BOSTON, Nov. 18, 2015—The chief prosecutor for Durham County, North Carolina, met today with senior prosecutors from Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office during a visit to Boston.
Durham District Attorney Roger A. Echols met with Conley’s first assistant district attorney, top homicide prosecutor, chief of professional integrity, director of victim-witness assistance, and others this morning to discuss protocols for reviewing wrongful convictions, investigating police-involved shootings, and the partnership between homicide investigators from the DA’s office and Boston Police.
Durham County District Attorney Roger A. Echols met with senior members of Suffolk DA Dan Conley’s office, including Kara Hayes, director of his Victim-Witness Assistance Program. Echols was in town as part of a working group from Durham, North Carolina.
Echols, who oversees all prosecutions in the 14th Prosecutorial District of North Carolina, was in town as part of a working group studying law enforcement grant funding and other topics. He was eager to share ideas and experiences with prosecutors in New England’s busiest DA’s office. Like Suffolk County, Durham County is comprised of one large city and several smaller municipalities.
Assistant District Attorney Donna Patalano, Conley’s chief of professional integrity and ethics, offered a history and overview of the DA’s nationally-recognized policies to identify, correct, and prevent wrongful convictions in Suffolk County. She highlighted Conley’s twofold approach of retrospective analysis by experienced prosecutors of wrongful conviction claims and prospective efforts to prevent miscarriages of justice, such as discovery checklists and eyewitness identification reforms. Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project has said that Boston and Suffolk County’s policies are “at the forefront of the country.”
Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin, chief of Conley’s Homicide Unit, gave an overview of homicide investigations in Boston, especially the high level of documentation and transparency that Conley’s office brings to police-involved fatalities. As an example, he provided Echols with a flash drive containing the entire investigative file on a fatal gunfight between a suspect and Boston Police officers, which had previously been released to Boston’s media.
“It was a pleasure to host District Attorney Echols and exchange ideas that will benefit both our constituencies,” Conley said. “I look forward to visiting him and his team in the same spirit of partnership and public service.”
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