The official website of the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office
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ASSOCIATED LINKS
EVENTS
Conway Children's Advocacy Center of Plymouth County
Charity Open
was held at the Ocean Side Course in New Seabury on August 18, 2008.
Worcester District Attorney Joe Early, Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz,
Boston Bruins Legend, Bobby Orr, Cape & Islands District Attorney Mike O'Keefe,
Essex District Attorney Jon Blodgett
The 136 golfers were joined by Boston Bruins Legend, Bobby Orr, who was a guest of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz.
District Attorney Tim Cruz, Bobby Orr and Tony Simonelli, of BAMSI
The CAC is a public/private partnership between the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office and BAMSI. The center is dedicated to providing a multidisciplinary approach to child abuse. It provides services for victims of child abuse and their families.
Click here to view more pictures of the tournament
The Establishment of the Hanover TRIAD
Thursday, March 27, 2008.
on the establishment of TRIAD in their community.
Senior Citizens comprise the most rapidly growing segment of our population.
One in eight Americans is already 65 or older.
This statistic represents more than 33.6 million seniors. With increased life expectancy, new issues for the criminal justice system and increasing demands for supportive and protective services have arisen.
served as Master of Ceremonies
TRIAD is a nationally recognized program in which Law Enforcement, Senior Citizens, Supportive and Protective Services all work together to unify and implement services that are currently available to seniors in their community.
Preamble
Major Polls indicate that crime and the fear of crime impact severely on older Americans. Recognizing the challenging situation presented by a rapidly increasing number of older persons in the county, it is necessary to identify and offer ways of dealing more effectively with many of the problems faced by older citizens.
Because of the aging of the population and the increasing demands being placed on law enforcement and support agencies to meet the needs of the older citizens, it is important that the county's leading agencies devote special attention to the needs of senior citizens.
Statement of Agreement
In light of the above, Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald, Jr., District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, Chief Paul R. Hayes, Chief Kenneth Blanchard, Selectman Chairman David G. Flynn, and Director Robyn Mitton are determined to effect change. These agencies and organizations agree that the nation's older population has special needs with respect to victimization and fear of crime, perceived and actual loss, and the sense of being alone and unprotected. We agree that these needs can and should be met by safety and law enforcement agencies and the county's premier organization(s) of older citizens,
working together at all levels of free societies.
We hereby commit to work together to enhance the quality of life of older persons.
Our purpose is to heighten awareness among law enforcement practitioners of older persons' need for dignity and security and to focus our efforts on reducing criminal victimization through cooperative strategies, planning and programming. This initiative is designed to mobilize community resources to continually ascertain the needs and concerns of older citizens and to provide mechanisms for meeting those identified needs.
The sharing of resources is the first step in achieving an effective means of identifying available programs. This process will involve law enforcement practitioners as well as citizens of all ages in the development, implementation and evaluation of acceptable solutions. Together, we will strive for a renewed sense of responsibility
for the security and well being of older citizens through public awareness,
training and the provision of criminal justice services.
Therefore, by agreement, the TRIAD will initiate the appropriate actions
to achieve these objectives.
Accepted this day, the twenty-seventh of March, in the year 2008
Coaching Boys Into Men
for the "Coaching Boys into Men" conference
sponsored by the Plymouth County White Ribbon Campaign
at the Shaw's Center, in Brockton on March 6, 2008
The conference focused around the nationally recognized curriculum
designed by the Family Violence Prevention Fund that encourages sports coaches
to educate young athletes to treat women and girls with respect, and to relay the message
that violence against women is never a solution or sign of strength.
Craig Norberg-Bohm, Coordinator of the Men's Initiative for Jane Doe
Timothy Cruz, District Attorney
M.L. Carr, former Boston Celtic
Juan Carlos Arean, Program Manager of the Family Violence Prevention Fund
Joseph McDonald, Sheriff
The keynote speaker was former Boston Celtic, M.L. Carr, who was
a co-author of the curriculum along with Joe Torre and Pete Carroll.
M.L. Carr shared his personal story regarding domestic violence
and encouraged coaches to be role models for their athletes
in an effort to end domestic violence.
Other speakers included Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph McDonald,
who asked the audience to teach their athletes to treat others the way
they would want to be treated or the way they wanted
others to treat their mothers, sisters and daughters.
Juan Carlos Arean, program manager of the Family Violence Prevention Fund,
gave the coaches specific examples out of the "playbook" on teachable moments that
they could use with their players and specific examples of how to implement the "playbook".
Craig Norberg-Bohm, coordinator of the Men's Initiative for Jane Doe led the attendees
in taking the White Ribbon Pledge to "Never to commit, condone or remain silent
on violence against women."
