House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) has
appointed Representative David T. Vieira (R-Falmouth) to serve on a special
legislative Task Force on the Preservation and Storage of Evidence.
Created as part of a Fiscal Year 2019 supplemental budget signed
in July, the task force will review the existing legal and regulatory framework
governing the preservation and storage of evidence collected during crime investigations
and introduced in criminal proceedings before the state’s courts. The task
force will also study the feasibility and anticipated cost associated with constructing
and maintaining a statewide evidence storage facility.
“David has a clear understanding of the laws that relate to public
safety, having served as a member of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and
Homeland Security since 2011,” said Representative Jones. “I am confident his experience will be an
asset to the task force as it seeks to identify ways to improve the handling of
critical evidence collected as part of a criminal proceeding.”
Representative Vieira is one of six legislators serving on the 17-member
task force, which is being co-chaired by Representative Claire Cronin
(D-Easton) and Senator James Eldridge (D-Acton), who currently serve as the
House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
Attorney General Maura Healey will also serve on the task force,
along with the chief justices of the supreme judicial court, superior court and
district court. Additional members will
include two elected district attorneys appointed by the president of the
Massachusetts District Attorneys Association and five members appointed by
Governor Charlie Baker, including a police officer with experience in evidence
collection and preservation; a criminal defense attorney; and a professor of
evidence at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
The task force is expected to file a report, along with any
recommended legislation, on or before March 31, 2020.
Representative Vieira represents the 3rd Barnstable
District, which consists of Precincts 3, 4, 5 and 6 in Bourne; Precincts 3, 4,
7, 8 and 9 in Falmouth; and the town of Mashpee. In addition to holding the title of Ranking
Minority Member on both the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland
Security and the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State
Assets, Vieira is also a member of the House and Joint Committees on Rules and
the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development.
