Cause and effect

Since early this month, and followng a string of violence incidents, The Rochester Police Department has been quick to boast of how many more arrests they've made since adopting a "zero tolerance" policy on crime. But what almost no one has investigated, until now, is how much the increased number of collars has impacted on what some say is an already overburdened Judicial System.
 
With one look at the Rochester City Court Calendar since the crackdown began, it's easy to see the impact. The daily listings of defendants charged has often been double or triple the average number since the crackdown began.
 
News 8 Now spoke with Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green, who confirms that while he wholeheartedly endorses "zero tolerance", it has indeed caused the case load of many of his prosecutors to nearly double.  In addition, Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn tells us the cause and effect of zero tolerance can be seen in the sudden increase in the population of the County Jail.
 
Green in particular warns that if the police crackdowns continue for an extended period of time (several months or more) then there's no way his office with its current staffing level could adequately prosecute the increased number of cases. Green hopes the community understands that they could be required to pay more in tax dollars to fund additional prosecutors, to see the effort through.

Click on the Watch icon to view the entire story.