There must finally be strong enough evidence to convince federal prosecutors that they could win a conviction.

Sibrel later attempted to use the tape to convince police and prosecutors that he was the victim of an assault.

John Connolly had convinced prosecutors that his two informants were too valuable to prosecute.

Seeking to convince Swiss prosecutors of the legitimate origin of the funds, Mr. Salinas named several Mexican magnates who he said gave him money to invest as an act of friendship.

But critics call the increase a short-term show, orchestrated to improve the department's negotiating position and to convince federal prosecutors - or any judge who might hear a lawsuit - that the city is correcting any lapses.

The report comes as Giuliani administration officials are trying to convince federal prosecutors in Brooklyn that they have significantly reformed the process under which complaints about police officers are investigated.

On March 5, 1978, with the bite mark match, Smith confessed to five murders in an attempt to convince prosecutors of his insanity, including the murder of Dorothy Waterstreet nearly twenty years earlier.

"This is the first time we've been able to convince prosecutors that this is a major problem," said Stan Belitz, director of security for Mastercard's Southern California region.

He repeatedly said Mr. McClease had acted like someone who was telling the truth as he convinced prosecutors that he had the evidence to provide a break in the Brawley case.

Yet even with witnesses and confiscated papers as evidence, publishers have been unable to convince the police and prosecutors that it is a crime to take something that is already free.