EMPHASIS ON TOUGH CRIMINAL PENALTIES PAYS OFF

Push For Tough Penalties Pays Off

Federal charges are almost double from last year Focus is on drugs, guns
Federal criminal charges in Southern Illinois are up - almost double from
last year - under an initiative that has local and federal prosecutors
trying to get the "best bang for their buck."

The new approach has police and prosecutors conferring over where criminals
might face the harshest penalties, in state or federal courthouses.

Through July, a grand jury in East St. Louis has returned 165 indictments
for the year, already one more than the total for all 12 months of last
year. And the total number of charges in the district's other branch,
Benton, is rapidly approaching last year's totals.

The two juries have brought forth 226 criminal cases so far this year,
likely to surpass last year's total of 246.

While there are no hard numbers on what types of cases make up the
increase, officials believe they represent the street-level variety of gun
and drug crimes.

"Our programs under Project Safe Neighborhoods have become fully
implemented within the past 12 months," said Deputy U.S. Attorney Richard
Byrne, referring to a nationwide directive to get guns and drugs off the
streets. "That has accounted for a significant rise in prosecutions." While
the directive is nationwide, how each area deals with the crimes is up to
individual federal prosecutors.

The bang-for-buck plan was put into place by Miriam Miquelon, who last
month announced her resignation as U.S. attorney. Byrne arrived to head the
office last month.

The initiative, labeled "Dragun" for drugs and guns, included creating 11
teams of local police forces, federal agents and prosecutors who meet
regularly to discuss cases and tactics.

For whatever reason Miquelon left - Chief U.S. District Court Judge G.
Patrick Murphy has said she is under investigation by the Department of
Justice - the numbers support what Miquelon has said since the plan was
announced last September.

The district, which is composed of the southernmost 38 counties in
Illinois, is already considered one of the nation's toughest districts, but
for a different reason than caseload.

A Post-Dispatch analysis earlier this year, comparing a private study with
the government's own figures, shows Southern Illinois hands out the longest
federal prison sentences of any place in the country.

While that may fall in the laps of judges and how they follow the
government's strict guidelines for sentences, the caseload falls to the
U.S. attorney's office.

Prosecutors present cases to grand juries, who determine whether a case has
enough merit to warrant an indictment.

Even before the latest increase the district was already in the top 25
percent in the country for federal indictments per capita, with a rate of
about one federal charge filed for every 3,500 residents in Southern Illinois.

"We have noticed an increase in our work," said U.S. Marshal Don Slazinik,
whose agents often arrest indicted suspects, serve indicted suspects with
court papers and provide security as suspects are transferred to and from
court.

"The entire U.S. attorney's office seems to be very aggressive, and that's
good," he said.