Letter to editor explaining D.A.'s role

Category: Editorials Editorials
Published: 19 April 2016 19 April 2016

Dear Editor:

I really want the public to know that I, as the elected DA, am duty bound not only to disclose exculpatory evidence to the defense bar, but I also I have an ethical legal duty to inform the citizens of our communities when law enforcement engages in conduct that compromises successful prosecution and treads on citizens rights. The District Attorney has no role in conducting or supervising law enforcement investigations. But rather the DA's Offices must evaluate the law enforcement investigations to see whether they have provided enough evidence to charge and to proceed to trial.

The DA's office as a courtesy offers training in the areas that law enforcement requesst: legal Update; DV (domestic violence); sexual assault; investigation and search and seizure, but this is above and beyond what the Department of Public Safety imposes on all law enforcement offers to maintain their certifications.

We are fortunate to have the vast majority of law enforcement officers as dedicated, caring, and brave men and women who put their lives on the line everyday in pursuit of apprehending criminals and eradicating crime from our communities.

I was advised recently that 17 lawsuits had been filed against local police agencies since 2012 based on various theories of Civil Rights' violations and other federal claims. Needless to say, a few officers continue to engage in irregular police practices, which directly impacts the DA's Office ability to prosecute cases. An example of this albatross is the recent discovery of the chaos and the state of disarray of Region VII drug task force evidence vault , and case file management system.

As a public figure I hold the public trust in the highest regard and would rather be known as the "DA that stood up to mediocrity and began to clean it up, " rather than the DA that looked the other way and passed the buck.

During the 21 years as a prosecutor and the 31/2 years as your elected DA, I have instituted trainings with law enforcement and my Prosecutors to identify and address problems that exist. We all need to step it up and demand excellence of one another. If we do this, a new Leadership will emerge with higher standards for the rank and file to aspire to. Excellence in law enforcement is an attainable goal when all the community partners are invested.

Sinceramente,

Francesca M. Estevez
Sixth Judicial District Attorney

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.