Chairwoman Creem, Chairman O’Flaherty, members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary: Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to discuss what we know about this serious problem in Massachusetts and what we’ve undertaken to address it in Boston and Suffolk County.
Just last week, a prominent businessman was charged with rape of a child and other offenses for allegedly engaging in sex for a fee with a child under 16. That case, arraigned one week ago yesterday in Quincy, joins a terrible litany of others prosecuted by my office, by Attorney General Coakley, and by DAs across Massachusetts, New England, and the nation. more »
Letter Regarding the January 9, 2009 Death of Lieutenant Kevin M. Kelley
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Letter from DA Conley in Support of House Bill 483
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Letter Regarding the November 21, 2007 Shooting Death of Marquis Barker
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Letter Regarding the June 29, 2008 Death of David Woodman
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Letter Regarding the Investigation into the November 10, 2007 Death of Ann-Marie McNally
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Letter Regarding the October 3, 2005 Shooting Death of Stanley Seney
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Each week, Suffolk County prosecutors meet with their federal counterparts to discuss every single gun arrest in the city of Boston and determine whether they are best prosecuted at the state or federal level. In every case, we seek the most appropriate global sanctions, and in the majority of cases that’s right here in Boston.
In February of 2006, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley launched the Gun Priority Disposition Sessions, now commonly known as Gun Court. Experienced trial prosecutors work with a seasoned appellate attorney to fast-track cases of gun and ammunition possession that arise in the jurisdictions of the Dorchester, Roxbury, and Central divisions of the Boston Municipal Court department. The remaining cases are handled in the city’s other five municipal courts, in Suffolk Superior Court, or in U.S. District Court.
What follows is a complete breakdown of all gun cases prosecuted in Boston in 2006, as well as a breakdown of all cases handled by the Gun Court from its inception through June 2007. Though it is dense, it ultimately proves that Suffolk prosecutors and Boston Police are doing extraordinary work and that important initiatives like the Gun Court are meeting or exceeding expectations. more »
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today announced that the Firearm Prosecution Disposition Sessions he launched one year ago have been a resounding success, with Suffolk prosecutors prevailing in more than 87% of their cases while simultaneously clearing a three-year backlog.
The Firearm Prosecution Disposition Sessions, commonly known as Gun Court, were instituted on Feb. 21, 2006, under Conley’s leadership and in cooperation with Chief Justice Charles Johnson of the Boston Municipal Court Department. In the year that followed, almost 300 cases have been disposed and the average time between arraignment and resolution for a gun case was cut by more than half.
Most importantly, members of the Gun Prosecution Unit have won convictions in 87.6% of the gun crimes handled in Gun Court, leading to stiff jail terms for those charged with possessing, carrying, or using firearms on the streets of Boston.
“Gun Court has met or exceeded every goal we set for it,” Conley said. “Its effectiveness as a punishment and deterrent for those who would use guns in our city is indisputable.” more »
2006: An Act Reducing Gun Violence – Final Bill
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Presented to:
Daniel F. Conley, Suffolk County District Attorney
Kathleen M. O’Toole, Commissioner, Boston Police Department
Task Force Members
Willie Davis, Esquire, Davis, Robinson & White
John Gallagher, Superintendent, Boston Police Department
James Doyle, Esquire, Carney & Bassil
Mary Jo Harris, Esquire Legal Advisor, Boston Police Department
Michael Doolin, Esquire
Paul Joyce, Superintendent, Boston Police Department
Josh Wall, First Assistant District Attorney, Suffolk County
Gary Wells, Ph.D, Iowa State University more »