Approximately 100 coaches from Plymouth County and the surrounding area attended the conference and received information and resources on how to implement the program into their coaching playbooks. Staff from the three area advocacy agencies partnered in this conference and attendees received information from Womansplace Crisis Center, South Shore Women's Resource Center and Brockton Family and Community Resources.
Children in the Margins
Strategies for the identification and intervention
of high-risk characteristics of youth
October 19, 2007
Martin Institute for Law and Society
Stonehill College, Easton, MA
Today’s youth are exposed to risk factors from peers, family, school, the community,
and their own perceived values and attitudes. As a result, many struggle with combinations of substance abuse, mental health, sexuality and violence issues.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Education’s
2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students who engage in one high-risk
or health-compromising behavior are often likely to engage in other risk behaviors as well.
For many students, risk behaviors begin well before high school.
Through expert panel discussion, attendees of this conference identified high risk characteristics of youth, and explored innovative strategies for statewide intervention.
and Mayor James Harrington
The R.O.S.E. Fund's 2007 Award Celebration
at the Annual Gala of the R.O.S.E. Fund held at The Fairmont Copley Plaza
in Boston, MA on October 9, 2007
also pictured: District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz
New England Patriot's 1999 Hall of Fame Linebacker Andre Tippett
representatives from the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation
and student members of the YMCA
The R.O.S.E. (Regaining One's Self-Esteem) Fund is a national non-profit organization.
The fund is intended to help women victims of domestic violence bridge the gap
between being victims and becoming survivors. The focus on self esteem is
the thread that runs through all of R.O.S.E.'s initiatives.
and a representative from The New England Patriots Chartiable Foundation
The White Ribbon Campaign was originally founded in Canada, following the 1989 massacre of 14 young female college students at Montreal’s L’Ecole Polytechnique, a handful of men recognized that as men, they have a responsibility to urge other men to speak out against men’s violence against women, as it could no longer be treated as merely a “Women’s Problem”.
These men organized the White Ribbon Campaign to ask men to take the pledge, wear a small white ribbon as a symbol of men’s opposition to men’s violence against women, and enter into a dialogue about men’s violence against women.
representatives from The New England Patriots Chartiable Foundation
representatives from the Plymouth County White Ribbon Campaign
and student members of the YMCA
Verizon Wireless has recognized District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and
the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, with a "HopeLine® Hero" Award
the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office.
Michael DesRochers, Government Accounts, Verizon Wireless
Michael Murphy, PR Manager and HopeLine Administrator, Verizon Wireless
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz
Tamara Spinney, Domestic Violence Coordinator
Courtney Cahill, Assistant District Attorney, Domestic Violence Unit
Verizon Wireless has recognized the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, led by Timothy J. Cruz, with a ‘HopeLine® Hero’ award for their tremendous support of the company’s program to support survivors of domestic violence.
The Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program collects no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories in any condition from any wireless service provider through phone drives and at Communications Stores nationwide. Phones that can be refurbished are sold and those without value are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Proceeds are used to provide wireless phones, airtime and cash grants to local shelters and non-profit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness.
For the last two years, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office has coordinated a cross-county collection netting nearly 5,000 wireless phones, batteries and accessories for recycling through HopeLine. In addition, Tamara Spinney, coordinator of the domestic violence program in the District Attorney’s office, has raised awareness across the south shore on how phone donations can provide valuable communications tools, financial resources and support to domestic violence organizations and survivors.
“The HopeLine Program is effective due to strong support from our local communities and leaders,” said Ken Dixon, New England Region president, Verizon Wireless. “Realizing it takes time and energy to organize phone drives, we created the HopeLine Hero award to express our gratitude to organizations, like the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, that go above and beyond to support survivors and raise awareness of this issue.”
“We’re proud to receive the HopeLine Hero award from Verizon Wireless,” said Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. “Our team has long been involved with the domestic violence cause and all avenues in support of survivors are given our time and attention. HopeLine is one such avenue.”
Throughout 2006, wireless customers in New England donated over 60,000 no-longer-used wireless phones to Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine® phone recycling program to support domestic violence prevention and awareness programs. As a result of these donations, more than $80,000, and 500 wireless phones, with airtime and other features were donated to 50 local agencies throughout New England.
Past recipients of the HopeLine Hero award in New England include Braintree Recycling (Mass), the Boston Police Department, Community Systems, Inc.’s Community Experience Program (Conn.), General Electric, HP, and Private Healthcare Systems (Mass.).
For more information on Verizon Wireless’ HopeLine program and on how to donate a wireless phone, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.
White Ribbon Campaign signing at Carver High School
held their first White Ribbon Campaign signing.
The White Ribbon was presented in one assembly which included the student body
from grades nine and ten.
The students were addressed by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz.
He encouraged the young men in the audience to speak out against violence
against women.
Two Plymouth County Prosecutors receive honors
were honored at the 13th Annual Massachusetts Prosecutor’s Conference
held in Boston on March 29 – 30, 2007.
