NAPC and NDAA—A Growing Partnership
By Thomas Robertson, President, National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators
Executive Secretary, Michigan Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinators Council
In the last issue of The Prosecutor, then-NAPC President Sandee Meyer of Idaho gave an excellent summary of the job of a prosecutor coordinator. In this issue, I will highlight a few of the joint projects between NAPC and NDAA, which should serve to help you secure justice for crime victims and the citizens of your jurisdictions.
NDAA/NAPC/AGACL Brief Bank
Through the efforts of Sean Byrne, executive director of the New York Prosecutors Training Institute, NDAA, NAPC and the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation (AGACL) now have a nationwide brief bank that will be accessible by all NDAA members. Sean has provided information to all prosecutor coordinators on the process for registering as an authorized brief bank user. Look for information from your coordinator in the near future on how you can take advantage of and contribute to this tremendous resource.
Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors
In 2000, fewer than five states had a Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP). A TSRP is a traffic safety prosecution expert, usually employed in a prosecutor coordinator’s office, who provides continuing professional education and technical assistance to prosecutors in the prosecution of drunk driving and vehicular homicide cases. With the assistance of APRI’s National Traffic Law Center, NAPC obtained a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop model traffic safety training programs and to provide seed money to prosecutor coordinator offices interested in obtaining a TSRP for their state. Through the leadership of Peg Dorer, the director of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, in just six short years we now have TSRPs in 28 states, and we will be adding nine more in the coming year.
Domestic Violence
Resource Prosecutors
One year ago, Mark Nash, executive director of the Utah Prosecution Council, was approached by the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) and asked how NAPC could help them improve the prosecution response to domestic violence. Through Mark’s efforts, NAPC was asked to submit a concept paper to transfer the TSRP model to a project to promote the funding and placement of a Domestic Violence Resource Prosecutor (DVRP) in every state. Currently, only a half dozen prosecutor coordinator’s offices have a DVRP. With assistance from APRI’s National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women, a grant application was submitted this summer, and we are expecting a grant award by the start of the federal fiscal year. This project, like its TSRP model, requires on-going coordination with APRI’s National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women. We will report on our expected success in a future edition.
Community Presentation PowerPoints
My office in Michigan has the great fortune to employ K.C. Steckelberg, a public relations professional as our director of legislative affairs. Through her guidance, we have emphasized for Michigan prosecutors the importance of taking a proactive role in educating their constituents on what a prosecutor does every day for their benefit. To that end, we created a series of PowerPoint presentations on criminal justice issues that they can use when meeting with service clubs, church, community or school groups. The presentations cover:
- The Role of the Prosecutor
- Criminal Justice 101
- Traffic Safety
- Child Abuse
- Domestic Violence
- Stalking
- Victim Rights
We also prepared a prosecution media packet that they can give to their local media. All the materials are designed to be customized with local information about the prosecutor and his or her office. As a member of NDAA’s Media & Communications Committee, I have provided these presentations to NDAA and they are available for use by any NDAA member. Contact Velva Walter at NDAA for information on obtaining copies.
NAPC/NAC Training Coordination
This last June, NAPC and NDAA jointly sponsored a DNA Conference at the National Advocacy Center. This project, spearheaded by David LaBahn, executive director of the California District Attorneys Association, was designed to bring together key policy makers from every state to review the current state of DNA testing laws around the country, and to provide the resources for every state to take the initiative in improving their state’s testing laws so that the CODIS system becomes more uniform and effective. Prosecutor coordinators nominated the participants from their states and assisted in developing the conference agenda. This pioneering example of how NDAA and NAPC can utilize the resources of the NAC to develop and direct national policy initiatives is hopefully just the start of many joint programs that combine legal training with a coordinated approach to legislative/policy advocacy.
Capital Litigation Training
Under the guidance of Rick Malone, executive director of the Georgia Prosecution Council and Bob McMahan, executive director of the Arkansas Prosecuting Attorneys Council, NAPC and NDAA developed a tremendous Capital Litigation Seminar. With financial assistance from DOJ, the program was presented in several states to outstanding reviews.
The Future
As the current NAPC president, one of my goals for the year is to continue to develop and grow this beneficial partnership. Prosecutor coordinators have the pulse of their respective states’ criminal justice issues and their members’ needs. In partnership with NDAA, we can better utilize and share successful state programs, and better access national resources for our members.
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