The Case Against Dolores Carr
AUGUST 2, 2009
“The DA, however, has squandered her automatic right to re-election through a series of bonehead missteps—the latest, which raises serious questions about the workings of her ethical compass.”
- Dolores Carr ignored the law when she tried to pick Judge Kevin Murphy as her second-in-command. The California Constitution holds that a sitting judge cannot be appointed to the position of Chief Assistant District Attorney. But Dolores Carr did it anyway. read article
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Dolores Carr eliminated the stand-alone Cold Case Unit (which had solved murders throughout the County). Instead, she hired two new public relations staffers to enhance her public image. Because of her decision, the families of Cold Case victims may never know what happened to their loved ones. But Dolores Carr did it anyway. read article
The Importance of the Cold Case Unit - Dolores Carr ignored the law and allowed her husband to sit in on a wiretap briefing. Wiretap laws mandate that the existence of a wiretap and identity of the target of a wiretap be kept confidential among designated law enforcement officials. As D.A., Carr knew what the law dictated. But Dolores Carr did it anyway.
read article #1, read article#2 - Dolores Carr and her husband got caught in a serious conflict of interest. Her husband, a former policeman, was paid $14,000 as a “security consultant” to a civil lawyer representing the family of a homicide victim, who was fatally shot in a bank parking lot. Carr’s husband was forced to return the entire $14,000 after first refusing, then returning some and finally returning all of the money. Because of her conflict of interest, the D.A.’s office could not prosecute the alleged murderers. Carr should have known that having the sitting D.A.’s husband involved in a case she was handling would jeopardize the criminal prosecution. But Dolores Carr did it anyway. read article
- Dolores Carr gave special favors to campaign contributors. At the urging of a prominent San Jose lawyer and campaign contributor, Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr personally intervened on behalf of one of his clients, calling the prosecutor in charge and persuading him to reduce the client’s charges. read article