Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore today has released the 2010 Annual Report of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
The 48 page report outlines the accomplishments and initiatives of the District Attorney’s office in 2010, setting goals for 2011 and looking ahead in a challenging fiscal climate to maintaining programs that have been implemented over the last five years.
“Our record of effectively prosecuting offenders remains very strong,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore, who began her second term on January 1, 2010. “In 2010, we again surpassed the statewide average rate for convictions in felony and violent felony cases. Continuing the best practice of vertical prosecutions, our experienced prosecutors ensured comprehensive investigations and tough prosecutions in cases involving violent felonies and vulnerable victims.”
Some of the report’s highlights are:
The 2010 conviction rate for all felonies was 98%, and for violent felonies, 97%, with both figures surpassing statewide conviction rates.
There were 22 deaths ruled homicides in Westchester County in 2010, an almost 50% decrease in homicide cases from the previous year’s 43 cases. The manners of death were 12 shootings, 7 stabbings (some involving blunt force trauma), two vehicular homicides and one death by strangulation. Additionally, a “cold case,” or old homicide that occurred well before 2010, is now being prosecuted with one defendant charged for the brutal homicides of three women in Yonkers in 1989, 1991 and 1996.
The Gang Violence and Firearms Bureau submitted 221 guns for ballistics testing to the Westchester County Police Department – 30 less than in 2009 and 121 fewer than in 2006. 46 defendants were indicted on gun-related crimes in 2010. The number of prosecutions involving individuals identified as gang members or as being involved in gang activity rose from 413 to 469 in 2010 compared to 150 in 2007. Our close working relationship with local police departments, together with ongoing public education initiatives, has yielded extraordinary results in the fight against gun-related crimes.
Since the creation of the Bureau in 2006, nearly 1100 individuals have been prosecuted for gun-related charges and more than 1300 guns have been removed from our streets.
Opened in 2008, the Westchester Intelligence Center continues to interact with Westchester’s 42 local police departments on a daily basis by assisting in their local investigations and providing real time access to information for enhanced, effective policing. Building upon the NY/NJ HIDTA license plate reader (LPR) project, the Westchester Security Initiative has begun deployment of permanently fixed license plate readers in the county, to identify and locate criminal offenders.
A full-time certified public accountant/certified fraud examiner was added to the staff of the Economic Crimes Bureau and is providing critical assistance in the prosecution of financial-related crimes. In 2010, 35 white collar criminals were apprehended and prosecuted with more than seven million dollars recouped for crime victims.
The Family Justice Center opened in May 2010, lending assistance to 600 victims of domestic violence in just eight months. This one-stop assistance center is a joint collaboration between the Special Prosecutions Division and the Westchester County Office for Women and is funded by a one million dollar federal grant obtained by the Office for Women. The DAO provided in-kind office space next door to the Special Prosecutions Division.
District Attorney DiFiore added, “During the five years that I have been District Attorney, the Office has established a record of sound financial management. In addition to seeking federal and New York State grant funding to support our work, we use money forfeited from criminal activity to fund appropriate prosecution initiatives and equipment, thereby decreasing the burden on Westchester taxpayers and returning on average $1 million dollars to the county each year.
I look forward to continuing our work to enhance public safety in Westchester County for all of our families.”
The full report is available in pdf format on our website at www.westchesterda.net.