New Projects at NDAA
JULY 20, 2005, marked the close of yet another successful National District Attorneys Association Summer Conference. Held in Portland, Maine, this year the conference focused on areas of interest to prosecutors nationwide ranging from media coverage of high profile cases to identity theft to the methamphetamine epidemic and much more.
It was a great honor to have U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in attendance at the summer conference. In his address to attendees, General Gonzales focused his comments on the ever-growing threat of methamphetamine. The use, abuse, manufacturing and smuggling of methamphetarnine has become rampant in recent years. AG Gonzales called on prosecutors to respond to this threat by forming teams with social and child protective services, supporting initiatives to make precursor chemicals unavailable to manufacturers of the drug, and by educating and engaging local communities in the fight against methamphetamine. Both NDAA and APRI have initiated programs addressing this problem and are working to expand our programs in the near future.
NDAA President Paul Logli has made membership a priority for the coming year. Former President Paul Walsh called on state directors to use our organization as a resource and to advocate the use of our services to the prosecutors in their respective states. NDAA will work to inform prosecutors throughout the nation of our commitment to addressing their needs, but marketing is only the beginning. In addition to encouraging all prosecutors to join so that they may benefit from the services we provide, NDAA will seek to expand those services to increase and improve the membership experience in our association. New projects will be developed and organizational changes made. I expect that in the coming year our members will witness a significant increase in total organization membership and will truly benefit from NDAA's latest and upcoming endeavors.
Some of NDAA's newest programs are already underway. Our organization recognizes that the problem of identity theft has become a priority for prosecutors nationwide. Advances in technology, increased reliance on personal information and the use of the Internet have opened a gateway for criminals, making individuals vulnerable to these types of white collar crimes. Unfortunately, the newness of this crime and the ever-changing avenues for criminals to commit identity theft, have limited available training programs for prosecutors and other professionals with a dedicated interest in identity crimes. This crime has grown into a national epidemic and NDAA is taking action. In response to the need for training, NDAA is conducting a national identity theft conference, September 19-22 at the Ernest F. Hollings National Advocacy Center in S.C. This course will emphasize the development and use of teams, incorporating professionals from both the public and private sector, in the fight against identity crimes.
The threat of identity theft has grown such that industries, both public and private, are searching for ways to combat it. In connection with the September conference and with the help of NDAA, APRI has begun knocking on the doors of private industry in search of funding for programs addressing identity theft. Currently, APRI is working with Citi Group to develop a program addressing prosecutors' needs on this front. This project will be one of APRI's first steps toward breaking into the private sector in search of funding to support important programs for prosecutors.
I am excited about NDAA's upcoming projects. It is my sincere hope that NDAA members and prosecutors all over the nation will benefit from the new initiatives and improvements NDAA anticipates in the future.
