Policing:
Philadelphia
DA
Disbands
Drug
Unit
6/17/05
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynn Abraham has disbanded a specialized group of prosecutors who worked drug cases, citing budgetary constraints. In a June 11 press conference, Abraham said she is shutting down the Special Narcotics Prosecution Unit and another specialized group, the Forfeiture Unit, to avoid laying off 25 prosecutors. Abraham also said she will cut back on the prosecution of economic and computer crimes, reduce new hires, and not replace lawyers who leave her office. The cutbacks come as Abraham grapples with a $1.3 million cut from last year's budget, which in turn was reduced from the previous year. Specialized prosecutor units were a "luxury" that her office could no longer afford, she said. The Special Narcotics Prosecution Unit, consisting of a chief and five attorneys, concentrated on long-term drug investigations. Its notable cases included the convictions of a Kensington father and his two sons on marijuana charges and the guilty plea of a Northeast Philadelphia pharmacist to charges he illegally prescribed prescription pain pills and relaxants. Police enthusiasts and former prosecutors alike bemoaned the loss of the unit. "It was making a tremendous, positive effect on neighborhoods," City Councilman Jack Kelly told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It gave some relief to people who wanted some action. I thought they were doing a terrific job," Kelly said, adding that he was "disappointed." "It's a shame," said former prosecutor Carolyn Ferko, likening the drug-busting legal team to oncologists. "If a person has cancer, they can go to a general practitioner, but most people go to a specialist. I view drugs as a cancer of the city," Ferko said. "... Drugs are a major problem in the city of Philadelphia, and I don't think anybody would dispute that." Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Gene Blagmond told the Inquirer police hoped funding would be restored. Police "thought it was good to have specialized people dedicated to these prosecutions." No comment from the tens of thousands of Philadelphians prosecuted under the drug laws, though.
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