by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Despite the government’s priority on combating terrorism and the resources pointed in that direction, other areas won’t be neglected, says Paul Perez, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
“The recent investigation involving the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the conviction of Officer Karl Walden, was the result of many months of investigation,” said Perez last week at The Jacksonville Bar Association’s monthly meeting at the Omni. “What started as a drug investigation in 1999 evolved into the largest police corruption probe in this city’s history.
“We will continue to accurately and effectively prosecute public corruption cases,” said Perez. “U.S. Attorney offices across the country felt the impact of Sept. 11, 2001, but we must stay active in other areas.”
Continuing on the public corruption portion of his office’s responsibilities, Perez said, “It is as much a threat to our security and freedom as any terrorist attack. We must have confidence in the people who run our government. We must have confidence in those who keep us secure.
“It is critical to public confidence in public service that we pursue public corruption.”
With over 250 attending, including former law partners Edward Booth Sr. and Jr. and Walter Arnold, Perez related a long history of cases prosecuted by the Middle District’s U.S. Attorney.
“In the eight months since I’ve been on the job,” he said, “we have continued that tradition and we will continue it.”
The Middle District’s growth is bringing changes, he said, including the planned opening of an Ocala office. It would join Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Orlando and the Tampa headquarters in serving the District’s 35 counties and 8.3 million people.
“We need continuing growth of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to keep up with the growth of the district,” he said, pointing out that the office here in 1980 had 7,100 square feet and, when it moves to the new U.S. Courthouse next month, it will be in 35,000 square feet of space.
“There are over 100 assistant U.S. attorneys,” he said, “and more are needed. Our District has over half the state’s counties and over half the people.”