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OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, 8TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT | ||
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MORGAN COUNTY ALABAMA |
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| BOB BURRELL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY | |||
     
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February 8, 2007-- Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell announced today that Governor Bob Riley had offered a reward of $10,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Nancy Carol Stevens. The body of Ms. Stevens was found in Tupelo, Mississippi, in August of 2005. Governor Riley had previously proclaimed a reward of $5,000.00 and has increased the amount at Burrell’s request. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ STATE & FEDERAL PROSECUTION INITIATIVE RESULTS IN FEDERAL PRISON SENTENCE:D.A. Announces Sentencing of Darryl Copelin in Federal CourtJuly 21, 2004 — District Attorney Bob Burrell announces that Darryl
Leslie Copelin, who entered guilty pleas to two counts of Felon in Possession of
a Firearm, Possession of a Firearm by a Known Drug User and Possession of a
Stolen Firearm on March 22, 2004 was sentenced by the United States District
Court to a term in federal prison of 63 months and was given 3 years supervised
probation after the prison term is served. F.R.E.E.Z.E. commends the Decatur Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work in this case. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Worthless Check RoundupD.A. Announces Worthless Check Roundup for AugustJuly 16, 2004 -- Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell announced today that the Morgan County Worthless Check Unit will be conducting its annual "back to school" roundup of worthless check writers and individuals owing restitution, fines and court costs to the D.A.'s Restitution Recovery Unit during the month of August. Burrell said that he would extend an amnesty period until the close of business (4:30 p.m.) Monday, August 16, 2004, for all of those individuals with outstanding warrants in the Morgan County Worthless Check and Restitution Recovery Units. After the close of business on Monday the 16th, warrants will be processed for any individuals who are not complying with their payment obligations to either program or who have not made satisfactory arrangements with the District Attorney to dispose of their case. Further bulletins about the roundup will posted at the District Attorney's website: www.morgancountyda.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Public Meeting - MethamphetamineD.A. Announces Public Meeting on Topic of Methamphetamine LabsJuly 16, 2004 -- Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell announced today that his office will be sponsoring its second public meeting on the topic of meth labs on August 2, 2004 at the Decatur Utilities Auditorium located on Central Parkway in Decatur. The meeting will be conducted from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and will include speakers from the Morgan County Vice and Narcotics Task Force, the Decatur Police Department's Organized Crime Unit and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). While the program is primarily designed to enlist the assistance of local merchants in reducing the proliferation of meth labs in Morgan County, members of the general public interested in learning about the dangers associated with methamphetamine labs are encouraged to attend. Burrell explained that the positive response to the meeting held in June at the Decatur Chamber of Commerce caused him to arrange a second meeting. "It was clear to me from the comments made by the citizens, businessmen and attorneys that attended the previous meeting that there was an overwhelming belief that we needed to give the public another chance to hear this important message." Even though the basic program remains the same, the District Attorney's Office has changed several portions of the presentation that might be of interest to individuals who attended the previous meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D.A. Announces Plans To Target County's Meth LabsBurrell Believes Merchants Are The KeyJune 6, 2004 -- Morgan County District Attorney, Bob Burrell, announced today that he will be urging the Morgan County Vice and Narcotics Task Force to form stronger alliances with local merchants in their efforts to eliminate clandestine methamphetamine labs in Morgan County. Burrell explained that lab operators generally make frequent or large purchases of precursor materials from local merchants in order to manufacture the drug. "If we can train our local merchants to identify these individuals and report suspicious activity directly to the Task Force, law enforcement will have a tremendous edge over the manufacturers." Burrell stated that interest for such a program has already been expressed in the business community, and he commented that it did not surprise him given the level of cooperation that Morgan County's merchants generally provide to law enforcement. Last year Task Force agents shut down less than a dozen laboratories in Morgan County. Burrell explained that, with several more months left in this fiscal year, the County has already seen a 300% increase in the number of labs located here. "We are doing a good job in Morgan County in raiding labs, but, like our sister counties are discovering, the problem is growing at an alarming rate. Merchant assistance is a necessary element in eliminating the problem." The District Attorney will be sponsoring a seminar on methamphetamine labs for area merchants and the general public on June 24, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. in the boardroom of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce. Representatives from the Morgan County Vice and Narcotics Task Force, the Decatur Organized Crime Unit and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will speak. