New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 12/08/1980

Three persons are arraigned in connection with the murder of a Newark policeman. The Giants high school football college basketball all coming up tonight in sports. And tonight we'll take a closer look at what insiders have labeled the dark side of mental health. New Jersey Nightly News with Karen Stone and Bill Perry will speak. Good evening. Two men and a woman were arraigned in Newark this afternoon in connection with the murder of Newark police officer John Godfrey. Godfrey was shot five times November 28 when he tried to stop a bank robbery. Phelps Hawkins reports. Arraigned at Newark municipal court where Willie Lee Lawson 27 believed to have shot Officer Godfrey and Robert Cooper 42. Both of Newark. Lawson is charged with murder armed robbery possession of a weapon and conspiracy. COOPER And 21 year old Gina wood with possession of a weapon and harboring a fugitive. Lawson is thought to have pulled off four armed robberies in the Newark area in the last month

as police reconstructed the November 28th robbery of the Howard Savings Bank in Newark Lawson and a 16 year old accomplice actually robbed the bank. We're surprised by Officer Godfrey and Lawson allegedly shot Gottfried five times then kicked him several times as he lay fatally wounded. Gottfried managed to shoot Lawson in the leg and it was Cooper and Woods who treated Lawsons wound and became accomplices. For today's arraignment the court room was cleared of all spectators after a telephone warnings of possible violence. Police Director Hubert Williams reported police are searching for the brains behind the robberies whose identity is known. And one other juveniles. It's just a matter of time. The best thing for them to do is give themselves up like everybody else. We know who they are and we're going to get them for a short period of time for being in Newark. I'm Phelps Hawkins. The controversial issue of sex education surfaced again in the legislature today. Two bills were the subject of some heated discussion at the assembly Education Committee meeting.

One bill would put the decision of whether to teach sex education in the hands of local school districts rather than state officials. The other would require local districts to hold referendums before going ahead with sex education program. Votes on both those measures were delayed however for further study. Meanwhile the full assembly today approved a bill to create new jersey's 20th Cabinet Office. The Department of Commerce and Economic Development. The bill would also change the department of labor and industry to the Department of Labor. Steve Taylor reports. The price tag attached to today's measure was two hundred fifty thousand dollars. Rather small considering a new cabinet department would be created but assembly members were told that most of Papen money would be transferred from other state offices which would give up their economic development programs. The bill's sponsor said centralizing those programs will be more efficient. What it does is put together under one roof all of our economic development activities is going to enable us to compete as effectively as possible with other states that have had departments for some period of

time that we are in competition with for new jobs and for retention of jobs that we've got. Opponents of the bill argued that the new department won't be more efficient but less and will only make government bigger when we will create a new bureaucracy. Time in New Jersey when we need less not more. But finally there were only six votes against the bill and 63 in favor. The state Senate has already voted for the new department but will have to vote again to approve some assembly changes. Spencer Hamilton said he has the necessary Senate votes and he predicted governor Byrd will sign the bill when he gets it at the state house in Trenton. I'm Steve Taylor from a three judge appeals court decided late today to allow the city of Camden to exceed its budget thus assuring the city would be able to continue fire and police protection. The ruling overturned a decision earlier today by the New Jersey local finance board. Camden had sought emergency relief from its mandated budget limit or cap because of a $2.8 billion shortfall in the city's

1980 budget. City officials said they would not have been able to meet fire and police payrolls without the emergency relief. The cost of home heating oil and gas is expected to rise this winter. Predictions from the New Jersey Department of Energy show an increase of nearly 3 cents a month per gallon of oil and two cents a month per gallon of gas. Energy Commissioner Joel Jacobson blames the gas price increase the first two major sources refinery have increased their margin per gallon within the past year from 21 cents to twenty eight cents. At the same time. Either way the retailers margin has decreased from 15 cents to 11 cents. It is perfectly obvious that the fine has shifted the burden of competition. From his rather broad shoulders to the skinny or bones or the corner retail gasoline station on. The second culprit he says is Oh pack supplies however should be adequate for the winter. The New Jersey company that operates Three Mile Island claims lacks federal oversight

led to the nation's worst nuclear accident there and it's filed a 4 billion dollar lawsuit against the government's nuclear regulatory commission. General Public Utilities claims the NRC should have warned the company about previous and similar problems at other nuclear plants around the country. General public utilities which is based in Parsippany wants 1 billion dollars to cover plant cleanup costs and $1.6 billion to cover replacement power costs. The balance would be used to cover lost revenues. High interest rate costs and future restoration of the reactor involved in the accident. Right now it seems likely the 52 American hostages will be spending another Christmas in Iran. But a group of Somerset County students is doing something to try and make their holiday a little bit brighter. Susan this loss has more. For the fifty nine sixth graders here at Lemont school in Bound Brook. This Christmas has a very special meaning. The plight of the American hostages has been a recurring discussion topic in social studies class and the idea came up for a little holiday cheer in the form of

