Prosecutors are leaving their positions in a California county after disagreeing with the district attorney over her new policies on crime.
Crime remains a top issue for political candidates as well as citizens across the nation, and local prosecutors often make it their mission to crack down on crime. But California's new Alameda County DA, Pamela Price, has encountered an outcry and disagreement after trying to massively reduce the prison sentence for a suspect in a triple-murder case in March.
Price, who assumed her position in January, had sought a leadership position since 2017. She ran for Alameda County DA in 2017 and lost with 42 percent of the vote, compared with opponent Nancy O'Malley's 57 percent. The next year, Price ran for Oakland mayor but lost again. This past November, her run for Alameda's DA again was successful.
In the triple-murder case, she quickly turned heads when she brokered a plea deal with the defendant's defense attorneys. If successful, the deal would have resulted in a 15-year sentence. Such a case typically comes with a possible prison sentence of 75 years to life.
The judge rejected the deal, but discussion of it continues in the local legal community. Meanwhile, some prosecutors in Price's office were so distressed by her efforts that they chose to leave their jobs.
Newsweek reached out to Price's office by email for comment.
Danielle Hilton, the most recent veteran prosecutor to announce that she was leaving her position in Alameda County, sent a letter to Price earlier this week informing the DA that she was resigning.
"Victims deserve better," Hilton wrote. "I am leaving not because I want to; in fact, I want nothing more than to be an African American woman continuing to serve the citizens of Alameda County in a fair, unbiased and passionate manner. Under your management, I do not feel I can ethically and adequately carry out my duties as a prosecutor."
Hilton went on to say that she had tried multiple times to meet with Price, who, she wrote, ignored her calls and emails.
"I have spent my career picking up the pieces and gathering the fragments of lives shattered by violence," Hilton's letter went on. "I encourage you to look at crime scene and autopsy photos, meet the victims of the robberies, sexual assaults, home burglaries and other crimes from within the county. It is their voices you were elected to empower."
Hilton's letter was shared by documentary filmmaker Dan Noyes on Twitter and received a large response online. Some social media users called for Price to be recalled from her position. Others said Hilton's resignation was a "great loss" for Alameda County.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that Price was doing a "disservice to career public servants" as well as victims of violent crime.
"Price's policies have demoralized the rank-and-file deputies in her office, a number of whom have quit in frustration. It's tough enough to prosecute criminals and even more difficult when your boss is a defense attorney in a prosecutor's clothing," Rahmani said. "Our criminal justice system needs equal adversaries to prosecute and defend the accused, not district attorneys who won't do their job."
Before Hilton's resignation, prosecutors Jill Nerone and Charlynn Weissenbach also announced they would be leaving the district attorney's office, according to a Fox News report.
Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor and elected state attorney, told Newsweek that Price is a reformer with institutional power.
"Notably, she was elected as a person with an agenda. Some of her reforms are modest, while others are very significant, including changing the way sentencing enhancements are sought in almost all cases," he said.
"She likely will realize that, while the district attorney has enormous power, she needs the support of her staff of prosecutors, other office employees and the law enforcement community to be successful in the long term," McAuliffe said.
Price didn't have prosecutorial experience before her election, he continued, and although she brings a new perspective, she must be ethical and appropriate to be successful.
"There is room for both accountability and fairness. In the end, it's a mandate. But Price will need the system's support, not the other way around, to make it a working reality," McAuliffe said.
Update, 4/28/2023, 4:10 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
Update, 5/1/2023, 1:57 p.m. ET: This story was updated with a description of Michael McAuliffe's former positions.
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