Cara Briggs for District Attorney

Eighty-five (85) Assistant District Attorneys have left their jobs as prosecutors in the Monroe County District Attorney's Office since Mike Green took charge as First Assistant District Attorney in 2001.

The numbers are alarming, particularly when compared to separations from the Public Defender ’ s Office (PD) and the County Law Department. Since 2001, 85 prosecutors have left the DA ’ s Office, while only 38 attorneys left the PD and 14 left the Law Department. On average, 12 prosecutors – or one per month -- have left the DA ’ s Office annually since 2001, while 5 left the PD and only 2 left the Law Department annually. The departure of 85 prosecutors since 2001 represents more than a 100% turnover in less than seven years.

The true consequence of 85 prosecutors leaving the DA ’ s office is the loss of professional, legal experience. Since 2001, the DA ’ s Office has lost over 560 years of legal experience, compared to 262 years in the PD’s Office and 169 years in the Law Department.

The effect has been devastating, according to Green's opponent, former prosecutor Cara Briggs. "I liken the loss of experienced prosecutors at the DA's Office to a forest fire, from which recovery will take years. When prosecutors with 17, 20 and 22 years of experience walk out the door, it is not an even exchange to replace those years of experience with recent law school graduates. The quality of prosecutions and number of convictions has suffered as a result," Briggs said.

Briggs points to the DA ’ s low conviction rate, which show Monroe County ranked 54 th in the State in violent felony convictions based on felony arrests, as evidence that the high turnover rate is negatively impacting prosecutions.

“ If the people who know Mike Green best, his assistant district attorneys, have given him a vote of no confidence, then why should the residents of Monroe County trust him with another four years as DA? ” asked Briggs. “ Low conviction rate numbers, murderers going free because of DA blunders, felony arrests not resulting in felony convictions – it’s no wonder crime is rampant on our streets, ” Briggs continued.

Mike Green has acknowledged that the turnover at the District Attorney's Office is alarming, but attributes it to inadequate salary. The Public Defender's Office, the County Law Department and the District Attorney's Office are on the same pay scale, yet the only office losing attorneys in record numbers is the DA's Office.

According to the Wall Street Journal , high paying jobs for attorneys are scarce. An article in the September 24, 2007 edition of the Wall Street Journal entitled, "A Stingier Job Market Awaits New Attorneys" reports that most law school graduates "are struggling to find well paying jobs." The salary range for a prosecutor in the DA ’ s Office is $51,700 to $108,000, not including benefits such as health insurance and enrollment in the state pension system. In addition, between 2002–2007, prosecutors have experienced an average annual salary growth of 3.44%.