gifts might help bolster their spirits. So with the help of donations from local merchants students decided to send some useful presents. Everything from towels to toothpaste. Perhaps the most important gift the kids are sending is a personal letter. Each student has written to a hostage unattach their school picture. The main message in all of them is we care. But some even offer some current news like this one which reads. Reagan is the president elect and the New York Rangers were having a terrible hockey season and students we talked to say the time they spent writing those letters and putting the whole project together was well worth the effort. It's giving you a chance to do something for the hostages. Make them feel a little better during Christmas cause they might not come back. When we wake up Christmas you always find our gifts there and the hostages will be kept and they won't find anything. So I think we should send them to get so annoyed them feel at home. They miss their families and we would too if we weren't at home. The 52 care package is being made to Tehran or rolled in they give towels tied with a

yellow ribbon to symbolize the hope for a return of the hostages. As an added gesture students have even trimmed a special hostage Christmas tree outside their classroom. That way they'll know the hostages will be remembered long after their presidents are sent in Bound Brook. I'm Susan nice loss. A spokesman for the proposed Ritz Hotel Casino in Atlantic City announced today half of its staff has been laid off. Twenty people were given the pink slip as negotiations for funding the $100 million project continue. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal The Ritz is having difficulty getting $75 billion in debt financing. The Ritz has been trimming its overhead the last few weeks and more layoffs may follow. The record breaking 98 day strike by Englewood Hospital nurses has ended. Nurses began returning to work today and all are expected to be back within two weeks. Yesterday the nurses ratified a new three year contract which provides 9 percent wage hikes for the first two years and 10 percent for the third year.

Amidst protests the seventh annual Deerhunter the Great Swamp refuge in Morris and Somerset counties got underway today. Pat Moynihan reports. This year some 600 permits were issued to sportsmen who will be on the prowl for 250 deer during the next 10 days. By noon today some 28 deer had already been killed cleaned Wade and hauled home for eating and souvenir making. The hunt is part of a management plan established by the Interior Department in 1974 to help reduce the size of the deer population here. There are about 650 deer who roam the six thousand acre reserve. But federal authorities say there should only be half that many otherwise many of the animals will starve to death other than the hunt. Is there any other way to take care of the overpopulation problem. No. Based on the research and the information we have available this is one of the most viable means. New Jersey is becoming more and more populated by humans and the wildlife just has to step aside. But anti hunting groups say the hunt is unnecessary.

We feel that if they were left alone for the deer themselves to control themselves it would be a much better situation. Many of the hunters either refused or were hesitant about talking to us on camera nor are spoiling our gardens a little bit. They think this is a good way of taking care of the population. That's right. So the hunt goes on through December 18th every day but Sunday from 7 to 5 and hunters from all over the state and some from out-of-state will be out in force in the Great Swamp. I'm Kent Manahan. Water rationing in North Jersey is entering its 11th week as the drought continues. But some help is on the way to Newark. Water began flowing this morning from Lake way way yonder in Sussex County to the north watershed in West Milford. Water was to begin flowing there in the pipeline last week but mechanical problems forced to delay today water did begin to flow to the tune of 10 million gallons a day. Meanwhile the Department of Environmental Protection has released its consumption figures for the week of December 1st.

More than 360 seven million gallons of water was used by customers of the six North Jersey water companies affected by rationing and the total rejects reduction was reported that nearly eleven and a half percent the north Jersey district water company reduce consumption by 18 and a half per cent at its reservoir is at 34 five point two percent capacity. The Hackensack water company reduce consumption by sixteen point nine percent. The reservoir there is at 28 percent capacity. The Jersey City Water Company also showed a reduction with reservoir levels at 33 and a half percent capacity. The Commonwealth water company registered a 6.3 percent reduction and its reservoir is at sixty six point two percent capacity and in Newark the water supply company registered a five point six percent drop in water use at its reservoir stands at thirty two point three percent capacity. And finally the Passaic Valley Water Commission reported the lowest reduction three point three percent. The reductions levels are based on figures from the week of September 20th the last week

before rationing. Little rain in the weather forecast tonight it will be cloudy with a chance of rain. Temperatures should be in the low to mid 40s according to our weather forecasters tomorrow. Skies will clear with temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s and the outlook for Wednesday partly cloudy cool. And. Some nights closer look. Producer Joanna Selinger and reporter Ken Manahan take us on a rather

unusual expedition. The journey inside New Jersey's only maximum security prison for the criminally insane. We all we all consider it hell. We don't like it here. Vroom. When you hear the word you picture a racing car something moving at a fast pace quite different from the way of life in this state institution for the criminally insane. Groom is the only maximum security unit for the criminally insane in New Jersey. The building is named after a 19th century New Jersey governor Peter de room a high chain link fence surrounds the facility and the windows are covered with bars and steel mesh screens. A guard in a tower stands on 24 hour watch.

