Daniel F. Conley
Encyclopedia
Daniel F. Conley is the current District Attorney
for Suffolk County
, Massachusetts
, United States, which serves Boston
, Revere
, Chelsea
and Winthrop
.
Appointed to the office in February 2002, Conley was elected in his own right on November 5, 2002, again on November 7, 2006, and most recently on November 2, 2010. As district attorney, Conley oversees the largest and busiest district attorney's office in Massachusetts. His office is currently responsible for the prosecution of between 40,000 to 50,000 criminal cases every year in the state's most densely-populated county.
Conley graduated from Stonehill College
in 1980 and Suffolk University Law School
in 1983. He joined the office of the Suffolk County District Attorney after passing the Massachusetts Bar Exam. Beginning his career as an Assistant D.A. handling cases in the Boston Municipal Court
, he would later begin prosecuting juvenile cases in the Boston Juvenile Court. In 1987 he was promoted to the Suffolk Superior Court where he prosecuted felony cases. When gang violence increased in Boston during the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was promoted by then District Attorney Ralph Martin to the anti-gang violence task force. In 1992 he was promoted to the Homicide Unit of the D.A.'s office. Conley served as an assistant district attorney for a total of nine years, during which time he prosecuted homicides and other serious felonies including drug trafficking, non-fatal shootings, and intimate partner violence.
In 1993, he left the Suffolk District Attorney's office to run for a seat on the Boston City Council. Constituents elected him to the District Five seat, where he served for eight years and served several terms as chairman of the Council's Public Safety Committee. He remained on the Boston City Council until he was appointed Suffolk County's 14th district attorney on February 19, 2002.
Conley's top priorities as district attorney include the protection of society's most vulnerable members, including seniors, children, and victims of domestic violence; the aggressive prosecution of violent offenders, especially those who carry and use firearms on city streets; and adherence to the highest ethical standards by every member of his office.
Conley lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
empanelled a blue-ribbon task force to evaluate the ways in which police gather and prosecutor
s use eyewitness evidence. In an effort to ensure that the historical wrongful convictions that came to light under his leadership never reoccurred, Conley assigned his top courtroom prosecutor to join with ranking police officials, prominent defense attorneys, and the nation's leading academic expert on eyewitness identification to review the investigative processes by which eyewitness evidence was gathered and recommend changes that would minimize the likelihood of faulty identifications.
The panel returned with a sweeping set of unprecedented reforms that were rapidly implemented by area law enforcement. The reforms prompted defense attorney Barry Scheck
of the Innocence Project
to cite Boston and Suffolk County as being "at the forefront of the country" in averting wrongful convictions, and eyewitness evidence expert Gary Wells to call them, "the 'Gold Standard' to which other jurisdictions should aspire."
Shortly after taking office, Conley implemented a policy of assenting to any reasonable request for post-conviction testing of DNA evidence that was unavailable at the time of a defendant’s trial. In 2011, Conley voiced his support, with additional recommendations, for legislation that would expand that voluntary policy statewide. “[T]his legislation codifies many of the practices that I voluntarily put in place six or seven years ago,” Conley wrote to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. “These are good practices that serve the interest of justice.”
Under Conley's stewardship, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office partnered with numerous service providers, government agencies, and victim advocacy groups to build the Family Justice Center of Boston. The FJCB streamlines services for victims of child abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual crimes by coordinating the responses of numerous agencies and providers - including police, prosecutors, social workers, and others - under one roof. The burdens on victims are reduced while efforts to hold their abusers accountable under the law are enhanced.
Also operating out of the FJCB is the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN), a multi-agency task force directed by members of Conley's office that has twice been named one of the Top 50 Innovative Government Projects by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
's Distinguished Public Service Award for his work to rectify historical wrongful convictions and prevent their recurrence. In 2011, Conley was singled out for recognition by the non-profit My Life My Choice program for his work to protect the child victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
In addition to these awards, Conley has also received various honors recognizing his work in prosecution from the Sons of Italy, Stonehill College's St. Thomas More Society, the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police, the Irish-American Police Officers Association of Massachusetts, Rotary International, the Department of Defense’s Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve program, and Stop Handgun Violence
, a non-profit organization.
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Suffolk County
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States, which serves Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Revere
Revere, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and located approximately from downtown Boston. It is named after the American patriot Paul Revere. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 51,755.- History :...
, Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
and Winthrop
Winthrop, Massachusetts
The Town of Winthrop is a municipality in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Winthrop was 17,497 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is an oceanside suburban community in Greater Boston situated at the north entrance to Boston Harbor and is very close to Logan International...
.
Appointed to the office in February 2002, Conley was elected in his own right on November 5, 2002, again on November 7, 2006, and most recently on November 2, 2010. As district attorney, Conley oversees the largest and busiest district attorney's office in Massachusetts. His office is currently responsible for the prosecution of between 40,000 to 50,000 criminal cases every year in the state's most densely-populated county.
