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District Attorney's Shoulders
Carry Tremendous Burdens
I know that after reading this article, there will be those who will accuse me of being a brown-noser, a kiss-up, and all of those other lovely labels, that as employees we try our best to avoid. It is almost impossible to give your boss any credit without people assuming that you are making flattering comments only to further personal agendas.
In most cases, they would be right. However, my case is a bit different than the normal kiss-up that might be expected. In my case, my boss is one of my best friends and has been for over twenty years. He was my friend and co-worker long before he was ever my boss. When he became my boss, after being elected District Attorney, I wondered if our friendship would survive. Well, after almost eleven years I am proud to say that he still remains one of my best friends. I must be honest that the survival of this friendship has not always been easy. In fact, it has been Danny's ability to separate friendships and professional relationships that have allowed us to remain friends. There have been days when I doubted his resolve concerning the continuation of a long time friendship. But, I think that my doubt was a bit one sided. His ability to separate relationships and not to blur the lines that must be respected is what has allowed Danny Porter to, in my opinion, become the finest District Attorney in the State of Georgia.
As we approach the 2004 election cycle, Danny will hopefully become the District Attorney of Gwinnett for the fourth time. No other District Attorney in Gwinnett's history can make that claim. His success at the local level pales in comparison to the respect that he has on a State and National level. Danny is commonly recognized as the foremost authority in the state, concerning the prosecution and litigation of death penalty cases. Many prosecutors would rather avoid these emotionally draining cases. However, Danny meets them head on and still personally takes the lead on all death penalty cases that come into his office. His dedication to accepting the responsibility for these cases continues throughout the entire process, whereby he actually makes the trip to Jackson to witness the execution. I have heard him say on more than one occasion that if he was going to take the responsibility of putting a person on death row, then he should have the guts to see it through to the end. Believe me, there are few who are willing to accept such a tremendous responsibility.
His success is also attributable to his fairness. Those who are victims of crime should celebrate the fact that they have him as their legal representative. Those who commit crime should be forewarned of the dangers that face them should they have to meet him in the courtroom. This simple philosophy is used with people of all color, religion, social status, economic situation, or any other category that might allow some people to expect favoritism. I often teach at the police academies where I give police recruits a fair warning. I tell them that they will never have a better friend than Danny Porter when it comes to getting bad guys off the street. However, I also tell them that they will never have a fiercer enemy if they should make the decision to commit a criminal act themselves. He has little sympathy for cops who shame the badge and the public trust.
Being District Attorney has not always been kind to Danny. He has made some decisions that were not popular, but were always the right thing to do. He has suffered on personal levels due to the amount of time that he gives to the job. After all of these years, he still responds to the scene of all homicides that occur in the county, day or night. In some counties, police officers do not even know who the District Attorney is. In Gwinnett, they know him well and he knows most of them by their first name. He is as comfortable on a murder scene as he is in the courtroom, a combination that few prosecutors can pull off.
People have asked me about Danny's long term plans. He has been courted for other positions, such as the Attorney General and even the U.S. Attorney. Danny explains it very well. He said that every morning he has to look in the mirror and answer to himself if he still enjoys what he does. When he can no longer say that he does, he will have to do some soul searching. Luckily for us, his mirror is still very kind to those of us who hope that he stays in his position for a long time. Not only as one of his employees, but from a long time friend.
You can call this article a kiss-up if you wish. I simply call it giving a man the credit that he is due.
080103
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Stan Hall is the Director of the Victim Witness Program for the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office. He is also the host of the Gwinnett County Communication Network's television show "Behind the Badge."
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