Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman

ASSEMBLY APPROVES WATSON COLEMAN ANTI-STREET GANG PACKAGE
Would Help Combat Gang Violence, Protect Children & Witnesses to Crime, Empower Communities & Police

(TRENTON) - The General Assembly today passed a sweeping 17-point legislative initiative Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman unveiled two weeks ago to provide municipalities, schools, and law enforcement authorities with new tools to combat the growing menace of street gangs in New Jersey.ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS
NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE:
May 22, 2006

CONTACT:
Majority Leader Watson Coleman
(609) 292-0500
James Sverapa IV
(609) 292-7065

ASSEMBLY APPROVES WATSON COLEMAN ANTI-STREET GANG PACKAGE
Would Help Combat Gang Violence, Protect Children & Witnesses to Crime, Empower Communities & Police

(TRENTON) - The General Assembly today passed a sweeping 17-point legislative initiative Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman unveiled two weeks ago to provide municipalities, schools, and law enforcement authorities with new tools to combat the growing menace of street gangs in New Jersey.

The sweeping legislative package - entitled "Fighting Gangs, Protecting Our Youth" - consists of a three-pronged approach to prevent gang violence, protect children and witnesses to gang-related crimes, and strengthen the hands of communities and police so they can better contain the gang menace.

"Criminal street gangs have become an epidemic across our state, destroying our neighborhoods, terrorizing our residents, and engaging in crime, violence and general depravity," said Watson Coleman (D-Mercer). "We need this legislation to help us crack down on gangs, protect witnesses of gang crimes, and to teach our children to resist the trendy allure of gang membership."

Watson Coleman sponsored the gang violence mitigation legislation along with Assembly members Peter J. Barnes, Jr. (D-Middlesex), Douglas H. Fisher (D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem), Linda R. Greenstein (D-Mercer/Middlesex), Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), Joseph Cryan (D-Union), Craig A. Stanley (D-Essex), John S. Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), Gordon M. Johnson (D-Bergen), Louis M. Manzo (D-Hudson), Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), Alfred E. Steele (D-Bergen/Passaic), Joan M. Quigley (D-Bergen/Hudson), Vincent Prieto (D-Bergen/Hudson), Oadline D. Truitt (D-Essex), Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), and Gary S. Schaer, (D-Passaic/Bergen/Essex), whose districts all have experienced gang-related violence and activity.

Barnes, the chairman of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee, praised the continued swift action on the package by the Assembly.

"Every day that goes by without action on this legislation is a day that needlessly puts our children and communities at risk," said Barnes, a retired FBI agent and former police commissioner. "We have reached the half-way mark in our drive to enact this package and we cannot allow complacency to set in now. I continue to urge swift action by the Senate and the Governor's Office to make these prevention and protection tools available in the escalating war against street gangs."

Several of the prevention measures in the package increase the penalties associated with gang-related crimes. One bill (A-2840) would increase the penalties associated with illegally possessing an assault weapon. Another (A-2841) toughen penalties for illegally selling, giving or transferring a firearm to a minor. And a third (A-2991) increases penalties for possessing, receiving, transferring, or using a "community gun" - a firearm traded between multiple gang members to commit crimes. Currently, anyone found guilty of these crimes would only be subject to up to five years in jail and $15,000 in fines. Now, they would be subject to up to 10 years in jail and $150,000 in fines.

"If gang members start doing hard time, many of them may think twice before committing a crime," said Steele, a member of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee and a Passaic County undersheriff. "Tougher penalties for breaking the law and subscribing to the gang lifestyle could mean the difference between a 15-year-old hoodlum and a 15-year-old high school student."

Another prevention measure (A-2599) would require anyone discovered in a motor vehicle in possession of an illegal or unlicensed firearm to forfeit the vehicle to law enforcement authorities.

An additional piece of preventative legislation (A-2602) would require anyone wishing to purchase ammunition in New Jersey to provide a valid firearms purchaser identification card, a certified copy of a permit to purchase a handgun, a permit to carry a handgun, a New Jersey hunting license, or documentation identifying the purchaser as a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer. Currently, only a valid New Jersey driver's license is required when purchasing ammunition.

"Control the means of committing crimes and you help control the crimes themselves," said Manzo, a sponsor of the legislation. "If you cut off a gang's ability to purchase ammunition and trade guns, you’re going to make it that much harder for them to commit street crimes."

A final preventative measure (AR-183) would urge the Office of the Attorney General and the Administrative Office of the Courts to devise a plan to expedite legal cases involving shootings and firearms that might otherwise languish in the legal system for years.

The protection arm of the package contains two bills: A-1650 would modify the state's Core Curriculum Standards to require all elementary schools to teach students about the dangers of gangs and A-1973 would require the Office of the Attorney General, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Education, to develop gang-education seminars for every school administrator in New Jersey.

"The best way to defeat gang violence is through prevention," said Whelan, a former mayor of Atlantic City and a teacher. "And the best way to implement prevention is through education. Being able to inoculate our children against gang violence in schools may help them seek other activities outside of the classroom."

Another protection measure (A-2986) would require the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to develop and administer an employment program for disadvantaged youth. An 18-member "Disadvantaged Youth Employment Opportunities Council" would help to keep the state's at-risk youth out of street-gangs by focusing on alternative job opportunities to gangs in areas with unemployment and violent crime rates significantly above the state average.

