REMARKS OF SUFFOLK DISTRICT ATTORNEY DANIEL F. CONLEY: BOSTON BAR ASSOCIATION DISTINGUISGHED PUBLIC SERVANT AWARD SEPT. 11, 2008 Thank you, Kathy, for that very kind introduction, and thank you, my friends and peers, for this award. It wasn't long ago that very few people would have recognized the names of Anthony Powell, Marlon Passley or Donnell Johnson. That includes those of us in the criminal justice system. Let's face it, when someone is convicted of the kinds of horrific crimes of which they were, most people want to move on and forget about them. Fortunately, there were some people who didn't forget, including people at the Innocence Project, the defense counsel who represented these individuals, and even certain journalists who took up their causes. It also includes the prosecutors in my office who, in those cases and others, completely embraced the task of finding the truth and worked as swiftly as possible to exonerate the wrongly convicted. Even in instances where actual innocence was in doubt, but we could tell that the defendant did not receive a fair trial, we did not hesitate to acknowledge the fact. I am so proud of the men and women in my office because, far from merely reacting to what was brought to them, they fought to advance the cases and correct these injustices as swiftly as possible. But that was not enough. We went on to take unprecedented steps to minimize any chance of past mistakes being repeated. The panel we convened to produce the blue-print for the most sweeping eye-witness evidence reform practices in the nation - one expert called it the Gold Standard - was comprised of more defense counsel and academics than police and prosecutors. In addition, as Vice-president of the National District Attorney's Association, I can tell you that few if any offices use their Grand Juries as comprehensively as we do to test and scrutinize evidence in order to minimize the possibility of a miscarriage of justice. I was a prosecutor for 10 years in Suffolk County before being elected to the Boston City Council. While I enjoyed my time there, I knew my true calling was to be a prosecutor - District Attorney was the job I wanted. I came into the job six years ago knowing that I cared about victims and keeping our neighborhoods safe and seeing justice done. I also came into the job with my father's words ringing in my head: be humble. I grew up in Hyde Park. My dad worked for the phone company. To see his son even graduate from college and law school - let alone become D.A. - was a really big deal. And in fact, between my experience as a young prosecutor and my father's own words - be humble - I came into this office certain of one thing and one thing only: that our system, magnificent as it is, will always be a human endeavor. Whether we are prosecutors, defense counsel or judges, without the humility to recognize the inherent faults, frailties and limitations of our system and everyone in it, we can never really see justice done. Without humility, the law becomes an exercise in ego, our courtrooms become theatres and the pursuit of justice is reduced to a stat sheet of wins and losses. The overarching principles of ethics, integrity and fairness should define all criminal justice professionals. I have been extraordinarily blessed to lead men and women who embrace this philosophy and strive each and every day to do their jobs the right way. It's on their behalf that I very humbly thank you for this award. It's also on their behalf that I pledge our continued commitment to the fair and ethical pursuit of truth and justice so that no one else ever has to endure what men like Anthony Powell, Marlon Passley and Donnell Johnson did.