DA: Gun court model of success on North Shore

LYNN – Crimes involving guns are being handled independently and expeditiously in Essex County through a special gun court that has both cleared the case docket and proved a model of success.Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, who implemented the program in February 2006, said more than 200 such cases were awaiting adjudication when the court first went in session. “Right now, there are only four open cases,” the prosecutor noted during a wide-ranging interview with The Item Monday. “We have a standing order that every gun case must be handled within 120 days, cradle to grave.”According to Blodgett, the only two exceptions that exceeded the time frame occurred because a judge became ill and a defendant repeatedly changed defense lawyers.”The court has a very high conviction rate and those people are being sentenced,” he said. “It’s a morale booster for the law enforcement officers out there.”District Court Chief Justice Lynda M. Connolly issued the original order establishing a firearm session at Lynn District Court. Beginning Feb. 1, 2006, a special session at Peabody District Court has been devoted exclusively to hearing firearms cases that originate in the Lynn court.Connolly said the gun court is the result of ongoing efforts in the District Court system to implement time standards and meaningful case-flow management, as well as to maximize the use of limited resources. Regional Administrative Judge Robert A. Brennan and Lynn First Justice Michael C. Lauranzano agreed to implement the pilot program after discussions with legal, public safety and community leaders in Lynn.Prior to establishment of the gun court, firearms cases often lingered in the justice system, often for years. The plan aimed to reduce the amount of time between the arrest and disposition of cases involving defendants charged with certain firearm-related offenses, including violations based on charges of possession, control or distribution of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm on a public way, and discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.As a result of the program, all firearm cases initiated in Lynn District Court are transferred immediately after arraignment to the firearm session in Peabody. Pre-trial hearings typically occur within 45 days of arraignment and nearly all firearms cases are disposed of within 120 days.Any pending probation matter or other cases involving the defendant charged with a firearm offense are also transferred to the gun court.Blodgett cited the recent conviction of three Lynn men on charges of carrying a firearm. In that instance, police stopped the car in gang territory and found a handgun stuffed into a map pocket. Since two of the suspects had no prior criminal record, each received a two-year jail sentenced followed by five years of probation. The third suspect had a marginal criminal record and so was given a 2.5-year jail term plus five years of probation.In another case, a defendant received a two-year jail term and four years of probation after being found guilty of carrying a firearm without a license.Most of the gun cases are gang-related, said Blodgett, adding that the court has met with such success it is considered a model for other jurisdictions facing similar problems.