Prosecuting Attorneys Discuss Unique Challenges Facing Large Urban Areas

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 15, 2013) – Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery joined fellow prosecutors from other large jurisdictions in a roundtable discussion in Washington D.C. on Friday to better understand promising crime prevention practices and challenges faced by prosecutors in the administration of justice. The day-long event was hosted by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in order to study unique prosecutions in large jurisdictions and to highlight best practices that are changing the role of prosecutors within urban communities throughout the country.

“This gathering provided a unique opportunity for me to share successful prosecution practices we have pioneered in Maricopa County for specific crimes such as domestic violence strangulation and auto theft,” said County Attorney Montgomery. “I also came away with valuable insights and ideas from my counterparts in other jurisdictions,” he added.

The meeting included prosecutors from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. Participants explored a range of topics such as new crime prevention and prosecution technology, community prosecution models, public trust and criminal recidivism.

“We put together this meeting in order to gather information from prosecutors from these large jurisdictions on how their offices are combatting crime and use the information to offer solutions to other offices, both large and small, across the country,” said APA President David LaBahn.

Participating prosecutors agreed to hold bi-annual large city prosecutor meetings in order to further the mission of prosecuting attorneys and to develop new and innovative techniques to fight crime and keep their local communities safe.

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