Safer Schools

Lackawanna County Safe Schools Coalition, a program that has been hailed as a model for other counties throughout Pennsylvania. Powell and members of the DA’s Office were invited to make a presentation about the Coalition to the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators in Hershey. The purpose of the Coalition is to:

• Make sure every public and private school building in the county has a trained, armed police, resource or security officer inside the building at all times in the event of violence.

• Develop and implement countywide threat assessment policies and protocols for all schools regarding safety.

• Open the lines of communication between school administrators, law enforcement and the DA’s Office to quickly identify and immediately respond to any potential threats.

Victim Services

The District Attorney’s office has units devoted to helping victims that include Special Victims, Trauma Services, Victim and Witness’ assistance.  At District Attorney Gallagher’s direction, victims are contacted well in advance of hearings and their voice matters.  A victim’s opinion about the appropriate disposition  of a case is listened to and restitution is mandatory before a plea offer is extended to a defendant.