Diversity in District Attorney Offices

COMMUNITY NEWS Diversity in District Attorney Offices

On Nov. 4, the California District Attorneys Association hosted its second Diversity Project Town Hall entitled, “Journey to Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in California District Attorney Offices” to discuss steps prosecutor offices can take to create work environments that reflect their multicultural communities.

Panelists were selected from large and small offices from Southern California, Northern California, and the Central Valley: • San Diego County Deputy District

Attorney Leonard Trinh immigrated from Vietnam and now is his office’s

Hate Crimes prosecutor. • Nichelle Holmes, a Contra Costa

County Deputy District Attorney, grew up in Richmond and she is co-president of the Bay Area Black

Prosecutors Association. • Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy

District Attorney Melinda Aiello grew up in a middle-class family with a father who was a police officer. She said, “I haven’t had the experiences some of you have had, but I want to work to right the wrongs and rebuild faith in the system.” • Shaddi Kamiabipour came to the

United States from Iran. She began her Leonard Trinh Nichelle Holmes Melinda Aiello Shaddi Kamabipour Otis Bruce

career at the Public Defender’s office and is now a senior deputy district attorney in Orange County, where she specializes in medical provider fraud prosecution. • Moderator was Marin County

Assistant District Attorney Otis

Bruce. Raised in the segregated rural

South in the small town of Soso, Miss., he started as a volunteer legal intern and rose to become Marin County’s first African-American prosecutor.

He was the first ethnic-minority president of the Marin County Bar

Association and is a co-founding member of the Bay Area Black Prosecutors Association.

The Town Hall was broadcast over Zoom, which allowed nearly 300 prosecutors, investigators, victim advocates, support staff, law school students, undergraduate students, and school administrators to participate.

Bruce opened the discussion, noting there are 1.3 million attorneys in the United States, and 37% are female, 4% are black, and 5% are Hispanic.

“We need to focus on how to address this disparity by engaging, being active, and remedying this problem,” he said.

Aiello added, “Varying viewpoints lead to better decision making, and diversity in the workplace leads to greater faith in the criminal justice system.”

Bruce asked panelists how they engage the public to increase their trust.

Trinh said, “I encourage Asian Pacific Islander groups to report hate crimes. I’ve found many are distrustful of law enforcement and seeing someone who looks like them, builds trust.”

Bruce’s next questions: What are you doing to make a difference, and what advice do you give give young prosecutors?

Kamiabipour said she tries to set an example by treating individuals charged with crimes as people and by seeing their families as people.

Holmes said she tells new attorneys that “they must listen, have courage, and stand behind those things you believe in.”

Aiello said she is proud Yolo County has instituted “race blind charging” to avoid implicit bias in the office’s charging decisions. Her office has launched a data transparency portal that allows the office and community to see the racial disparity in the criminal justice system in Yolo and to use that data to drive policy change.

Bruce concluded: “Make a list. Are you merely present or is your presence, your work, and your service making a difference? Don’t stop when you are tired, stop when you are done.”

Jeff Reisig, Yolo County District Attorney and 2021-22 president of the California District Attorneys Association, said more Town Hall meetings will take place.

“This is just the beginning of the critical conversation prosecutors must have about diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he said.

The California District Attorneys Association is a statewide training and advocacy organization representing elected district attorneys, city attorneys with criminal divisions, and more than 3,500 prosecutors. n •••

To view the virtual Town Hall see https:// www.cdaa.org/public-videos

“DUI Education” from page 8 • Collaborating with local partners on the DUI Impaired

Driving Resource Center that offers restricted drivers’ licenses, high-risk driver auto insurance, interlock devices and education. • Distributing information on safe driving to youth and adults.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety: $170,000

• Delivering bicycle and pedestrian safety classroom presentations in schools. • Distributing bicycle helmets and lights to low-income community members. • Conducting walking field trips and on-bike safety trainings. • Participating in community outreach events to increase traffic safety awareness.

Child Passenger Safety: $53,000

• Collaborating with local partners to conduct car seat checkup events. • Offering Child Passenger Safety Technician certification training. • Distributing child safety seats to parents and caregivers, including car seat inspections and education.

“This funding will help ensure the safety of our most vulnerable road users and plays a vital role in reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our local roadways,” said Dr. Gail Newel, Santa Cruz County health officer.

The grants run from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022. Funding comes from California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Santa Cruz Enforcement

The Santa Cruz Police Department has been awarded an $85,000 state grant for a program to deter speeding and driving while impaired, behaviors that increase the risk of crashes.

“This funding allows us to provide necessary traffic enforcement measures with the goal of reducing serious injury and fatal crashes on our roads,” said Santa Cruz Police Department Lieutenant Wes Morey.

The grant will pay for additional enforcement measures, including: • DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on suspected impaired drivers. • Enforcement focused on distracted drivers suspected of violating California’s hands-free cell phone law. • Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement. • Enforcement focused on top violations that cause crashes: Speeding, failure to yield, running a red-light or stop sign, and improper turning or lane changes. • Community presentations on issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speeding, and bicycle and pedestrian safety. • Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field

Sobriety Test, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving

Enforcement and Drug Recognition Expert.

In October, the City of Santa Cruz Street Smarts campaign received a $60,000 state grant to resume and expand middle school biking and walking safety programs.

Plans call for 16 “pop-up” events for bike light installation.

Also funded: Helmet fitting inspections and distribution of helmets to those in need, workshops that educate youth on safe bicycle riding and community and school presentations on best practices for biking and walking. n