Harrisburg, PA – A bill to update Pennsylvania’s ban on synthetic drugs passed the state Senate today and will soon be sent to the governor’s desk. The bill, H.B. 1217 (Stern, R-Blair), focuses on helping law enforcement keep up with the substances illicit chemists use to manufacture dangerous drugs that skirt the law and have had tragic results in communities
Read full post hereHarrisburg, PA - Synthetic drugs may be illegal in Pennsylvania, but it only takes minor tweaks of the chemical formulations to turn the illegal substances into legal ones. That doesn't mean they are less dangerous. Yesterday the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that will help law enforcement keep up with the substances chemists use to manufacture dangerous drugs that
Read full post hereGood morning, Chairmen Greenleaf and Leach, Senator Stack, and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. My name is Craig Stedman, and I am the District Attorney of Lancaster County. I also practiced in a limited capacity as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and prosecuted federal firearms and drug related crimes. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with
Read full post hereChairman Day, Vice-Chair Parker and members of the House Select Committee on School Safety, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you on behalf of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. My name is David Freed, and I am the District Attorney of Cumberland County and Vice President of PDAA. More important, I am the proud parent of a Fifth
Read full post hereHarrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association is observing Child Abuse Prevention Month with a pinwheel garden in order to call attention to the issue of child abuse and statewide solutions that coordinate investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse victims. "District Attorneys throughout Pennsylvania hope that this pinwheel garden will help increase public awareness about the safety and welfare
Read full post hereHarrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and Pennsylvania Children and Youth Solicitors Association will hold a press briefing at 11 a.m., on Thursday, March 14, 2013, to discuss the ChildFirst training program. The ChildFirst training program is being held March 11-15 at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey. Speakers include Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan;
Read full post hereHarrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) announced that the association's executive committee has elected Dauphin County District Attorney Edward M. Marsico, Jr. chair of the association's communications committee. "Ed Marsico was a logical, easy choice to lead PDAA's communications efforts," said PDAA President and Adams County District Attorney Shawn Wagner. "Throughout the last decade, Ed has played a
Read full post hereHarrisburg, PA -The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) will pair with Duquesne University School of Law to present a symposium featuring seven district attorneys and a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice, who will discuss the public service role and duties of the modern-day prosecutor. "Prosecution and Public Policy in the 21st Century" will be held on Monday, February 4, 2013 from 4:00 to 5:30
Read full post hereHARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association today lauded the finding by the Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection to expand access of child victims of sexual assault to Children's Advocacy Centers. Expanding access to CAC services, which offer a comprehensive approach in assisting child sexual abuse victims, is a PDAA priority with the goal of improving the treatment, prosecution
Read full post hereHARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) praised the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives for using their final session days to focus on criminal justice and public safety matters that will help law enforcement catch up with technology and criminals. The new laws provide appropriate sentences for juveniles convicted of murder, restore tough sentences against straw
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