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Favored as next D.A., Williams details his game plan

By BOB WARNER
Philadelphia Daily News

warnerb@phillynews.com 215-854-5885

For years, opponents of tougher gun laws have used a mantra when confronted with proposals to regulate or restrict their purchase and use of firearms: "Enforce the laws we have."

Seth Williams, the Democratic candidate for district attorney, says he intends to do just that - more aggressively than any of his predecessors.

"We're gonna begin wiretaps, the use of grand-jury investigations and undercover sting operations to go after those who traffic in guns illegally," Williams, 42, vowed at a recent campaign stop.

"We're gonna go after straw purchasers, the people who sell guns out of the trunks of their cars, the entire stream of commerce, and use the asset-forfeiture unit of the D.A.'s office to go after the assets of those trafficking in those handguns."

More than most who have sought the job as the city's top prosecutor, Williams has already laid out detailed plans for what will change if he takes office in January, replacing Lynne Abraham, D.A. for the last 19 years.

Several major factors make Williams the overwhelming favorite against Republican Michael Untermeyer in Tuesday's election.

The biggest is the city's huge Democratic registration edge. Registered Democrats now outnumber Republicans by 6-to-1. It's been 20 years since Philadelphia elected a Republican to citywide office.

That was 1989, when voters re-elected District Attorney Ron Castille, now Pennsylvania's chief justice. At that time, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by not quite 3-to-1.

For a candidate never elected to public office, Williams has also built up some name recognition - thanks to a strong bid to unseat Abraham four years ago and a two-year stint as the city's inspector general, at the end of the Street administration.

Buoyed by strong support in minority wards, Williams survived a tough, five-way Democratic primary fight last May. He billed himself as the most experienced candidate, with 10 years as a prosecutor in the D.A.'s office, including two stints in supervisory jobs, running its Municipal Court and repeat-offender units.

But his experience as a manager - supervising just 10 employees as inspector general, for instance - is small stuff compared with the job he is likely to take on, directing more than 300 lawyers and 200 support personnel as the figurehead of the city's criminal-justice system.

Among his priorities, more aggressive, sophisticated enforcement of gun laws now tops the list.

Brian J. Grady, one of Williams' opponents in the Democratic primary, is a candidate to become the leader of the Gun Violence Task Force, a partnership between the D.A.'s office and the state attorney general.

Grady will also take charge of an effort to revamp the D.A.'s charging unit, to make smarter decisions about what crimes to prosecute, before charges even get filed.

As his campaign has approached the finish line, Williams has downplayed one of his earliest goals - revamping the D.A.'s office along geographic lines and assigning teams of prosecutors to police districts and detective divisions, making them more familiar with crime patterns in each community, and more responsive to victims.

Untermeyer goes along with the idea of assigning prosecutors to handle specific cases from beginning to end - so-called "vertical prosecution."

But he and Williams' other opponents have consistently derided the community-based prosecution concept as too expensive and too complicated to coordinate with the city's courts.

Williams says he hopes to establish a community crime-prevention center in each of the city's six detective divisions, but he may have to rely on volunteer staff and donated space.

Another priority, Williams said, will be attacking municipal corruption, including police misconduct and police brutality.

He said that in talks with Mayor Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, both had expressed concern about the length of time the D.A.'s office has taken to deal with allegations against police officers.

"Some of these investigations go on longer than who shot President Kennedy," Williams said. "I have a great relationship with the FOP [Fraternal Order of Police]. They endorsed me in 2005; they endorsed me this year. . . . But I'm no puppet for anybody, and if a police officer does the wrong thing, they're gonna be prosecuted for it. . . . People have to know that we'll have the same standard of justice for everybody."

Williams grew up in West Philadelphia, the adopted son of a teacher at Sulzberger Junior High School and a secretary at the Navy Yard. He went to Central High School and Penn State, where he was elected president of the student government.

