Mar 25, 2008 6:15 am US/Eastern
Witness Intimidation Makes Solving Murders Harder
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
The battle against witness intimidation is nationwide. The FBI says so many criminals are succeeding, it's impacting the number of murders solved.
Gigi Barnett has more on the report and what it means for Maryland.
Prosecutors say witness intimidation here in Baltimore is some of the worst in the country and now a report by a national police advocacy group showcases the problem and says it is growing desperate.
Witness intimidation in Baltimore City is growing at such a fast rate, prosecutors are now calling it a crisis. They say it's a powerful underground force that cultivates a "code of silence" on the streets.
Stop Snitching and its sequel, Stop Snitching 2, catapulted Baltimore into the national spotlight. Now a study released by a police advocacy group shows witness intimidation nationwide is driving down the rate of solved murders, in some cases as much as 45%.
"Witness intimidation continues to be the number one safety threat in Baltimore City," said Margaret Burns with the State's Attorney's Office.
Burns says witnesses are intimidated or threatened in almost every single murder case the city tries to prosecute.
"We've had cases where witnesses have been shot and in some cases tragically murdered. But without this critical testimony, we cannot secure a conviction," she said.
In 2002, the Dawson family's East Baltimore home was firebombed after they alerted police to drug problems. All seven family members, including five children, were killed. Last summer, Carl Lackl was gunned down outside his Rosedale home just days before he was to testify in a Baltimore City murder trial.
"We have to be able to know that the information we put out is not only gonna be used effectively, but it's not going to be turned back on that citizenry," said Oscar Cobbs, a Parks Heights community activist.
Prosecutors say their biggest challenge lies in keeping witnesses safe. Since Baltimore City doesn't have a safe house, prosecutors can only offer to help relocate the threatened witnesses. They can't offer them much protection.
"There's a greater need to offer witnesses true protection like the federal government can offer," Burns said.
Prosecutors say they are working on securing federal funds to buy a safe house and they're hoping to partner with state police to help protect people who stay there.
To combat witness intimidation, some cities are implementing an anonymous text messaging system.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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