ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Protesters are calling on Monroe County district attorney Sandra Doorley to resign, but she said she’s staying put. She said she’s committed to serving justice for the community.
Doorley said she first heard about the encounter days after it happened. She said she was also called the morning after Daniel Prude died. She said her office talked to the RPD chief and members of the major crimes unit.
“During that time we had knowledge that this may have been an overdose so we were waiting for information regarding a cause of death,” Doorley said.
Doorley said the DA’s office received that death confirmation and summary report from the RPD on April 16.
“As soon as I realized this was a death of an unarmed citizen allegedly at the hands of law enforcement I knew this triggered executive order 147, which is a requirement that once a death occurs under those circumstances the county DA such as myself is relieved of all responsibility and the case must be referred to the Attorney General for investigation and prosecution.”
Doorley said within the hour of calling the AG’s office, the case was officially turned over to them. But in an email from Mayor Lovely Warren to Chief La’Ron Singletary on August 6, Warren mentions the district attorney’s office completed an investigation. Doorley said this was very early on.
“We were doing preliminary investigation such as sending out subpoenas for information…And again after receiving that cause of death information on April 16 we immediately stopped what we were doing and sent information over to the Attorney General’s office.”
She said until the grand jury hands down an indictment or a felony complaint is issued, she can’t comment on pending investigations.
In response to protesters calling for her resignation, Doorley said she’s always striving to do better, but won’t be going anywhere.
“We try to make judgement calls based on the evidence, based on harm to the victim or the affect on public safety and of course taking into consideration the nature and character of the defendant. We do this in each and every case regardless of color, regardless of zip code.”
“We’re looking at ways to do our jobs better to make sure we’re working more transparently, that we are working more evenhandedly, that we are providing services to those who need it, yet we’re providing public safety to those in our community because we need to make sure violent offenders are not out there wreaking havoc in our community.”