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Crime And Punishment: One On One With Escambia’s Top Prosecutors
February 6, 2011
Daily, it seems the headlines in Escambia County are about crime. After the crime is committed and after law enforcement finishes their investigation, the State Attorney’s Office stands between the defendant and his freedom.
There are 20 judicial districts in Florida, each with its own individually elected State Attorney. State Attorney Bill Eddins and Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille represent Florida’s First Judicial Circuit for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.
NorthEscambia.com sat down with Eddins and Marcille recently to discuss crime and punishment in Escambia County.
Violent Crime, Drugs And Gangs
“It is a misconception that overall violent crime is increasing,” Eddins said. “Violent crime is decreasing. It’s the very visible violent crime that is increasing — the drive by shootings, armed robberies and the crimes that make the news.”
“There are a number of factors to blame,” Eddins said about crime in the area. “Drugs, the availability of drugs, the availability of guns and economic issues.”
“The groups that do consider themselves gangs that do constitute legal gangs are increasing,” Marcille said, “with much of their violent behavior between drug dealers or robberies.” He said that, under the law, a loose-knit organization that commits crimes together can meet the legal definition of a gang.
But the law is fighting back on the increasing gang problem in Escambia County, Eddins said, with both the State Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office allocating resources to focus on the gang problem.
Tougher Prosecution,
Once a suspect is arrested, Eddins said his office is taking a harder stance on criminals.
“We are taking a stronger position and plea bargaining less,” Eddins said. “We are rearranging how our office operates, designating more special prosecutors with more time to prosecute these violent crimes. The reorganization has helped us be more effective.”
The State Attorney believes his office is the most aggressive in Florida as far as the number of cases tried overall.
Reorganization to meet the case load that passes his desk are nothing new for Eddins. The most recent major reorganization came with the murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings and multiple suspects.
As the Billings trials come to a close in the coming months, Eddins said prosecutors will become available to handle defendants headed to trial in 2011 from some of Escambia County’s 30 plus murders last year.
Fear Is A Problem
Drug-related crimes are increasing in the public eye, and drug cases are among the hardest to prosecute, according to Marcille.
“Fear is common among witnesses,” Marcille said. “People fear that testifying may be a threat to them, and they are reluctant to become involved.”
Animal Cruelty
A growing focus for Eddins’ office is animal cruelty, with many of those cases from the North Escambia area.
“We are focusing more on animal cruelty cases,” he said. That focus includes a training session later this week for prosecutors and law enforcement alike to learn more about groups like Panhandle Equine Rescue in Cantonment. The State Attorney’s Office is working to receive animal cruelty cases directly from PER for prosecution.
Pictured top: Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille and State Attorney Bill Eddins. NorthEscambia.com photo/graphic, click to enlarge.
Comments
7 Responses to “Crime And Punishment: One On One With Escambia’s Top Prosecutors”
REGARDING:
” “The groups that do consider themselves gangs that do constitute legal gangs are increasing,” Marcille said, “with much of their violent behavior between drug dealers or robberies.” He said that, under the law, a loose-knit organization that commits crimes together can meet the legal definition of a gang.”
It looks like confiscation of all property of all members of gangs committing criminal actions would throw a wet blanket on some of the problem.
David considering RICO and suchlike
REGARDING:
“Pensacola is crocked, until there is a change in local government, political seats, it’s judicial seats and the higher ups in law enforcement, this town will remain the same. I refuse to point fingers, you already know who you are.”
Crocked? Crooked? Cooked? Cracked? Croaked?
Whatever, I assume it means bad. They’ve changed mayors, judges the sheriff and it’s still “crocked”?
It seems to me that when someone says something bad in general, it means they don’t have anything specific to say that’s bad. I could be wrong, maybe it’s so bad that just picking out one problem is too hard to do.
It’s not inconsistent to say overall violent crime is down even though visible violent crime is up. It just means less behind closed doors and more fired out car doors or in front of living witnesses. Lots of people think the world just got bad because they just got around to looking at some of it, especially those who concentrate on the bad and the ones who see conspiracies everywhere. (Actually, there are only 7 conspiracies in the world and if you don’t know which ones they are, you aren’t in on them.)
I made up the number 7 above for the paranoid.
There is bad in the world. There are bad people in the world. Some bad people have positions of trust and authority. That is why our system of government is so good, it pits the bad guys against each other and exposes the more careless.
Most people are good even if I don’t agree with them.
David for careful workers
and named problems
Romi White care to elaborate?
Derek, you’re dead on. Eddins selectively turns his head, especially for his fellow politicians. I believe Eddins is up for re-election soon. Until he is unseated, some crimes will continue to be allowed.
A simple fact ( it’s being published in many outlets ). Pensacola is crocked, until there is a change in local government, political seats, it’s judicial seats and the higher ups in law enforcement, this town will remain the same. I refuse to point fingers, you already know who you are. It does behooves me on how certain statements can be made in this article. Such as, “It is a misconception that overall violent crime is increasing,” Eddins said. “Violent crime is decreasing. Only to have the next comment be, Eddins said prosecutors will become available to handle defendants headed to trial in 2011 from some of Escambia County’s 30 plus murders last year. Then there are the GOB’s of Pensacola. I tell you the truth, the residents of Pensacola and Escambia County had better open your eyes to the corruption in this community and have a change of heart come election time, or things are only going to worsen. Here is just one of the many media outlets available to confirm what I have said. So read, educate yourself and then you and only you make a decision come election time. That my friends is the only way to make a change.
Bill Eddins is a joke. If you have the right connections you can get away with a lot because Eddins won’t allow his staff to even investigate some people. Also reckless law enforcement officers like Jerald Ard don’t have to worry about abusing their responsibility because they know that no matter what they do they’ll never face a jury, just a “coroner’s inquest.”
The best thing that the “State Attorney” needs to do is stop the “rotating door” from the judges who sentence the repeat offenders!