A District Attorney’s office wields extraordinary power: the power to charge, to dismiss, and to determine whose voices are heard. After years marked by perceptions of high profile cover-ups fueled by a failure to explain prosecutorial decisions, failed prosecutions, and inconsistent accountability for offenders, public confidence in the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office has plummeted. When people do not trust the District Attorney’s Office, they won’t report crime or participate as witnesses or jurors, and that makes us all unsafe. Transparency is essential to restoring the credibility and effectiveness of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office and ensuring public safety.

By proactively sharing information, inviting oversight, and engaging honestly with the community, the District Attorney’s Office can begin to repair damaged relationships and reaffirm its mission to pursue justice fairly and impartially.

Solutions to improve transparency include:

• We must ensure that all staff and law enforcement assigned to the District Attorney’s Office, from top to bottom, are fully committed to the pursuit of justice. To do that, I will:

  • Request reassignment of all Massachusetts State Police assigned to the District Attorney’s Office

  • Require each staff member to reapply for their positions:

• I will also:

  • Review all prosecution protocols, personnel policies, training curricula, case management and supervision models to ensure they adhere to best practices

  • Publish clear, timely data on case outcomes.

  • Publish investigative reports of officer-involved shootings

  • Draft a written Conflict of Interest policy to determine when cases should be referred to outside agencies for prosecution

  • Publish prosecution policies and general information about charging decisions, sentencing recommendations and the criminal justice process

  • Require documentation of all dispositions and the rationale for each disposition

  • Require written explanations and supervisor approval for declined cases.

  • Hold regular public forums and release audit results to rebuild trust through consistent, open communication.

• Finally, to ensure that political and financial considerations do not impact case decisions, I will not accept campaign contributions from staff or police unions.

As District Attorney, I will take decisive action to restore transparency, justice, and integrity to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.