Montgomery County's Ferman Named President Of Pa. DA Association

Montgomery County District Attorney and Abington native Risa Vetri Ferman has been named president of the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association, the association announced Wednesday.

“I am honored and humbled,” she said.

Ferman, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Widener School of Law, was named to the position for the 2015-2016 business year after elections during the association’s annual business meeting.

“As a prosecutor for over two decades, I have dedicated my career to ensuring the fairness and integrity of the criminal justice system, to developing and implementing the best investigative and prosecutorial practices, and to the protection of all crime victims. I am honored that my colleagues chose me to serve in this important leadership role of our association,” Ferman said in a statement.

Ferman was elected in 2007 as the first female District Attorney of Montgomery County, before being elected in 2011 to serve a second term.

She has also worked as a courtroom prosecutor and as Captain of the Sex Crimes Team, specializing in homicide, child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases.

“My fellow district attorneys and I believe in the criminal justice system and the ethical standards our oath demands. I look forward to working with my colleagues on legislative and law enforcement issues in order to ensure that our system – and all those it is meant to protect – is the best it can be and reflects the times we live in,” she added.

Ferman is noted for “protecting the community’s most vulnerable citizens,” the association noted in their statement.

She founded the county’s Elder Abuse Unit to target criminals who prey upon senior citizens, and co-founded two non-profits dedicated to child abuse victims: Mission Kids, a Child Advocacy Center, designed to ease the criminal justice process for victims of child abuse and Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project (MCAP), which provides pro-bono legal services to abused and neglected children.

The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association was launched in 1912 and is comprised of 1000 members which oversee the duties and responsibilities of Pennsylvania’s 67 district attorneys.

The association sponsors training programs and reports legal and legislative developments of importance to Pennsylvania prosecutors. It also assists policymakers in addressing legislative issues.

Ferman is currently running for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County.