Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley delivered the opening remarks to elected prosecutors from across the country at the October 2011 Executive Program hosted by the National District Attorneys Association.  Held this year in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the NDAA Executive Program addresses the administrative, fiscal and policy challenges of elected district attorneys and their top staff.  DA Conley, an NDAA board member who has been a prosecutor for almost 20 years and Suffolk DA since 2002, encouraged prosecutors to be the leading voice in their communities in promoting criminal justice policies:  

“Today, perhaps as never before, the voices of America’s prosecutors need to be heard. Importantly, we can’t just be the voice of opposition or the status quo. We need to speak out with policies and proposals of our own that represent true smart-on crime approaches, can produce cost savings, and that put prosecutors at the forefront of the type of positive reforms that bolster public confidence in the cause of justice and the manner in which we pursue it.”

DA Conley urged elected officials to earn respect and trust “in those communities where mistrust is rooted in years and years of historic injustices. These are the same communities where the most serious violent crime is concentrated, where the overwhelming majority of the victims we serve call home, and where partnerships between law enforcement and the community pay the greatest dividends.”
DA Conley outlined the steps necessary to win the trust of those communities: first, each case must be handled “with the utmost honesty, integrity and independence”; second, the district attorneys must be the initiators of criminal justice policies that instill public confidence; third, district attorneys must be proactive and vocal in educating the public; and most importantly, prosecutors must “embrace and practice real transparency. Transparency is our best friend and the cornerstone of our relationship with the communities we serve."