Williams went to work for the D.A.'s office in 1992, right after graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, and stayed there until early 2003, when he left to mount a challenge against Abraham, his one-time mentor.

Williams now lives in the Greenhill Farms section of West Philadelphia with his wife, Sonita, his mother and two of his three daughters.

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Comments

Posted 07:22 AM, 10/29/2009

psyrus

He's only favored because he is black and a Democrat. Its a shame he's not favored because he's the best man for the job. A win is a win I suppose...

Posted 07:30 AM, 10/29/2009

crqvindee

"Hopes to".... nice idea but another wishful thinker that will not produce results this city needs. His experience is not strong enough or has it made any differences such as in repeat offenders. What's the matter Philly.com? Don't want to post any negative comments for your choice of DA?

Posted 07:38 AM, 10/29/2009

JBA

Stop hating find someone better for the job.If there was a person for it I'm sure they would put him or her in there.

Posted 10:24 AM, 10/29/2009

What ?

Show me your friends and I'll tell you who you REALLY are ! Another joke election.

Posted 11:10 AM, 10/29/2009

Concern4Philly

Choosing Grady to run the "charging unit" is a good thing - Too bad Grady didn't win the Primary - I still think he would have made a better DA... but who knows... if SETH continues with his wrongdoings, he will be the next (or would it be 1st?) fallen Philly DA - and maybe then... Grady will get a chance to do what Philadelphia needs.

Posted 01:09 PM, 10/29/2009

john 16

williams should be running for social worker not DA. He has a weak approach to violent crime. Phila crime will go through the roof with his soft approach to violent felons. Ramsay should keep his mouth shut he is a failure!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted 05:22 PM, 10/29/2009

CleanupPhilly

What this article leaves out is Williams' cry of greater leniency, and his race politics. This is real skew. This is bias in journalism. Williams very much wants to increase the use of plea deals, a tactic that gets perennial criticism by victims' rights groups and police groups. Plea deals in lieu of prosecution to cut costs result in light sentences and charges for other crimes dropped, and is tantamount to an abuse of judicial power. Gun charges are dropped in Philly, which is why gun laws are not enforced, and upping straw purchase investigations while you plea out gun charges is not the answer. Gun charges with drugs are a mandatory minimum of five years, but too often the gun charges in Philly are simply dropped, and this results in a revolving door. Seth Williams is a revolving door candidate. He sells himself as someone who is "sensitive" to the needs of criminals, not victims. This is why the press errs in its support of Williams, and time will only further prove how much there is to lose by having a DA that criticized Abraham for being "too tough."

Posted 05:26 PM, 10/29/2009

CleanupPhilly

Cops were killed in the past two years by repeat violent offenders who were right back on Philly streets after weak prosecution, plea deals, and early release/overused parole and probation. Seth Williams promises even more of the same, calling Abraham too tough and unresponsive to "minorities." Meanwhile, Seth Williams took money from a front for organized crime. He gave it back when the press found out, but not before he took it. I'd be really hesitant if I was running for DA to cash a check from the "Italian American Benevolence Society" from a mob lawyer. If Williams did his job while at the DA's office, he knows who these lawyers are. Come on. This is what's going on here. Williams is going to make deals for his generous friends. Isn't this what is wrong with Philly?

Posted 03:15 PM, 11/03/2009

LPM

I am not voting in this election, it is the same old same old; so I choose to protest by not voting for either. I want a candidate who is willing to get rid of the drug laws, not make more. And the laws we have on the books regarding violent crimes should be upheld and the DA should be putting vilent offenders in jail and trying to put away for a long time; how are we going to protect our city when we have so many violent offenders on the streets. I actually would prefer a libertarian candidate, but that is impossible in Philly. We need someone who understands about firearms, and how they are not the problem; the problem is not going after violent criminals. but, doing something about the drug laws would help. It would cut down on violence and not making it so profitable to want to sell drugs or criminal to purchase them.