DAs serve a vital role in our court system by ensuring justice and equality under the law for all citizens. In this episode of IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us, CITIZENARTS is honored to spotlight William “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, the eight-time elected DA of Onondaga County in the State of NY that includes Syracuse, one of the state’s largest cities, and is part of a judicial system that is among the oldest continuing courts in the US dating back to the late 1600s.

The caseload is vast, from homicides and special victims, to narcotics and racketeering. About the office’s economic crime bureau, he says “I’ve never seen such an influx of thieves and con artists – especially targeting senior citizens.” DA Fitzpatrick’s judicial innovations establishing best practices are now being used in 30 states and his leadership in codifying ethics standards reflect his core tenet that “prosecutors must be leaders not followers.”

He calls himself “a prosecutor born to solve homicides – to get justice for his brothers and sisters – and to keep the community safe.” A book on the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh’s baby son in the 1930’s “hooked” then 11-year old DA Fitzgerald with its breakthrough forensic evidence, which ultimately became “a lifelong career passion.”

Peers in the New York State DA Association have named him prosecutor of the year, and the New York State Bar Association voted him outstanding prosecutor. His constituents have reaffirmed their support by electing him district attorney for more than three decades.

DA Fitzpatrick reflects on proud moments, including a sudden infant death (SIDs) case that garnered national headlines proving a mother had murdered her five children at different times. After convicting her and discrediting a “quack” SIDs expert, SIDs cases dropped by 50% in the US.

Please join us for a riveting look at the high-stakes world of prosecuting defendants – many accused of heinous crimes -- including a courtroom moment when “Fitz” caught a defendant's incriminating verbal syntax slip-up that could’ve come straight out of a true crime TV drama. Justice served!

EPISODE NOTES
More can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords

District Attorney William Fitzpatrick's full biography: https://da.ongov.net/bio/

Learn more about the role of District Attorneys: https://ndaa.org

Revisit Fitzpatrick's Op-ed calling for the (now standard) practice of videotaping interrogations following his successful prosecution of Hubert “Mad Dog” Allen: https://www.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/12/onondaga_county_district_attor.html

Check out the Campbell Conversations, hosted by Grant Reeher, Director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute at Syracuse University, for insightful conversations with writers, politicians, activists, public officials, and business professionals whose work affects public life: https://www.wrvo.org/show/campbell-conversations-0

An essential mission at CITIZENARTS is to foster greater understanding of civic issues. We'd love to hear from you about this topic! Email jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org and follow us on Instagram: @citizenartsedu, Facebook: @citizenartsedu, Twitter/X: @citizenartsedu, Threads: @citizenartsedu

We are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. Visit https://tinyurl.com/CApodcasts to access our growing selection of civics-related and historically significant programs. They include MARCH, an audio drama about Hitler’s rise to dictatorial power; Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia; and A More – or less – Perfect Union, a nationwide debate about hyper-critical social, civic and political issues in the U.S.

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