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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today sent the following letter to U.S. District Court Chief Judge Garrett Brown regarding the recent decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Hedges not to alert McCarrick High School in Metuchen that James Kazanjian, whom they employ as a teacher and football coach was charged with possession of child pornography.
Pallone, along with New Jersey State Senator Joseph Vitale who also sent a letter to Judge Brown, are investigating whether current federal law requires judges to notify employers when their employees have been charged with child pornography. If this is not currently required, Pallone has pledged to introduce legislation to require notification of employers when their employees are charged with a crime involving a minor, especially if the defendant works with children.
Honorable Garrett E. Brown, Chief Judge
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Martin Luther King Building and U.S. Courthouse
50 Walnut Street
Newark, NJ 07101
Dear Chief Judge Brown:
I am writing to express my strong discontent with the decision made by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Hedges in Newark, New Jersey and I request that it be reviewed immediately. On Thursday, November 9, 2006, James Kazanjian was charged with possession of child pornography. Shockingly, Judge Hedges chose not to alert the school in which Kanzanjian was employed. His decision put students at risk every day and was unbelievably irresponsible.
Kazanjian works at McCarrick High School, in South Amboy, New Jersey, as a physical education teacher and football coach. The charges against him include willful possession of child pornography on his computer. According to one news report, one video showed an adult raping a child.
Officials at the high school should have been notified immediately so they could take proper action to protect their students. Instead, they only learned about these charges during an evening news report, giving them little time and little information on how to proceed.
The lack of proper judgment in this case raises troubling questions for parents in New Jersey. It makes no sense that Judge Hedges felt it necessary to notify the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services but not the school or Dioceses of Metuchen. In turn, Judge Hedges objects to Kazanjian's contact with children, but only outside the school.
In most cases, possession of such pornography can and does lead to other things. Although there is no suggestion of inappropriate behavior at school, McCarrick High School should have been alerted to the possible danger he poses. However, since the arrest, Kazanjian has continued to teach at McCarrick.
As U.S. Representative for the 6th District of New Jersey, I plan to investigate whether there is lawful obligation for a judge or law enforcement agency to notify the employers of persons charged with child pornography. If not, I will introduce legislation to require such notification, particularly in cases where the defendant works with children. School administrators not judges should be allowed to make an informed decision whether or not someone they employ should continue to have access to children once a court decision is made.
Any institution that fails to provide the necessary protections to students should be held responsible. I would like to know the policy of your court in such matters. Is there a policy in place for judges to follow in child pornography cases? Or, is it at their personal discretion without any oversight from you?
I appreciate your timely response to this matter.
Sincerely,
FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress |
