P R E S S R E L E A S E
Ada County Prosecuting Attorney Jan M. Bennetts announced today that she has implemented one of her top priorities, formalizing a “Standards and Practices Division” within her office. “Prosecutors are appropriately held to a higher standard,” she stated. The new Standards and Practices Division will formalize and centralize work the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office has always done. Ms. Bennetts is pleased to announce that this newly formed division will be headed by long-time prosecutor James Dickinson. “Dedicating resources to this role is something we have talked about for some time and is the next logical step to ensuring this office operates at the highest level,” Bennetts said.
“The first thing we instill in our new attorneys is that a deputy prosecutor’s job is different than other attorney positions in that our charge is not only advocacy, but to ensure that we do justice in each case. We teach them about their ethical duties, which are unique to prosecutors and how those obligations are the pillar of a fair criminal justice system,” Bennetts said. The Standards and Practices Division will continue to provide ethics training and legal updates to prosecutors as this office has been doing, but there will now be a dedicated resource for our prosecutors. This Division will also provide training to local law enforcement agencies and will be a resource for law enforcement on the duties and ethics unique to prosecutors. “We have responsibilities as ministers of justice, not only partnering with law enforcement to obtain justice for crime victims and to protect our community, but at the same time ensuring that no innocent person is ever convicted.”
“I am proud of this office’s reputation for integrity and ethical conduct. We have always taken seriously our duties as ministers of justice,” she noted. “As our office and the law enforcement community grow, it is critically important to me that this office maintain the confidence of the judiciary, law enforcement, our colleagues in the legal community and the people we serve. It is incumbent upon me to devote dedicated resources to this important work we do.”
Ms. Bennetts selected Dickinson based upon his background. “He worked for nearly a decade trying cases and as a supervisor in our criminal division, and he has spent the last 20 years litigating and supervising in our civil division.” Dickinson has an extensive background in these topics from co-authoring a book, to presenting at law schools, to the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association and in other states. An Idaho native, he attended the University of Idaho for both his undergraduate and law degrees, has been Idaho’s Prosecutor of the Year, received the Outstanding Service Award from the Idaho State Bar, and is a past chair of the Idaho State Bar’s Professionalism and Ethics Section.