According to a statement from his campaign, his office has handled over 100,000 adult criminal cases during his 19 years as DA. His conviction rate is 96%. During the same time period, over 25,000 juvenile cases have been prosecuted. Yet the criminal caseload in Lehigh County is current. Of 261 defendants charged with criminal homicide since 1998, 255 have been convicted, a conviction rate of better than 97%. For those murder cases that went to trial, the conviction rate is 93% (80 of 86 cases).
I had a pretty good conviction rate myself. Unfortunately, it was as a criminal defense lawyer.
We've been blessed to have John Morganelli and Jim Martin as the Lehigh Valley's District Attorneys. Despite being from different parties and having different styles, they have both worked together to make this area safer.
Morganelli is a street fighter who is deceptively tough. He had no problem personally trying 25 criminal homicides himself. Instead of litigating, Martin has been the driving force behind just about every technological advance in Lehigh Valley crime fighting over the past 20 years. It is Jim Martin who established the Regional Crime Center, which uses data from police incident reports and even prison logs to track down criminals and detect trends. He also helped establish a forensic center at DeSales University to expedite matters that simply take too long at state police labs. Both have very capable professional prosecutors as opposed to the cronyism often seen elsewhere.
To be sure, they both have enemies. Most are behind bars.
Support for Martin is bipartisan. In 2015, he received over 1,700 write-in votes from Democrats during the primary, and ran unopposed.
"It has been an honor and privilege to have served the citizens of Lehigh County as District Attorney for 2l years," said Martin. "I believe that my leadership of this important office has been effective and that the citizens of Lehigh County, who have placed their trust in me, have been well served. The record compiled by our office has been outstanding, and I am quite comfortable running on my record for a sixth elected term of office. When the record of the District Attorney's Office under my leadership is scrutinized, as it should be, I believe the voters will be satisfied that the Office of District Attorney has been and is in good hands under my leadership, and that I deserve the opportunity to continue as District Attorney."
I am unaware whether anyone plans to oppose Martin.
And your buddy McClure wants to spend a fortune for a coroner when we have that duplicate of the State Police services right next door in Lehigh County. Bolstering "Northampton Counties tweeter twit " I will pass off as its just a ManCrush Monday as it seems on Monday "Man-gina" day.
ReplyDeleteThe services including cold storage is available there in Lehigh County since with the major hospitals most the serious cases end up in Lehigh County so we do not need to build a state of the art playroom for the coroner for his support in the election
The hospitals extend cold storage as a courtesy, and only when space is available. So yes, we need a morgue. this has been discussed numerous times at meetings you failed to attend so you could spout ignorant blather here.
ReplyDeleteBernie, any idea who is behind this?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2019/01/constables-office-removes-facebook-post-saying-police-would-test-meth-for-free.html
I'm just repeating what you said, but it's amazing that the Lehigh Valley would have two such extraordinary DAs, and for so long. And never a whiff of scandal about either of them (except for the rantings of that nut Bobby Gunther Walsh against Mr. Martin, though Walsh seems to have a vendetta over his having been charged with despicably beating his daughter).
ReplyDeleteThe citizens of the Lehigh Valley will be in good hands when DA Martin wins yet another victory.
I think these two also deserve some credit for becoming a little more proactive and open in dealing with police-involved shootings. Those are not easy for prosecutors, since they have to work as partners with the police most of the time, but they have an important check-and-balance role. Contrast their handling of the last few OIS in their counties with the recent one in Carbon County. While that one may still be resolved fairly, the DA does not seem to have been proactive or particularly concerned with keeping the public informed, at least as I can tell from published news.
ReplyDeleteBernie the mangina writer is in dire need of a bleech water steaming as well as allowing crystal drano to activate in its black hole. Damm that pig really tastes good for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteAs for the thread of the day the limeport inn has a retirement chair.
"Bernie, any idea who is behind this?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2019/01/constables-office-removes-facebook-post-saying-police-would-test-meth-for-free.htm"
It's Fred Shoenenberger, a commenter here whom I said I respected. I was amazed by all the wannabe cop pots on that page, having NOTHING to do with a constable's duties.
Maybe this has already been pointed out elsewhere, but about a week ago a Louisiana PD was in the news for having offered to test people's meth to make sure it wasn't contaminated with Zika. As a joke, of course, though they may have hoped that some knuckleheads would take them up on it.
ReplyDelete