Criminal Justice
IS SERIOUS BUSINESS
True justice for criminals as well as those falsely is essential to maintaining peace and safety on our streets. Through technology, training, and system operation optimization, we help counties all across the US and Canada operate their local penal systems efficiently and fairly.
Whenever an individual has been formally charged by the police for a criminal offense they will need to go before the criminal court. In most cases when someone has been charged with a crime, they face the potential of jail or prison. For this reason, they have the right to be represented by an attorney. If they cannot afford one then the court will appoint one for them.
Because a criminal conviction can have very serious consequences even beyond that of jail and prison, it is important that a defendant has a lawyer who is familiar with all aspects of Criminal Court. If an individual is found guilty of a crime, even after they have finished serving their jail or prison time, their conviction could prevent them from getting many jobs, they might be restricted from owning any firearms, and they may not be able to vote any longer.
If a defendant is unable to pay for an attorney the court will provide one for them but very often these court appointed attorneys are overworked and underpaid. For this reason, it is much better if someone can arrange for their own private attorney. It may be expensive but in the end, it may be well worth it to have the charges reduced or thrown out of court.
The prosecutor’s office is supported by the local government and their resources are typically substantial. If an overworked, underpaid court-appointed attorney tries to go against a well-organized and financially supported prosecuting office then the results may not be favorable for the defendant. Having a highly experienced defense attorney can make a tremendous difference in the outcome.
Although it is been a number of years ago, many of us can remember the case of OJ Simpson. Most people believe that he was absolutely guilty of murder. And yet he was found not guilty. The reason is he had what was referred to as the Dream Defense Team. Criminal Court is based on legal precedents and technicalities. Often you will hear people say that person just got off on a technicality. But that is what law is.
This is why a defendant should get the best legal defense they can afford when facing Criminal Court. There is no doubt the outcome is biased toward those with an experienced and often expensive defense attorney. When you are facing criminal court your outcome will depend on the attorney that represents you even more than any evidence against you.
Thanks to modern technology there are many new and innovative methods to modern law enforcement. Here are a few of the newer methods and how they benefit law enforcement agencies around the country.
Body Camera’s
Many agencies are turning to body camera’s that are worn on their law enforcement officers. These cameras are worn by the officer’s when they are on duty.
They are directed toward the community and away from the officer. As the officer makes an arrest or speaks with citizens the camera is recording what is going on. This is vital to many court cases and has done a great deal to cut back on citizen complaints and excessive use of force.
Dash Camera’s
These are very similar to the body camera’s that officers are wearing, except they are mounted on the dash of the officer’s patrol car.
From here they can record what is going on at any given time. This can be especially valuable during traffic stops. If a person is resisting arrest or threatening an officer in any way or fashion it is being recorded and can be used in a court of law to further the charges on that person.
Digital Evidence
Once again modern technology hs stepped up to the occasion and enhanced law enforcement. Long used to commit crimes, computers have also been able to hide the evidence in a variety of manners.
Thanks to updated and more modern technology, officers are now able to find that digital information and prove in a court of law that a person was indeed committing a crime using the computer. This information may have been stored on a CD, flash drive or thumb drive, cell phone, personal computer, tablet, or even a digital camera.
Less Lethal Technology
Less lethal means of subduing a would-be assailant include the use of tasers and stun guns. These are forms that will disable the attacker but not kill them.
They are ideal for situations where the officer just needs to stop the person from running and get the handcuffs on the person.
By using these modern law enforcement technologies law enforcement officers have greatly reduced the time that many cases took to make it to court. They’ve enhanced how the court procedures are done and they’ve been able to produce more evidence when required with the ability to introduce information that is found on the cameras and other equipment that is used.
You have probably heard of a neighborhood watch before. You may have seen signs for this in your community. You might not know who is actually on the neighborhood watch, and you might want to join. Essentially, this is simply a group of neighbors that are in the community that are designated to watch the community for trouble. They may have gone through some type of training, or may have meetings on a regular basis, in order to discuss different tactics they are not law enforcement, however, they do serve to observe what is going on. They will be the first ones to call for the police if there is a problem. Let’s take a look at how these groups form and work together.
What These Groups Are Not
One thing that these groups definitely are not our vigilantes. They do not form a posse to go after people that have, for instance, broken into someone’s house. They are there to provide support for those that are facing problems and that usually comes in the form of calling the authorities. They may be a very small group, perhaps just a few people, or it could be hundreds of people throughout a city. These are all individuals that understand the procedures that must be followed in order to make their neighborhood watch most effective.
How Do You Join One?
Contrary to popular belief, there are actually people in these groups. There are not just signs that are placed around town, or even in the windows of those in the community, to make the would be criminals a little more apprehensive. You need to join one of these if you can, showing your support for your community, and it will also allow you to get to know people that are in the area. Once you have done that, there should be no problem at all locating these businesses. You should be able to find them right away. You can contact them, find out about local groups, and in the end you should be able to join these groups that are all about protecting the community.
Simple search on the web will lead you to the different ones that are available. You can then go to their website, or simply call up the person that is in charge. This will get you started in protecting your neighborhood through simple observations, making sure that criminal activities get reported.