Bedford Transcript – October 9, 2009

Bedford, Mass. – The Bedford Rotary Club had a visit last week from the District Attorney (DA) of Middlesex County, Gerry Leone. 

No, the Rotarians weren’t in trouble with the law. Rather, Leone appeared at the behest of his former law school classmate Bedford Rotarian Terrance Parker.

Parker said Leone often speaks to rotary clubs and other civic and business groups about his mission which the DA feels includes not only prosecution of crimes, but also a good deal of prevention. 

“You really don’t want anyone in your family to get mixed up in the criminal courts,” said Leone, “because it’s awful. But a big part of what we do is reaching out to the community to prevent people from finding out about the system the wrong way.”

For Leone, prevention means a robust, school-based program and outreach to leaders and other members of the community, and to encourage two-way communication.
“We are one of the largest offices in the country and one of the largest counties in the country,” said Leone. “It’s a very eclectic district.” 

Eclectic to say the least: Leone’s jurisdiction includes 54 cities and towns with populations of 1500 to 100,000, some urban, some suburban, some rural. His offices cover 12 district courts, three regions, 40,000 cases, and 250 employees, 125 of who are lawyers. Three media outlets tell their stories.

“Our lawyers have a starting pay of $37,000,” said Leone. “That alone should tell you they have a great deal of commitment and dedication to the work.”

Leone says his priority is vulnerable victims, especially children. 

“We prosecute people who prey on kids, particularly through the Internet,” said Leone. “We hold community-based justice meetings and oversee the Middlesex Partnerships for Youth housed in our central office in Woburn. There is an important relationship between the DA and all of the superintendents in every school district. They pay dues and they get training from us on prevention.”

The DA also trains officers in how to respond to issues like domestic violence and elder abuse. 

“We teach them how to deal with situations, how to diffuse them,” said Leone.

Another topic covered was employee theft, which Leone indicated he felt was important because of its implications. 

“People spend a whole lifetime building a business and someone who is in charge of the books can steal everything. It’s heartbreaking,” said Leone. 

Leone said that he believes it is up to the DA to work on educating business owners to prevent such losses.

The talk ended with a question-and-answer that covered everything from a real-life case of employee fraud (which Leone offered to look into personally), victims’ rights, the new marijuana laws and the causes of domestic violence. 

The Bedford Rotary meets every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Bedford Glen Hotel. For more information, go to their Web site at www.bedfordrotary.org.