Case Study - New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Division of Criminal Justice

• NCJ Number: 95263
• Author(s): J D Stout
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 45 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-IJ-CX-0066
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Temple University
• Sale Source: State University of New York at Albany; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This case study of New Jersey's Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), an organization created to combat organized crime, covers its historical development, resources, decisionmaking processes, and implications for similar efforts by other States.

Abstract

An analysis of events in 1965-66, prior to the legislature's interest in organized crime, focuses on the organized crime law enforcement efforts of Edwin Stier of the U.S. Attorney General's Office in Newark; Peter Richards, an attorney from the Department of Justice assigned to that office; and State Police Superintendent David Kelly. When national media exposure of the Mafia families' hold on New Jersey in 1967-68 forced the State to take action, the aforementioned officials were charged with implementing a program. The historic review then describes the early years, 1969-75, of the Organized Crime Unit, covering its electronic surveillance program; the development of channels of communication between local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies; the creation of the DCJ in 1970, which gave the attorney general broad powers over prosecutions; and a 1972 law requiring that at least one State grand jury sit at all times. At the same time, the State police developed a sophisticated intelligence program and acted as a major support for the DCJ. Personnel and organizational changes in 1975-76 created uncertainties as Stier and Richards tried to broaden their base of support and prevent the program from being diminished. The period 1977-82 is characterized as expansion toward maturity. Highlights included publication of a report from the Task Force on Organized Crime, increasing use of civil remedies and antitrust enforcement to hinder organized crime involvement in businesses, and indictment of eight individuals, including the head of the Genovese crime family. The case study discusses the organizational aspects of the State police and the DCJ, budgets, personnel, training, and equipment. The analysis of decisionmaking processes concludes that the police dominate in selecting targets for action, while the DCJ assesses how cases will fare in court and determines types of evidence needed.