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December 2, 2004

IN 1-ON-1 MEETING ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE TELLS SCHUMER HE'LL STRONGLY CONSIDER FULL-TIME PROSECUTOR FOR PLATTSBURGH

In private meeting Wednesday, Senator urged US Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales to equip Plattsburgh office with full-time prosecutor to lead grand jury investigations, arraign suspects

Gonzales promised to look into the matter and strongly consider it

Schumer: Prosecutor needed to ensure that the Plattsburgh border is tightly protected against high crime and national security concerns

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today hosted US Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales in his office and pushed him to equip the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York with a new prosecutor to staff the Plattsburgh office full time. In response Gonzales told Schumer he will strongly consider another prosecutor for Plattsburgh.

Schumer's push comes on the heels of his successful effort last week to get a place of holding court located in Plattsburgh and will help ensure that the Plattsburgh border is tightly protected against high crime and national security concerns.

"Judge Gonzales is on the brink of becoming the highest ranking law enforcement official in the nation, so if he supports beefing up the Plattsburgh US Attorney's office, it will help us considerably. I invited him into my office and personally lobbied him to add another prosecutor for Plattsburgh and he promised me he would look into it and strongly consider it," Schumer said. "I appreciate that and will continue to press for bolstering our security at the border."

Last week, Schumer's legislation to designate a place of holding court in Plattsburgh passed the Congress and gave the court the ability to hold proceedings there. One of the big problems with not being allowed to hold court in Plattsburgh previously was that Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and border agents had to travel three hours to Albany or five hours to Syracuse to appear before grand juries and testify at trials, a process that can take them off the job for days at a time. With the advent of a place of holding court in Plattsburgh, agents that have finished testifying can go right back on the job. In addition, having the proceedings in Plattsburgh will cut down on costs associated with transporting defendants and witnesses to the overburdened federal courthouse in Albany.

Schumer has said that adding a prosecutor to the US Attorney's office is now vital for Plattsburgh so that he or she could lead grand jury investigations, arraign suspects, and staff proceedings. Bolstering the office, Schumer said, would ensure that the Plattsburgh court would run efficiently and maximize the crackdown on crime.

Speaking about Schumer's efforts, US Attorney Glen Suddaby this week said, “This is a huge step forward in our ability to address border crime issues and ultimately for our national security for our ability to work hand in glove with our border. I can’t thank Senator Schumer enough for getting this done."

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