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D.A. Selected by D.O.J. to Attend ConferenceBurrell to Travel to Missouri for PSN ConferenceJune 5, 2004 -- Bob Burrell, Morgan County District Attorney, was selected by U.S. Attorney Alice Martin to attend the 2004 Project Safe Neighborhoods Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Ms. Martin said "Bob Burrell is one of three invitees to attend the PSN National Conference as part of the Northern District of Alabama Task Force. Bob has provided tremendous support to the Alabama I.C.E. initiative and his local firearm task force, named FREEZE, is a model of success for other counties." In 2003, the Morgan County District Attorney was awarded a $250,000 Project Safe Neighborhoods grant to implement a gun violence program in Morgan County. Burrell's Office designed the program in fall of 2002 and was awarded the grant last year. Pursuant to the grant, Morgan County has established a Gun Violence Task Force and is actively working with the U.S. Attorney and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to prosecute firearms cases federally in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The Kansas City, Missouri Conference is an opportunity for leaders in the Project Safe Neighborhoods community to get together on issues of implementation and cooperation. Burrell said that he was honored to be the U.S. Attorney's guest at the conference and that he looks forward to the opportunity to share information with other PSN programs around the country. "I am confident that there will be much to be learned from the successes that our sister programs have had around the nation." Burrell also said that he wanted to thank the Department of Justice for funding such a worthwhile and timely program -- "this is one we know works and our success can be measure in human lives." *** Update June 23, 2004: The following press release was issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Birmingham on June 23, 2004, following the PSN National Conference. The Photo below is of officials from the Northern District of Alabama and the U.S. Attorney General, John Ashcroft (Mr. Ashcroft is on fourth from the left on the front row, Mr. Burrell is fourth from the left on the second row.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2004
LOCAL OFFICIALS TEAM UP WITH NATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO REDUCE GUN CRIME IN OUR COMMUNITY
Federal Gun Crime Prosecutions Hit Record Highs, While Violent Crime Rate Hits 30-Year Low BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - The national Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) conference met this week in Kansas City, Missouri, and included a 11-person delegation representing the Northern District of Alabama. Among those representing the Northern District of Alabama were Bob Burrell, District Attorney, Morgan County, Alabama, and Chief Compton Owens, Huntsville, Alabama Police Department. Attorney General John Ashcroft spoke to over 1,150 federal, state, and local prosecutors, law enforcement officials, community leaders, and other members of the PSN teams from across the nation who came together to discuss efforts to reduce and prosecute gun crime. PSN is President Bush’s comprehensive initiative to combat gun crime in America by providing locally-based programs with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
“Through Project Safe Neighborhood’s unprecedented partnership of state, local and federal leaders, we are turning the tide on gun crime,” said Attorney General John Ashcroft. “We are taking gun-wielding criminals off our streets. The last three years represent a record of great success, but working together, we can do even more to make our neighborhoods safe.”
"Since its inception, "Alabama I.C.E." has been a forerunner of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhood program. In the past four years, firearm prosecutions of Project I.C.E have grown by 122% - twice the national average - and has expanded from an original three (3) county area into 28 of the 31 counties comprising the Northern District of Alabama. In 2003 alone, over 150 felons have been removed from the streets and are serving prison sentences averaging 6 years. Habitual offenders routinely face 15 year sentences without the possibility of parole. The state, local and federal agencies participating in "Alabama I.C.E." should be commended for providing the resources in making this program a national leader," said U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin.
