Translated By Enrico Del Sero

November 25, 2005

Original Article (Italian)

New Billboards Catch Suspects, But Do They Make a Fair Trial Impossible?

CINCINNATI: Once upon a time, saloons in the American West had the inevitable "wanted" poster up near the doorway. Now, so long after abandoning the practice, some parts of the U.S. have decided revive it, but in grand style. No longer are the fugitive photo and details displayed on small billboards: Now they are huge-sized billboards along roadways.

And, at least according to official data, the idea has worked quite well. According to authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, seven out-of-ten fugitives displayed in huge billboards are caught with the help of citizens who recognize them.

The police of Passaic, New Jersey, are also satisfied with the results. They believe the huge billboards will lead to the capture of a dangerous fugitive who killed the son of a policemen. "This idea is working perfectly," said and enthusiastic James Wood, head of Passaic's anticrime unit.

Road signs are even more effective than television spots, according to John Walsh, the host "America's Most Wanted," a program broadcast by Fox that deals with the capture of fugitives. "Television allows us to reach a huge audience, but posters are seen every day and work as a continuous reminder" he says.
Not everybody, however, agrees on the spread of this new investigative aid.

Marc Mezibov, who is a defense attorney in Cincinnati (which first introduced the new "wanted" posters), says that putting the face of someone who is only a suspect on giant signs precludes the possibility of an impartial trial. "Should one of my clients," he explained, "be faced with such an event, I would immediately ask the Court to intervene and take measures for a change of venue."