December 18, 2003
Trenton,
NJ — Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. announced today that his
office, in conjunction with the Mercer County Chiefs of Police Association, is
taking the first step toward evidence-based prosecution of domestic violence
cases. Through evidence-based
prosecution, police and prosecutors will proceed with domestic violence cases
regardless of the victim’s willingness to testify.
“I am committed to moving Mercer County to the evidence based prosecution of domestic violence incidents at both the superior and municipal court levels,” Bocchini said.
In
order to assist local police departments in this effort, the prosecutor’s
office has purchased disposable cameras for each patrol car in Mercer County.
The cameras have self-contained flash units and 27 exposures.
Bocchini
stated that many victims of domestic violence do not wish to testify against
their abuser for a variety of reasons, including fear of further violence,
denial, economic dependence and/or their desire to keep their families together.
In many instances, the victims remain under the control of the abuser and
are unable to regain control of their lives.
Bocchini
stated that it is critical for investigating officers to fully document the
domestic violence incident and scene. In
addition to paying added attention to statements made at the scene by the
victim, defendant and/or any other witnesses as well as capturing the 911
telephone tape, police departments will be photographing the victim’s
injuries, the overall crime scene and specific damages/evidence (i.e.,
broken/displaced/overturned furniture; telephone ripped out of wall; caller id
box, etc.) in each domestic violence case where there is visible injury to
victim and/or property damage. Further,
prior to turning the camera in for processing, police departments will again
photograph the injuries a few days after the incident in order to depict any
changes to the injury area.
The prosecutor’s office distributed 2,500 cameras today and Bocchini indicated that his office would purchase additional cameras in the future.