Conley graduated from Stonehill College
Stonehill College
Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic college located in Easton, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1948. Situated in North Easton, Massachusetts, a suburban community of 23,329 people, Stonehill is located south of Boston on a campus, the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames...
in 1980 and Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
in 1983. He joined the office of the Suffolk County District Attorney after passing the Massachusetts Bar Exam. Beginning his career as an Assistant D.A. handling cases in the Boston Municipal Court
Boston Municipal Court
The Boston Municipal Court handles matters of limited criminal jurisdiction which do not require the imposition of a state prison sentence. If a prison sentence is mandated, the Court may conduct probable cause hearings to determine whether offenses will be bound over to the Massachusetts Superior...
, he would later begin prosecuting juvenile cases in the Boston Juvenile Court. In 1987 he was promoted to the Suffolk Superior Court where he prosecuted felony cases. When gang violence increased in Boston during the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was promoted by then District Attorney Ralph Martin to the anti-gang violence task force. In 1992 he was promoted to the Homicide Unit of the D.A.'s office. Conley served as an assistant district attorney for a total of nine years, during which time he prosecuted homicides and other serious felonies including drug trafficking, non-fatal shootings, and intimate partner violence.
In 1993, he left the Suffolk District Attorney's office to run for a seat on the Boston City Council. Constituents elected him to the District Five seat, where he served for eight years and served several terms as chairman of the Council's Public Safety Committee. He remained on the Boston City Council until he was appointed Suffolk County's 14th district attorney on February 19, 2002.
Conley's top priorities as district attorney include the protection of society's most vulnerable members, including seniors, children, and victims of domestic violence; the aggressive prosecution of violent offenders, especially those who carry and use firearms on city streets; and adherence to the highest ethical standards by every member of his office.
Conley lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
Reforms and Innovations
In 2004, Conley and the then-Commissioner of the Boston Police DepartmentBoston Police Department
The Boston Police Department , created in 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the oldest police departments in the United States...
empanelled a blue-ribbon task force to evaluate the ways in which police gather and prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s use eyewitness evidence. In an effort to ensure that the historical wrongful convictions that came to light under his leadership never reoccurred, Conley assigned his top courtroom prosecutor to join with ranking police officials, prominent defense attorneys, and the nation's leading academic expert on eyewitness identification to review the investigative processes by which eyewitness evidence was gathered and recommend changes that would minimize the likelihood of faulty identifications.
The panel returned with a sweeping set of unprecedented reforms that were rapidly implemented by area law enforcement. The reforms prompted defense attorney Barry Scheck
Barry Scheck
Barry C. Scheck is an American lawyer. He received national media attention while serving on O.J. Simpson's defense team, winning an acquittal in the highly publicized murder case. Scheck is the director of the Innocence Project and a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York...
of the Innocence Project
Innocence Project
An Innocence Project is one of a number of non-profit legal organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing, and to reforming the criminal justice systems to...
to cite Boston and Suffolk County as being "at the forefront of the country" in averting wrongful convictions, and eyewitness evidence expert Gary Wells to call them, "the 'Gold Standard' to which other jurisdictions should aspire."
Shortly after taking office, Conley implemented a policy of assenting to any reasonable request for post-conviction testing of DNA evidence that was unavailable at the time of a defendant’s trial. In 2011, Conley voiced his support, with additional recommendations, for legislation that would expand that voluntary policy statewide. “[T]his legislation codifies many of the practices that I voluntarily put in place six or seven years ago,” Conley wrote to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. “These are good practices that serve the interest of justice.”
Under Conley's stewardship, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office partnered with numerous service providers, government agencies, and victim advocacy groups to build the Family Justice Center of Boston. The FJCB streamlines services for victims of child abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual crimes by coordinating the responses of numerous agencies and providers - including police, prosecutors, social workers, and others - under one roof. The burdens on victims are reduced while efforts to hold their abusers accountable under the law are enhanced.
Also operating out of the FJCB is the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN), a multi-agency task force directed by members of Conley's office that has twice been named one of the Top 50 Innovative Government Projects by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
Awards
In 1999, Conley was presented with the O'Riordan-Mundy Award, an honor bestowed by former prosecutors, in recognition of his distinguished service to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the legal community, and the citizens of Massachusetts. In 2003, he was named the Suffolk Law School Irish-American Law Society's Person of the Year in that award's inaugural presentation. In 2005, he was named Lawyer of the Year by the Frank J. Murray Inn of Court for outstanding contributions to the pursuit of ethics, civility, and professionalism in the courtroom. In 2008, he was awarded the Boston Bar AssociationBoston Bar Association
The Boston Bar Association, which also goes by the acronym BBA, is a volunteer non-governmental organization in Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
's Distinguished Public Service Award for his work to rectify historical wrongful convictions and prevent their recurrence. In 2011, Conley was singled out for recognition by the non-profit My Life My Choice program for his work to protect the child victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
In addition to these awards, Conley has also received various honors recognizing his work in prosecution from the Sons of Italy, Stonehill College's St. Thomas More Society, the Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police, the Irish-American Police Officers Association of Massachusetts, Rotary International, the Department of Defense’s Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve program, and Stop Handgun Violence
Stop Handgun Violence
Stop Handgun Violence is a Boston, Massachusetts-based 501 non-profit organization that works to reduce and prevent injuries and deaths caused by firearms in the United States...
, a non-profit organization.