Community-Based Prosecution

The District Attorney's Office belongs to the people of New Hanover and Pender County, and we understand that our most important work often happens outside the courtroom. Every year, we speak to thousands of students at all levels in our public schools to have a dialogue about choices and consequences, both on the internet and in real life. We hold seminars for our senior citizens on identity theft, fraud, and other issues confronting them. We proactively work with area agencies and advocacy groups to confront issues ranging from drug addiction to domestic violence and sexual assaults to property offenses. Our staff members sit on the boards of charitable and civic organizations that are too numerous to mention and every person within the office is encouraged to volunteer in the community. Simply put, community-based prosecution means working together with you to achieve justice. If you would like to have a member of our office speak with your organization, please reach out to Samantha Dooies​.

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A Bird's Eye View

At the DA's Office, we are in a unique position to see what is happening across the roughly 1,200 square miles of our District, from the tip of Fort Fisher to the very top border of Pender County. We see crime trends, we see what is happening in the schools and on the streets, and we see the dozens of organizations that are doing great work in our community to effect positive change. While we have a constitutional duty to prosecute criminals, we also have a non-mandated - but equally important - duty to help prevent crimes before they occur and to improve public safety in our community. We do this through building relationships with the schools, non-profits, government agencies, businesses, and faith-based services in our District - an approach former DA Ben David calls "The Starfish Model."