|
This Day
in History
Read
about historical events that took place today
Calendar of Events
The Inquirer Forum
A place to post
your opinions & suggestions!
New!
Free Online
Classifieds
2009 Mt.
Vernon
Monthly Column
QUICK
LINKS
Archives
 
     
|
|
|
|
05-26-09
White Plains
WESTCHESTER DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE RELEASES
ITS 2008 ANNUAL REPORT
Westchester
County District Attorney Janet DiFiore today has
released the 2008 Annual Report of the
Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
The 46 page
report outlines the accomplishments and
initiatives of the District Attorney’s office in
2008, along with setting goals for 2009 and
looking forward to expanding upon the programs
that have been implemented over the last three
years.
“In the three years that I have had the honor of
serving as Westchester County District Attorney,
the Office has expanded its focus on
aggressively prosecuting crimes to include a
broader, proactive focus on enhancing public
safety by improving crime fighting intelligence,
educating the public on crime prevention, and
working on law enforcement issues with community
partners. The process has been challenging and
rewarding, and this 2008 Annual Report contains
our accomplishments thus far”, said District
Attorney Janet DiFiore.
The report
highlights a number of accomplishments of the
District Attorney’s office:
-
The 2008
conviction rate for all felonies was 98.5%,
and for violent felonies, 98.2%; these
surpass statewide conviction rates.
-
The
establishment of a system of comprehensive
review of all pre-indictment felony charges
by experienced Assistant District Attorneys
to determine the legal needs of any given
case at the earliest stage.
-
The Office
continued to increase the number of violent
crime cases which were prosecuted vertically
-- one prosecutor assigned to a case from
start to finish-to provide victims and the
police special assistance from an
experienced prosecutor.
-
The
Westchester Intelligence Center opened in
direct response to the longstanding critical
need to share crime fighting intelligence
among Westchester’s 43 local police
departments and various state and federal
law enforcement agencies,.
-
The Office
prosecuted violent felonies and targeted
gangs, narcotics and firearms for intensive
investigation. We continued to investigate
cases of identity theft, environmental crime
and internet crime.
-
Special
attention was focused on public integrity,
understanding the importance of the public’s
confidence in government and the criminal
justice system.
-
The Office worked with the
courts to introduce the Integrated Youth
Court in 2008, to expand the availability of
rehabilitative services for young people,
and maintained our commitment to the Mental
Health Court, to provide mentally ill defendants with links to
appropriate treatment and services.
-
In 2006, the
District Attorney created the Second Look
Project to review murder convictions
obtained prior to 2000, to determine whether
today’s DNA technology could be meaningfully
employed in the case. In addition, the Sex
Crimes Bureau reviews sexual assault
convictions where DNA evidence testing was
not obtained prior to conviction and the
Appeals and Special Litigation Division
reviews claims of innocence by defendants at
the post-conviction stage.
“As District Attorney, I take very seriously the
responsibility of ensuring that the innocent are
not wrongfully convicted of crimes. In 2008, I
was proud to serve on the New York State Bar
Association’s Task Force on Wrongful Conviction,
which examined cases of wrongful convictions to
identify the causes for these outcomes, and will
issue a final report in 2009”, added District
Attorney Janet DiFiore.
Click the
following link to view report:
http://www.westchesterda.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2536&Itemid=4410
|
|
|