Federal Gun Crime Prosecutions Have Increased Significantly Every Year Under Project Safe Neighborhoods. From FY 2000 to FY 2003, federal firearms prosecutions increased by 68%. In FY 2003, the Justice Department filed over 10,500 federal firearms cases—the highest number ever recorded by the Department. The number of defendants charged with federal gun crimes rose from approximately 10,600 to over 13,000 from FY 2002 to FY 2003, a record increase of almost 23%. These figures are the highest on record in a single year since the Department began recording this information. In FY 2003,
nearly all — 93% — of convicted defendants, who were originally charged with federal firearms offenses, were sentenced to some time in prison for convictions on firearms charges or other charges. 72% were sentenced to more than three years in prison, and over half of all defendants convicted were sentenced to more than five years in federal prison. State and local prosecutions have also increased.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Is Working In the North Alabama. U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin, working side by side with state and local law enforcement, prosecutors and other community leaders, has created a PSN strategy to fit the unique gun crime problem in the Northern District of Alabama. Criminals who use guns are prosecuted under federal, state, or local laws, depending on which jurisdiction can provide the most appropriate punishment.
During the FY 2003, 157 defendants were prosecuted for firearms violations in the Northern District of Alabama. The average sentence for these defendants in FY 2003 was 71.7 months in prison, an increase of 11.7 months from FY 2002.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Has Contributed to Decreasing the Violent Crime Rate to Its Lowest Levels in 30 Years, But Reducing Gun Crime Remains an Important Goal. The violent crime rate is now at its lowest level since 1973, when the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics started collecting criminal victimization data. The violent crime rate for the first two years of the Bush Administration (2001-2002) was nearly 21% lower than for 1999-2000. The per capita number of violent crimes involving firearms has dropped 14% in 2001-2002, from 1999-2000. There were approximately 64,000 fewer gun crimes and approximately 12% (almost 130,000) fewer victims of gun crime in 2001-2002, than in 1999-2000.
Project Safe Neighborhoods Takes a Multifaceted Approach to Reducing Gun Crime. Gun crime reduction is President Bush’s top domestic criminal justice initiative, and the Bush Administration has devoted over $1 billion to Project Safe Neighborhoods in its first four years (FY 2001 to FY 2004). The funds have been used to hire new federal, state, and local prosecutors, provide training, hire research and community outreach support, and develop and promote effective prevention and deterrence efforts. Each of the 94 federal judicial districts engages in deterrence and prevention efforts through community outreach and media campaigns and ensures that law enforcement and prosecutors have the training they need.
The PSN conference is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice. To find out more about PSN and its local programs, visit the PSN website at www.psn.gov. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D.A. Announces Web PresenceWebsite to Be Published in June of 2004June 3, 2004 -- Morgan County District Attorney Bob Burrell announced today that his office will be publishing its first website this month. Burrell explained that, like most public offices, the Morgan County District Attorney's Office is finding that it spends a disproportionate amount of time answering general public information requests. "We hope," stated Burrell, "that our site will provide the citizens of Morgan County with useful information about our operations and serve as a convenient and more efficient means of communicating with the public than we have ever had available to us in the past." The District Attorney went on to explain that failing to take advantage of this medium of exchange would be a disservice to both the citizens of Morgan County and his office as well. The District Attorney's Office first began looking at the possibility of establishing a web presence approximately two years ago and secured the necessary domains at that time, but the developmental process has been very slow because the vast majority of work was done in house. The District Attorney determined that, in order for the site to be meaningful, it needed to be designed by his staff. The costs involved in hiring a contractor and paying him to educate himself enough about the functioning of the District Attorney's Office to build a comprehensive site was simply prohibitive. Instead, the District Attorney sent a member of his staff to the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, to learn how to develop a site. The class was at no cost to the District Attorney's Office and, to date, the only expenses incurred on this project were for software, domain registration and hosting. Burrell explained that, "it has taken us a long time to get here, because we had to work on the project only periodically, when time would allow, but the result is a product that is better than we could have purchased." The District Attorney hopes that the public makes use of the site and hopes to develop it further if the public response is good.
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