Report: 98% Of Montco Criminals Convicted

By Justin Heinze:

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office achieved a 98 percent conviction rate in 2014, according to a recently released annual report.

“The office again performed at an extraordinary level throughout 2014,” said District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. “Disposing of more than 8700 criminal cases while achieving an extraordinary but consistent overall 98 percent conviction rate.”

While that 98 percent figure includes guilty pleas, the conviction rate of full trials was still 84 percent,

The District Attorney’s Office heard 9,614 total criminal cases in 2014.

The annual report examined other highlights from the year, including the inclusion of a K-9 comfort dog in the courthouse.

Ferman said that she witnessed dogs comforting victims of trauma and crime in the past, and asked her staff to establish a similar program within the courthouse.

“Turks undoubtedly represents one of the office’s most effective resources,” Ferman wrote in the report.

Turks is a two-year old yellow Labrador retriever.

(File Photo: Risa Vetri Ferman)

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