History
In 1776, the State of New Jersey ratified its first Constitution (superseded by later Constitutions in 1844 and 1947). Under this Constitution, the elected Governor appointed an Attorney General to enforce the laws of the State. The Attorney General in turn appointed deputies for the various counties, including Essex, to enforce the criminal laws on behalf of the local populace. In 1822, the New Jersey General Assembly passed an act authorizing a more independent Prosecutor of Pleas for each county, to be appointed by the Court of Quarter Session once every five years. A few years later, the Governor was given the authority to appoint each county’s Prosecutor of Pleas.
On February 20, 1829, Amzi Dodd became the first governor-appointed Prosecutor of Pleas for Essex County. The earliest record of a prosecution by Prosecutor Dodd involves “a nuisance in suffering the water to stagnate and become offensive in the old burying ground” in Newark.
The first Prosecutor of Pleas worked alone, but by 1877 the Prosecutor required the help of a First Assistant. As Essex County grew and matters became more complex, the Office of the Prosecutor grew in size. By 1922, Essex County Prosecutor John O. Bigelow employed 28 men, including three Assistant Prosecutors, two Detective Captains, two Lieutenants, and various detectives and clerks. In the 1920s and 30’s, cases involving gambling, organized crime and official corruption were growing in number. In October 1935, the nationally-known organized crime figure Dutch Schultz was shot at the Palace Chop House in Newark. Although the prime suspect was found hanged soon after the incident, the Office continued its investigation and identified Schultz’s real shooter who pled guilty to the murder in 1940.
By 1945, the Office still had only three Assistant Prosecutors, despite a growing number of murder and gambling cases. In 1951, Prosecutor Edward Gaulkin gained attention by successfully prosecuting four men charged with conspiracy, extortion and bribery in the Newark milk scandal case. In 1959, New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner nominated Brendan T. Byrne of West Orange as the 25th Prosecutor of Essex County. Prosecutor (and later Governor) Byrne served the Office until 1967. By 1962, there were 16 Assistant Prosecutors, most of whom were part-time employees. Shortly thereafter, the first female Assistant Prosecutor was appointed. Also during Byrne’s tenure, the “Charlie Squad” was formed, a name coined after members of the public were urged to report illegal gambling by calling a dedicated phone number.
Shortly after Prosecutor Byrne left the Office in 1967, the City of Newark experienced a violent week-long civil disturbance, which heralded long-term social and economic change in Essex County. These transformations challenged future Prosecutors to respond to changing patterns of crime, including increased violent crime rates and increased narcotics-related crime. By 1973, the legal staff numbered 63 lawyers, all full-time. County Investigators were increasingly selected from the ranks of experienced local police officers. Under Prosecutor George Schneider (Prosecutor from 1981 to 1986), the number of Assistant Prosecutors exceeded 100. Increasing resources were also dedicated to special squads. The Homicide Squad was expanded and a Narcotics Section, which at first was a joint task force with the Sheriff’s Office, was created. Eventually specialized units were established in Child Abuse, Sex Assault, Arson, Domestic Violence, Megan’s Law, Gangs, and Economic Crime and Corruption.
In 1986, Governor Thomas Kean appointed the first African-American Prosecutor in Essex County (and only the second in the State of New Jersey), Herbert H. Tate, Jr. Computerization of the Office was begun and continued in stages throughout the terms of Prosecutor Tate and his successor, Prosecutor Clifford J. Minor. Also during this time, ECPO also established a Victim Witness Advocacy Office to help crime victims and witnesses cope with the disruption that crime and participation in the criminal justice system can bring.
In January, 1998, the first female Prosecutor, Patricia Hurt, was appointed by Governor Christie Todd Whitman. Prosecutor Hurt's tenure was affected by allegations of managerial and fiscal irregularities, and in July 1999, Governor Whitman dismissed Hurt and appointed Acting Prosecutor Donald Campolo from the State Division of Criminal Justice. A variety of other personnel from the State Attorney General's Office helped Campolo oversee ECPO operations for several years. However, in 2003, N.J. Governor James McGreevey appointed Paula T. Dow as Acting Prosecutor and effectively ended State oversight of the Office's daily functioning. In June, 2005, Governor Richard Codey swore Dow to the office of Essex County Prosecutor.
Read more about this topic: Essex County Prosecutor's Office
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