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 TODAY’S CITIZEN SOLDIERS
Every March 17, public employees in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop observe Evacuation Day, paying tribute to the patriots who in 1776 fortified Dorchester Heights with cannons captured at Fort Ticonderoga – a move that effectively forced the British retreat from the City of Boston and ended a months-long siege.
This year, instead of taking the Evacuation Day holiday to spend time at home, Suffolk County prosecutors assigned to our district courts came downtown for a training event on how best to prosecute sex offenders who fail to register with the government as mandated by the terms of their convictions. Failure to register is an offense that affects not only public safety but also public confidence in law enforcement. I’m committed to bringing sex offenders into compliance with the law and bringing appropriate sanctions against those who don’t.
Every bit as important as the topic of that Monday morning training, though, was the fact that the men and women I joined are some of the lowest-paid lawyers in the state, who work some of the longest hours at no extra benefit, and who are still dedicated enough to their profession that they came in on a holiday to soak up knowledge that will help them serve the people of Boston and Suffolk County. As I looked out from the podium that morning, I was filled with pride, and I hope you share that sense of pride in these young men and women who work so hard on our behalf.
Suffolk County’s nine district courts serve a population of almost 700,000 residents, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who come to Boston every day to work, study, and visit. The prosecutors who staff those courts handle what would seem impossible caseloads, often in excess of 300 cases each at any given time. Ours is geographically the smallest county in Massachusetts, but it is also the region's most densely populated urban area. A large proportion of even our district court cases are of a serious, violent nature.
Those cases come with complexities and challenges not seen anywhere else in the Commonwealth, and they are handled with passion and professionalism by men and women who are almost invariably the lowest paid professionals in the courtroom -- earning less than judges, clerks, defense counsel and court officers. The responsibilities and pressures that come with doing justice in these cases is monumental and they bear this burden while also often working second jobs and shouldering student loan payments that can eat up to half of their monthly income. Each one of these prosecutors could easily take a job in the private sector that would pay far more and demand much less. In fact, that's what most will eventually be forced to do. This is not fair to them and it's not good for public safety.
On that March morning in 1776, our forefathers by sheer strategy and wit prompted the retreat of a foreign enemy from the City of Boston. There was no paycheck for them, no obligation to choose service over selfishness. They did so because they were compelled by a sense of right and wrong; they did so because in their hearts they believed in a better lot for themselves and their young country. But from that first campaign on Dorchester Heights and throughout the rest of the Revolutionary War, George Washington himself recognized that while patriotism was a powerful motivator, resources were required for his citizen soldiers to continue their service. On a holiday meant to remember the past, it is worthwhile to also recognize those among us whose diligence often goes unnoticed. They are truly carrying out the spirit of the founders of our city and our nation.
By Suffolk County District attorney Daniel F. Conley March 21, 2008
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