We recently visited Broome. The feeling that of a prison. You walk through one gate. It's locked. Another gate. It's locked. And inside the homes are dark. Although recently painted the building is old dating from 1917. The day we were there it was extremely hot. The heating system is antiquated and doesn't function well and the stench the day of our visit was masked by the smell of extermination chemicals. Patients live in these small compartments officials and patients prefer not to call themselves patients at room range from the severely disturbed to those using room to escape a jail sentence. I was delusional as a doctor because you have everything going against you. OK you've you've done something wrong. You're a mental patient and you're. Involved. With the law. OK. So you got everything going again. As I

as I said you may lose your family and friends say you have nothing going for you. So you are absolutely at the bottom rung of society. Jim not his real name has been at room for 16 months. His crime murder. But he recently was found not guilty by reason of insanity. His future is uncertain. He spends his time like the other 115 patients in his compartment. Walking through dark smelly corridors and eating prison like food. Jim works in the hospital cafeteria to bide his time. Surprisingly only about 20 percent of patients are here because they have been found not guilty by reason of insanity or incompetent to stand trial. The bulk of the patients some 40 percent are transferred from county jails. Another 35 percent are transferred from other mental hospitals. Kevin not his real name is one of those patients. I always get in trouble with the girl and she

called the police and they made a complaint against me and then they shoot me down here because I've been here before. They were afraid of me. I guess they got my call off the handle. Chances are he will be sent back tomorrow. But in the meantime he serves time in room was pretty boring at times. The main thing that happens is we have to deal with the boredom. No activities and there's no ability to be of any sort and the main thing we have to be afraid of is just getting to the point where we start fighting with each other because of nothing to do like they used to have occupational therapy but that was canceled canceled officials say because of lack of money. Time and Vroon varies. Some patients are only there for a 30 day observation period.

The average stay is three months but some patients have been doing for years. One patient is a rather celebrated case Howard Annorah he's been in Broome since 1949 after allegedly killing 13 people and wounding three others during a wild 10 minute shooting spree in Camden NY recently made news when the state refused to transfer him from room to Marber. But Annora is not the only case where it seemed that once you went to room you never left my Perlin head of the mental health advocacy division of the public Advocate's Office knows room well he's been working with patients there for almost a decade. I came to the building for the first time in the summer of 71 I guess and I was really appalled by the conditions by what I saw. I was appalled by the overcrowding there were over 300 people in the hospital at that time. And it seemed to me that the way the court will always say this that there was very little activity at the court hearings patients had habeas corpus hearings was very rarely any kind of motion. People were released only at such times

when the doctors decide to transfer the patients back to jail but things have changed. In 1972 the United States Supreme Court ruled in an Indiana case that if the patient is not expected to ever stand trial he cannot remain at such an institution indefinitely unless he is considered dangerous. So now each patient room is granted several hearings to determine whether or not they must remain at the facility. I'm Fluke's. And also get something for the side effects of it looks a lot of drugs given out here are some of the guys complaining about it. It's the only therapy that he's given his drugs just to calm me down basically and keep him out of trouble. Something officials say is not always an easy thing to do. Violence among inmates is common. Another I would say my problem causes patients trying to

influence another person to have sexual relationships of a sexual nature. That sort of thing and that would result in their being. This is the patient approach to protest. Action as a result. His predecessor was Dr. Harvey musicor now chief executive officer of Trenton psychiatric before music came to the room as director conditions were worse. There were six suicides from October 1976 to November 77. Not to mention 144 attempted suicides three years musicor has been at froom there have been no successful suicides and only a few attempts. That's probably due to certain precautions such as a new type of bedding a kind that patients cannot use to strangle themselves. Also patients suspected of possibly wanting to commit suicide are stripped so they cannot use their clothing as weapons. The way we've reorganized the. Mental

health delivery system and the types of programs we've put into place. And the type and the lines of communication have developed an atmosphere where patients can get better. They can get better soon and return to wherever they came from the room building is a different place than it was when I discovered it in 1971. We don't have as many complaints. I think that certainly it's less crowded. Number one number two you have what you're bringing in some new staff to spend some new blood. Number three I think that a lot of the staff that's there really does care about the building which is not the case in many hospitals. On the other hand I still think there's a lot of problems physically. There are a lot of problems with road building if you've been through it. It's an old building. I'm sure you've seen the cells I'm sure you've seen the toilets don't work. I'm sure you've seen the isolation ward because they're not very pleasant places to be. Does Miss treatment go on there. It depends how you define this treatment.