Plymouth County First Assistant District Attorney Frank J. Middleton received the
William C. O’Malley Prosecutor of the Year Award. The O’Malley Prosecutor of the Year Award is a lifetime achievement award which recognizes the special combination of talents embodied in a truly outstanding prosecutor: extraordinary courtroom advocacy skills; a gift for mentoring new prosecutors; compassion for victims; and dedication to the highest standards of professionalism in investigations and in all dealings with defense counsel, the judiciary, and the public at large.
This award is presented annually at the Massachusetts Prosecutors Conference in memory of William C. O’Malley, the District Attorney of Plymouth County from 1979 until his sudden death in April, 1995 at the age of 52.
Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cahill received the annual Spotlight Award. This award is given annually to an assistant district attorney from each office in recognition of their outstanding service, spirit, and professionalism. It provides each District Attorney an opportunity to showcase one ADA in the “spotlight”, thanking him/her publicly for a job well done.
White Ribbon Campaign signing at
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School
held their first White Ribbon Campaign signing.
The White Ribbon was presented in two assemblies which included the Sophomore and Senior classes. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz addressed the student body encouraging young men to speak out against violence against women.
Project Safe Childhood
National Conference
at the 2006 Project Safe Childhood (PSC) national conference
held in Washington, D.C. on December 4-6, 2006.
also pictured, Frank Fina, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The conference was attended by over 1,000 members of law enforcement from across the nation. District Attorney Cruz spoke about the need to keep children safe online. He highlighted the importance of not only educating parents and children on the danger that the Internet can pose, but also pursuing the aggressive prosecution of online sexual predators.
Frank Fina, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania;
District Attorney Timothy Cruz and David Wallace, Mayor of Sugarland, Texas
Project Safe Childhood is a Department of Justice initiative which is designed to help law enforcement and community leaders to develop a coordinated strategy to prevent, investigate and prosecute sexual predators, abusers, and pornographers who target children, as well as educate parents and children on the importance of Internet safety.
White Ribbon Campaign signing
at the Brockton City Hall
at the White Ribbon Campaign Signing at Brockton City Hall on November 21, 2006.
On November 21st the Brockton Mayor James Harrington sponsored a White Ribbon Campaign signing at City Hall. The Mayor encouraged male Brockton City employees and community members to take the White Ribbon Pledge, sign the banner and wear a White Ribbon to show their support of the initiative. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, Mayor James Harrington and Bill McCoy from Brockton Family and Community Resources spoke at the event.
The Brockton Postmaster recognizes District Attorney Timothy Cruz
for his efforts to raise awareness about Domestic Violence
of the Stop Family Violence semi-postal stamp on October 26, 2006.
and Postmaster Charles Williams
On October 26, 2006, Postmaster Charles Williams recognized District Attorney
Timothy J. Cruz, Brockton Mayor James Harrington and Womansplace Crisis Center Advocate, Adrienne Lopez for their efforts in helping raise awareness about domestic violence.
A special "Stop Family Violence" semi-postal stamp was unveiled during the ceremony.
White Ribbon Campaign signing
was held at Duxbury High School
is invited to address the student body
On May 25, 2006, Duxbury High School held their first White Ribbon Campaign signing. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz addressed the student body encouraging young men to speak out against violence against women nbsp;
The White Ribbon was presented in two separate assemblies which included the Freshman through Senior classes.
Park Bench Dedication
and The Silent Witness Project, Plymouth, MA
is invited to speak at the Park Bench Dedication in Plymouth, MA
for victims of Domestic Violence, in Plymouth
A dedication ceremony was held on April 23, 2006, in Plymouth to dedicate a park bench with an inscription to honor the victims of Domestic Violence. Included in the ceremony was a display of The Silent Witness Project as well as a candlelight vigil to honor and remember all victims of Domestic Violence in Plymouth County.
Park Bench Dedication
and The Silent Witness Project, Brockton, MA
is invited to speak at the Park Bench Dedication in Brockton, MA
for victims of Domestic Violence, in Brockton
On April 24, 2006, another vigil took place in Brockton at the Crescent St. and Montello St. Park. The memorial dedication placed a park bench with the same inscription to honor the lives lost and impacted by crime. The theme of Victims Rights Week was strength and unity, emphasizing the efforts of victim services providers and the calling to communities to join together to assisting the survivors of crime.
White Ribbon Campaign signing
is held at Plymouth South High School
speaks at the White Ribbon Campaign Signing
held at Plymouth South High School in Plymouth, MA
On February 14th, 2006 Theresa Dorr and the student P.R.I.D.E. group coordinated
their annual White Ribbon Campaign Signing. Plymouth County District Attorney
Timothy J. Cruz, addressed the student body.