The legislation would provide $50,000 for the implementation of the program.

An additional protection bill (A-2667) would make recruiting minors to join street-gangs a crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail and $150,000 in fines.

Three bills would focus on protecting witnesses of violent crimes. One (A-1834) would increase the Victims of Crime Compensation Board assessments to help fund witness relocation and protection expenses, another (A-2988) would require "stay away" restraining orders as a condition of bail for gang members, and a third (A-2989) would bar the disclosure of witnesses' personal identifying information on grand jury transcripts.

"By improving witness safety and protection we are increasing the odds that people will come forward to speak out against gang members," said Gusciora. "And that will help us keep gang members where they belong - behind bars."

The final component in the package focuses on empowering communities and police. One such piece of legislation (A-2987) would require an investigation into the source of bail money used in gang-related cases to determine if the funds came from a legitimate source or an illegitimate one, such as drug sales.

The measure clarifies the circumstances under which an investigation into the source of bail money would be required, including all first and second degree crimes, any crime involving a weapons offense and any crime involving alleged gang activity.

Another bill (A-2992) would require hospitals to report all gunshot wounds, stabbings, burns and other trauma associated with gang violence to both the local and State Police, which would enhance real-time criminal investigation efforts.

A committee substitution for a piece of the package (A-1706) would require that gang-related crime data be directly reported to the superintendent of the State Police for inclusion in the state Uniform Crime Report. Currently, this data is reported to the "appropriate county authority," which has caused confusion in reporting requirements.

The final community-empowerment bill (A-2831) would direct the Attorney General to establish a firearms recovery clearing house, which would be used as a statewide nerve center to track gun crimes committed in New Jersey.

"Effectively fighting gangs takes precise information," said Stanley. "Precise information can be obtained only through excellent communication between local and State Police. By improving communication between branches of law enforcement, we stand a much better chance of stopping gang violence before it starts."

"Gang violence ignores all boundaries," said Schaer. "Geographic borders, socio-economic status, and ethnicity mean nothing to these criminals. Our response, therefore, must be equally unbound and look beyond parochial interests and unite our state and country against this growing violent menace."

"Our plan has the support of a broad range of local officials, law enforcement and fellow legislators," said Watson Coleman. "Together, we will continue to push for swift enactment of this legislation so that we may finally feel some relief in our war against street-gangs."

The Assembly passed the entire legislative package. The package now heads to the Senate for further consideration. Watson Coleman has said she will seek to pass as many of the bills as possible before consideration of the budget in late June.

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--A LIST OF THE LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE AND THE VOTE TALLIES FOLLOWS--

"FIGHTING GANGS, PROTECTING OUR YOUTH"

Preventing Gang Violence:

A-2840 (Quigley/Prieto) - Makes unlawful possession of assault firearm a second degree crime. 68-10-0

A-2841 (Quigley/Prieto) - Upgrades penalty for unlawfully transferring a firearm to an underage person. 71-7-0

A-2991 (Whelan/Watson Coleman) - Enhances penalties for possessing, receiving, and transferring community guns. 75-0-2

A-2599 Acs (Manzo) - Provides for forfeiture of vehicle where weapon was unlawfully possessed. 70-5-3

A-2602 Aca (Manzo/Johnson) - Regulates sale of ammunition. 59-11-7

AR-183 (Watson Coleman) - Urges expeditious disposition of crimes involving guns. 78-0-0

Protecting Children & Witnesses:
A-1650 (Barnes/Diegnan/Johnson) - Requires boards of education to offer elementary school students instruction in gang violence prevention. 74-4-0

A-1973 Aca (Cryan/Stanley/Wisniewski/Johnson) - Requires Office of Attorney General to provide annual gang education seminars for school administrators. 75-3-0

A-2986 Acs (Watson Coleman/Steele) - Creates Youth Employment and After School Incentive Pilot Program; appropriates $50,000. 73-4-1

A-2667 (Manzo/Gusciora) - Upgrades to a crime of the second degree recruiting a minor to be in a criminal street gang. 78-0-0

A-1834 (Greenstein/Diegnan) - Increases Victims of Crime Compensation Board assessments. 70-3-4

A-2988 Aca (Truitt/Watson Coleman) - Authorizes the court to issue restraining orders to defendants charged with a crime as a condition of release on bail. 78-0-0

A-2989 (Stanley/Watson Coleman) - Bars the disclosure of personal identifying information of grand jury witness except for name; creates a fourth degree offense for attorney disclosure. 72-0-5

Empowering Communities & Police:
A-2987 Aca (Watson Coleman/Steele) - Requires the court to conduct an inquiry concerning the source of bail funds where defendant is charged with certain serious crimes. 77-0-0

A-2992 (Stanley/Watson Coleman) - Requires hospitals to report certain injuries to local and State Police. 78-0-0

A-1706 Acs (Fisher/Baroni/Barnes) - Directs Attorney General to include gang information in Uniform Crime Report, requires gang information to be included on fingerprint card, appropriates $70,000. 73-5-0

A-2831 Aca (Gusciora/Johnson) - Directs Attorney General to establish a criminal firearms recovery clearing house. 71-5-0