David LaBahn

NDAA Welcomes David LaBahn
Director of APRI, NDAA’s Research and Development Division

For some time now NDAA has been encouraging David LaBahn of the California District Attorneys Association to join the NDAA family. LaBahn maintained an interest in expanding his state-level work to a national medium for many years, however, the timing for a career change was always imperfect—until now. This year, the stars aligned and on June 1, David LaBahn, joined NDAA to serve as director of the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI). As director he will oversee all APRI activities and programs and serve as the senior point of contact for all APRI grants. His experience, knowledge and leadership skills will certainly be an asset and NDAA is excited to have him on board.

David’s interest in working with NDAA and APRI can be attributed to his previous involvement in legislative work in the state of California and also nationally. He was instrumental in pitching Proposition 69 in California, a statute that established a DNA database for all convicted felons. In two years this database will also include DNA information on all California arrestees. He has also been involved in national initiatives, including the Combat Meth Act, and he looks forward to taking advantage of the national focus of NDAA and APRI to promote important legislation and policy for the criminal justice system. LaBahn claims, “There is so much potential for prosecutors to do great things, but if we are not unified and we are not using a national strategy, we will be less effective in accomplishing our goals.”

David has extensive experience and a dedicated interest in APRI’s functions and program areas. His prosecutorial career began in 1987 in Orange County, California. Shortly thereafter he developed an interest in domestic violence and child abuse cases and became head of the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit. During his term as unit chief, he created a multidisciplinary child interview center and handled the vertical prosecution of serious sexual assault and child abuse cases. His passion for prosecution does not end with domestic violence and child abuse, however. David also has extensive experience with gang prosecution and received several awards for his dedication to eliminating gang violence, domestic violence and child abuse. Following his career as a prosecutor, David accepted a position with CDAA and eventually became the executive director of that organization.

David’s experience with CDAA has prepared him well for his role at NDAA and APRI. As executive director of CDAA, he was charged with not only managing the organization but also with legislative issues, managing grant funding and performing other duties that reflected the work at NDAA and APRI. The staff of CDAA is approximately the same size as that of APRI and much of the work that LaBahn managed at CDAA serves the same purpose as APRI’s work but on a smaller scale. CDAA is a grant-funded organization whose mission it is “to promote justice by enhancing prosecutorial excellence.” To accomplish this mission, David LaBahn and the CDAA staff conducted training programs for prosecutors, actively participated in legislative endeavors, and partnered with organizations with a mission to promote the welfare of the citizens of California. In 2005, CDAA conducted 58 training seminars, providing a total of 678 hours of continuing legal education for 3,654 prosecutors and allied professionals in the state. They also sponsored 19 state bills and published more than 70 publications.

LaBahn is well acquainted with NDAA. He has attended the past few NDAA Summer Conferences and participated in several NDAA and APRI training programs throughout his career. He served for several years on the Board of the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators (NAPC), which allowed him to develop a relationship with NDAA Executive Director Tom Charron, to whom he credits NDAA and NAPC’s close relationship. “I look forward to working with Tom Charron, the NDAA Board of Directors, the APRI Board of Trustees, and everyone else who works so hard so make NDAA and APRI the outstanding organization it is.”

After a decade with CDAA and his close work with NAPC, David has learned a great deal about leadership in an association and he has exciting plans for APRI. First and foremost, David would like to establish a true mission for the organization that everyone can rally around and get excited about. The mission also serves as a public relations function for APRI. “It is important for our staff to have a true understanding of our role and for the public to know about us and about the terrific and beneficial services we provide.”

One value of leadership that David holds high is the concept of teamwork. “I think it is important for everyone in APRI to work together to accomplish our mission—including myself. Rather than performing as a traditional director would, with a top-down philosophy, I want to work with the APRI staff to accomplish our goals.”

NDAA is thrilled about David’s role in the organization and is looking forward to great success under his leadership.