[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 145 (Thursday, September 27, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H11011-H11012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 WHY A SHORT-TERM WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM IS NECESSARY: THE CASE OF 
                               CARL LACKL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I was motivated to address the issue of 
witness intimidation after the death of Angela and Cornell Dawson and 
their five children, ages 9 to 14. The entire family was killed, or 
should I say incinerated, in October 2002 when their home was 
firebombed in retaliation for Mrs. Dawson's repeated complaints to the 
police about recurring drug trafficking in her east Baltimore 
neighborhood.
  Since this time, witness intimidation has become a plague on our 
justice system. According to the National Institute of Justice, 51 
percent of prosecutors in large jurisdictions find witness intimidation 
to be a major problem. Additionally, prosecutors in large jurisdictions 
suspect that witness intimidation occurs in up to 75 to 100 percent of 
the violent crimes committed in gang-dominated neighborhoods. In my 
hometown of Baltimore, it is estimated that witness intimidation occurs 
in 90 percent of the cases that are prosecuted.
  To make matters worse, the murder rate in the city is also at a 
record-breaking high. Today's Baltimore Sun reported that since January 
1, there have been 229 homicides in Baltimore. At this pace, it is 
conceivable that the city will regretfully reach 300 homicides by the 
end of the year. While this figure is significantly lower than the 
record high of 353 homicides in 1993, the current situation is simply 
unacceptable. We need for our citizens to come forward by reporting 
crimes to law enforcement and testifying in court when appropriate. 
However, these simple acts have become a serious threat to one's life.
  It is time to combat what is commonly referred to as a ``conspiracy 
of silence,'' and this is why I am asking

[[Page H11012]]

my colleagues to cosponsor and to support the passage of H.R. 933, the 
Witness Security Protection Act of 2007, should it come to the House 
floor for a vote. Upon enactment, this legislation authorizes $90 
million per year over the next 3 years to enable State and local 
prosecutors to provide witness protection on their own or to pay the 
cost of enrolling their witnesses in the Short-Term State Witness 
Protection Program to be created within the United States Marshals 
Service.
  In closing, I will highlight a recent case that exemplifies the need 
for this type of program.
  On his way to lunch in March 2006, Carl Stanley Lackl, Jr., walked 
through a Baltimore City alley and witnessed Patrick Byers shoot Larry 
Haynes. Not only did Carl Lackl call the police, he stayed with the 
dying victim, comforting and reassuring him as paramedics arrived. Mr. 
Lackl was prepared to testify as a key witness in Byers' trial.
  Unfortunately, Carl Lackl will not get the opportunity to carry out 
his civic duty. He was killed 8 days before the trial, gunned down in 
front of his home. Police have accused Byers of sending a text message 
to an associate giving Lackl's name and address and offering $1,000 to 
have him killed. According to police, Lackl was at home at about 8:45 
when he received a call about a Cadillac that he was selling. As he 
stood next to the Cadillac, a dark-colored car drove up, and a 15-year-
old inside shot him three times, in the arm, chest and leg. Carl Lackl 
was pronounced dead soon after arriving at a nearby hospital.

  Mr. Lackl deserved better. By all accounts, he was a hard worker and 
a devoted father. My prayers go out to his mother, his daughter, and 
his entire family. We can and should do better.
  Mr. Speaker, witness intimidation is a growing national problem 
jeopardizing the criminal justice system's ability to protect the 
public. This issue must be addressed because without witnesses there 
can be no justice.
  Therefore, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 933, the Witness 
Security and Protection Act of 2007.

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