they are saying but to be honest, the person(s) sound like they need some professional mental help. It appears this person thinks they are being prosecuted by "government" or something and is taking it out on this board.

Then again, I shouldn't be suprised with "Beh" and "billy" and the "lamb center" nonsense...

ok carry on!

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Bill.N. ()
Date: March 15, 2014 11:07AM

This law has UNCONSTITUTIONAL written all over it. Unfortunately the good folks sitting on the bench will likely bend over backwards to uphold it in the name of "public safety". At least we should get an interesting dissent from Scalia.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Of Course It Is ()
Date: March 15, 2014 11:16AM

unfairfax Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry to be off topic but is "aging debbie does
> dalllas fan"= "svennestle"?

By George, you've got it!

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: yW6xC ()
Date: March 15, 2014 10:58PM

ok. i'll charge you with a crime and take your house.

you'll never know who complained and you won't be allowed to know what the complaint is either. your defense will sell you out since the only defense your allowed is a gov worker.

don't say i didn't tell you some )(*&(34 is going to use it to blight you, then the whole town

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: XYcnH ()
Date: March 16, 2014 08:57AM

.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Nigger please repost ()
Date: March 16, 2014 09:07AM

aging debbie does dallas fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> because that clearly abrogates 2000 years of law
> and is irresponsible
>
> -----------------------------
> i advocate removal of the governor, bill writers
> and signers,
>
> and being in bad faith
>
> and thus, powerless and mute in any courtroom

If you're going to write a long winded diatribe, could you at least learn to write better? The long rambling gibberish makes you look like loon and interest is quickly lost. Even the Unabomber wrote more coherently. You should invest in taking a college level English class, but not at NOVA.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Alexander Smith ()
Date: March 16, 2014 01:04PM

yW6xC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ok. i'll charge you with a crime and take your
> house.
>
> you'll never know who complained and you won't be
> allowed to know what the complaint is either.
> your defense will sell you out since the only
> defense your allowed is a gov worker.
>
> don't say i didn't tell you some )(*&(34 is going
> to use it to blight you, then the whole town


This.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Simple ()
Date: March 16, 2014 10:49PM

The Constitution says you have a right to face your accuser in court. You do not have the right to know all of their personal information. That's what this bill means. You can face/question someone who has accused you of a crime; but you have no need to know their address or birthdate. I feel like that's reasonable.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Miss Cleo ()
Date: March 16, 2014 11:00PM

Isn't this unconstitutional? Someone is going to abuse this.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: eCxE4 ()
Date: March 17, 2014 08:48AM

Miss Cleo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Isn't this unconstitutional? Someone is going to
> abuse this.

Absolutely!

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Read the bill.... ()
Date: March 17, 2014 09:02AM

It does not say that the identity of your accuser will not be revealed in court, it does not say that you won't get a chance to face witnesses and victims. It says you won't have access to where they live, work etc.... Typical fairfax underground..... Too lazy to read all the information but quick to fill the internet with bloated opinions.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Typical FFU responder ()
Date: March 17, 2014 09:04AM

Read the bill.... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It does not say that the identity of your accuser
> will not be revealed in court, it does not say
> that you won't get a chance to face witnesses and
> victims. It says you won't have access to where
> they live, work etc.... Typical fairfax
> underground..... Too lazy to read all the
> information but quick to fill the internet with
> bloated opinions.

And a typical ass. The original had that, it has since been revised twice...DUMBASS!

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: madlock ()
Date: March 17, 2014 09:06AM

Does this seem like a bad idea in an environment where lighter sentences are exchanged for testimony?

And what do you think about that...so called "jailhouse snitches" who get reduced sentences for coming forward to give testimony that someone confessed to a crime while in jail?

Does that seem fishy?

Would you hate to have your future hinging on some "honest" criminal's word about what you did or said, especially given said "honest" criminal is being offered preferential treatment in exchange?

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: Bill.N. ()
Date: March 17, 2014 09:50AM

I have read 640. Have you? It is a bill which in the name of preventing witness intimidation will seek to prevent criminal defendants and their attorneys from obtaining and using information which might be helpful in their case. It is a bill which would prevent criminal defendants from engaging in the same kind of publicity campaigns that law enforcement regularly engages in. Also the prohibition applies not only to information disclosed to criminal defendants and their attorneys by law enforcement, but also to information that is obtained by criminal defendants from independent sources.

Criminal prosecutions and elections are the two types of events presumed to be of public interest and therefore afforded maximum protection for First Amendment freedom of speech and freedom of the press purposes. This law's express purpose is to prevent the free flow of information about a criminal prosecution, Defenders of the law will probably start "The public has no right to know..." but in truth what they mean is "We don't want the public to know...".

Then let's not forget the most glaring flaw of this law. Do you seriously believe law enforcement and prosecutors are going to go after disclosures of information which have the effect of helping prosecutions? The targets of prosecutions will be those who allegedly disclose information which help defendants.

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: madlockus ()
Date: March 17, 2014 10:07AM

Depending on what type of business you're in, don't you favor your best clients, or others who might send a good deal of business your way?

Sure you do, unless you're an idiot or otherwise not long for the business you're in, right?

Think about this:

Where do prosecutors get much of their "business" or case load?

Where do judges get much of their "business" or case load?

Wouldn't you tend to protect your sources of business, especially those that tend to make your job easier?

Don't people favor information or facts that allow them to get their job done easier?

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: wpTWk ()
Date: March 17, 2014 11:26AM

"New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime"

-----------------------------
you all don't know what, legally and in today's legal environment "violent crime" is

-----------------------------
based on the postings in fx ug

you are all violent criminals. idiots. THEY MEAN YOU, next. you are on their menu.

------------------------
think before you talk

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: EMuvG ()
Date: March 17, 2014 11:28AM

have read 640. Have you? It is a bill which in the name of preventing witness intimidation will seek to prevent criminal defendants

--------------------------------
well did it's already law. except it's limited to children BY LAW already ?

now tell me you read the past documents about why it's limited to children

and why it's already law already passed that it be limited to children

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: bnEd3 ()
Date: March 17, 2014 11:29AM

TIP: start from the beginning 2000 ago.

read forward

------------------------------
if you start backwards you'll have it all backwards

-------------------
you cannot learn law from law that gets constantly repealed

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Re: New bill offers witnesses anonymity in cases of violent crime
Posted by: wtfJOE4 ()
Date: March 17, 2014 12:38PM

Man, not sure really

--------------------------

In a clear fashion write, did you?

------------------------------

write (because)

-------------------

Sense nothing really makes

----------------------------

you cannot reall understand something from gibberish that is writen

-----------

looks like things are written in code or shorthand because in a hurry

-----------------------

Like notes on a napkin written

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