If somebody is disturbed and is being forced into a room here who. May say with more force used than necessary. If you. Define mistreatment of drug drugging. This has been going on for years now. We have on the. Court surveillance so that we patients have rights for refusing to recuse from this has been remedied since 1977. Commissioner Klein has. Decided to look into this dark dark corner of mental health. Bring him to life to a public. Committee. And to correct as much as we can. Looking forward to. Can you express how you feel about what has been doing cartwheels. You occupy most of the time a great deal of your time thinking about it. No I don't. It's something that I.

It's something that I want. That's probably why I don't think about it. In Trenton I'm Kent Manahan. The facility can visit visited however may become a thing of the past if all goes as planned the room will be replaced with the new facility paid for with $8 million from a bond issue approved by voters last month. But the question still remains is a new building the answer. Or is it simply impossible to try and deal with mental illness and rehabilitate criminals at the same time. An airliner carrying the Giants football team was forced to make an emergency landing at Newark

Airport early today. The United Airlines jet with 103 persons onboard had developed a leak in its hydraulic system and that affects the planes landing gear. While emergency crews were standing by on the ground the plane's crew used a backup hydraulic system and landed the craft safely at about 1:30 this morning. And it may have been a rough and scary landing but the Giants did win yesterday and Bill Perry has details. Thank you Carol. Smooth sailing in Seattle with a new Jersey boy quarterback. The Giants beat Seattle 27 21 Scott Bruner out of Lawrenceville a rookie playing because of a shoulder injury to Phil Simms six giants on two field goals Scott goes to Ernest Gray in the second quarter. 48 George 13:00 Giants Brinner second completion on the day and 8 attempts a big one after Seattle rallied to take a 14:13 lead. Bruner went to gray again fourth quarter this time from the 50 on a third and three good protection and a nice catch by great 20 to 14 Giants back up. Seattle came right back and scored on a third and 17. Jim Zorn rolling right finding Steve Largent 34 yard play large and eight more canes up

all day eight catches 139 yards but the Giants won 157 to play fourth in less than one thing the 30 great block right there by Leon Perry. Bill Taylor breaks it 27 21. Taylor 103 yards on 19 carries Bruner threw for 161 yards next for the Giants. Washington D.C. on Saturday and will be offering high school football state championship game highlights all of this week. To private scheme a field goal. Passaic valley ahead of Fairlawn Saturday in the north Jersey section one group for title game. Then late in the third quarter. Halfback Bob Sherrell 147 yards on 19 carries goes 50 yards for a touchdown. The same value 13 nothing we had over Fairlawn then in the fourth quarter. Barely one quarterback had been intercepted by Jim Donnelly one yard return for a touchdown with say he wins 20 nothing the SEC Valley successfully defending North Jersey section one fourth title. Yesterday in West Essex and white 6:38 over Bellville to win the North Jersey section

to group for title Jim Sullivan going 55 yards right here for West Essex for the Bellville seven. Next play Steve shelling will go seven yards for six number 20 showing off tackle West Essex leads seven nothing in the first quarter. Things are looking good. West Essex quarterback John Parappa hit John Bell for a 10 yard touchdown on a thirty eight and west as had a 13 nothing lead at the half. Bellville cut the lead to 13 13:7 on this touchdown pass quarterback John Molo 43 yards to Ken Konstantinov and West Essex added a field goal to make it 16 16:7 in the third quarter. Then West Essex closed out the scoring number 62. Tim driver recovered a fumble in the end zone west as 6 wins it 6:38 to capture the north Jersey section to group for Title more high school football championship action later this week right here and in college basketball over the weekend. Princeton scored a major upset beating St. John's 47 46 Rutgers over St. Peters 56 51 for the jersey classic title in the first half after falling behind to St. Peters Mark

Roback number 24 got hot for a fourth from the field. Kevin Rogers 18 points on the offensive boards St. Peters up by 10 at one point but just by 4:32 28 at the half second half Roy Hinson 14 for the Knights going at Rodgers we had four fouls Rucker's finally took the lead for good 10 and wants to play Chris neber line right here with the follow St. Peters right back but Rodgers is rejected by hints and Rutger's going the other way. Little campaign with it. He'll stop pop and hit Rutgers by 316 for pain 14 in the second half after the bucket. Rodgers on the drive off pensive foul he's gone with five and then Rutgers had it under control. The peacocks really feeling the loss of Rodgers 56 51 rectors wins it and that is sports care. OK Phil thank you. And once again our top stories three persons have been arraigned in the shooting death of a Newark policeman John Godfrey. The city of Camden has received emergency court approval to exceed its 1980 budget thus assuring that fire and police protection will continue uninterrupted. That's the news for Bill Perry. I'm Carol Costello. Good night for the New Jersey and

New Jersey Nightly News is a joint presentation of New Jersey Public Television and W 13