Term 1 Accomplishments
During my campaign in 2022, I articulated a vision for the District Attorney's office that emphasized engagement, accountability, innovation, and impact. In my first term and with an incredible team of prosecutors, victim and witness assistants, policy and community engagement staff, and administrative employees, I am proud to say that I have kept campaign promises and achieved so much more.
Below are highlights of critical changes, initiatives, impacts from my first term. For more detail and information, I encourage you to read the annual reports published by my office and visit my office website: www.capeandislandsda.gov.
Mental Health Court
When campaigning in 2022, I brought attention to the fact that the Cape & Islands was the only district in Massachusetts without a specialized mental health court despite significant need.
Soon after taking office, a mental health court session in the Barnstable District Court was created and now works to identify psychological issues and pathways to professional support to stop recidivism.
Human Trafficking
While human trafficking was not a pillar of my 2022 campaign, I attended an event early in my first term that opened my eyes to this insidious crime. Since then, I have worked to educate and raise awareness, create avenues for reporting and escaping trafficking, and pursued traffickers with all legal tools at my disposal.
2024 – Hosted a district-wide training for law enforcement, hospitality, and trades; to create a hotline and QR code for reporting; and produced hotline magnets and stickers posted throughout the district in bathroom stalls, public spaces, and on CCRTA buses
2025 – Coordinated a 2-day Statewide Conference that brought together 32 experts from across the US to give presentations and lead workshops attended by over 200 members of law enforcement, criminal justice, educators, and more
2026 – Hosted a follow-up Statewide Conference with keynote speaker Rachel Fischer, a survivor of human trafficking and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), and 150 attendees.
Elder Fraud and Abuse
Since taking office in 2023, I have attended meetings with police detectives from throughout the district and noticed a significant increase in elder fraud reports and cases.
My office has worked to protect our senior neighbors, support law enforcement in their pursuit of scammers, and engage financial institutions who are also victimized by these schemes.
In my second term, I will work in partnership with our elected officials to secure increased funding that will enable me to create an Elder Fraud & Abuse Unit composed of forensic accountants and specialized prosecutors.
The Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association has signed a letter of support, advocating with our delegation to pursue this vitally important funding.
Drug Trafficking
Prior to my election, the Cape & Islands District Attorney's office rarely pursued pretrial detention of drug traffickers on the basis of dangerousness, making it an outlier among DA's offices in Massachusetts.
Under my direction, District and Superior Court prosecutors have substantially increased use of MA "dangerousness" statute to aggressively pursue pretrial detention of serious drug traffickers as a means of protecting public safety. With this hard line approach, combined with recovery court and other specialized community-based interventions, we have seen dramatic decreases in both non-fatal and fatal overdoses due to fentanyl.
Compassionate Connections
In 2025, my office was awarded a first-of-its-kind $1,000,000 grant from Cape Cod Healthcare to develop and implement an innovative and holistic approach to criminal justice that we are calling Compassionate Connections.
Over the next 3 years, we will leverage existing technology in the Critical Incident Management System (CIMS), an interactive platform that connects local police departments, the DA’s Office, and community-based service providers to improve overdose response, follow-up, and access to treatment and other resources for behavioral and mental healthcare, food insecurity, housing and homelessness, adult literacy and more.
Community Engagement
While campaigning in 2022, I often heard of a disconnect between the DA's office and the communities it serves, such that many had very limited understanding of what the DA's office does.
As promised during my campaign, in my first year in office I created a new position of Community Engagement Officer who reports directly to me and ensures I remain apprised of the most pressing issues facing our communities.
My Community Engagement Officer and team have created "The DA and Us" town-based community coalitions of local volunteers in every town on the Cape, and coalitions on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Volunteer members of The DA and Us coalitions meet quarterly with my Community Engagement Officer and team, ensuring our presence in and engagement with our communities and the people we serve.
Accountability
Recognizing and honoring the great responsibility and trust placed in the DA's office, it is critical that we hold ourselves to the highest standard.
In my first year in office, I created a new position of Human Resources Manager tasked with developing a robust performance evaluation and management system for all employees of the DA's office.
Together with my First Assistant, Human Resources Manager, and Chief Prosecutors, we have built a strong, professional team of assistant district attorneys and victim-witness advocates to prosecute anyone who would harm others and protect anyone who needs support.
Veterans
The Cape and Islands are home to the largest population of veterans in the Commonwealth. During my campaign in 2022, I advocated for the creation of a specialty court session to account for the unique circumstances of veterans ensnared in the criminal justice system.
In my first term, my office has created a diversion process designed for veterans in crisis to address their unique issues and honor their service.
I have continued advocating for a veterans' court session and built strong connections between the DA's office and veterans' service providers throughout the district.
Children and Youth
To protect and advocate for my youngest and most vulnerable constituents, I created a Child Emergency Response Team (CERT), which is led by the Chief of the Vulnerable Victim Abuse Unit in my office and brings together prosecutors, victim witness advocates, law enforcement, the Department of Children and Families, and Children’s Cove in a model of public-private collaboration. The coordinated approach at the heart of the CERT allows for timely and sensitive investigations, collection and preservation of evidence, and trauma-informed support for children and families.
My office also works closely with schools, parents, guardians and students to better understand bullying, cyber-bullying and cyber-safety, social media, and device safety. Together with the Barnstable Police Department, we facilitated a Social Media Summit for parents, guardians, and students. My team has given presentations to hundreds of adults and thousands of students.
To raise awareness among youth about potential career paths in law enforcement and criminal justice, my office partners with Y Achievers, a program of the YMCA. We hosted day-long "field trips" for high school students to tour our office and the courthouse, engage with prosecutors and court staff, a participate in a mock investigation and trial of "The Case of the Missing Mascot."
Due Process
In the 3 years since you first elected me Cape & Islands District Attorney, we have seen concerted attacks on due process, civil liberties, and legal principles.
My office will uphold the rule of law, securing evidence, protecting evidence, and bringing criminal charges as determined by the evidence.
