Robert Galloibois, district attorney for the Cape and Islands, updated the board on public‑safety and victim‑assistance initiatives including a newly launched child‑forensic response team, expanded human‑trafficking training, an enforcement policy targeting fentanyl traffickers, a seven‑figure grant to expand an overdose‑incident database (SIMS), and a proposed elder‑fraud response package for which the DA’s office is soliciting local support.

Galloibois described the Child Emergency Response Team (CERT), launched about two months earlier and led by Courtney Scalise in the Child Protection Unit. The CERT brings prosecutors, victim‑witness assistants, law enforcement and Department of Children and Families staff together with the local Children’s Cove facility to coordinate forensic interviews and services for child victims. The DA said two trainings to date had more than 60 attendees each, including attendees from Nantucket.

On human trafficking, Galloibois described a statewide conference funded after the office secured an additional $100,000 grant; the April conference in Hyannis drew more than 200 attendees per day and included presenters from the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office. The DA said other funders have suggested expanding the event to a New England‑wide conference in future years.

Galloibois reviewed his office’s policy of seeking detention without bail for those charged with trafficking fentanyl under Massachusetts’ “dangerousness” statute. He reported district data that, in 2023, nonfatal overdoses were down 10% and fatal overdoses down 7% from the prior year, and that 2024 nonfatal overdoses were down 25% from 2023 while fatal overdoses were down 35% from 2023. He explicitly noted that other factors (for example, wider availability of naloxone) exist and said his office views the enforcement policy as a contributing factor to those trends.

The DA also described a $1,000,000 grant to expand the critical‑incident management SIMS database (initially used to record overdose responses) funded with participation from Cape Cod Healthcare and the Department of Public Health. He said the grant will expand SIMS outreach to Martha’s Vineyard and explore broader uses of the system (interpretive services, housing and wellness tracking); he invited local law enforcement (including Nantucket’s police chief) to discuss participation in the program.

On elder fraud, Galloibois said the district has seen a notable increase in elder‑fraud reports and is proposing a package — hiring two forensic examiners, additional prosecutors and victim‑witness assistants — with a funding need of roughly $580,000. He said 21 of 22 police chiefs in the district had provided letters of support to date and that regional banks had indicated they would offer support letters as well. He asked town boards to consider offering support and invited the board to request additional information via staff if they wished to assist with funding or outreach.

Galloibois closed by noting the CERT rollout, the SIMS grant and training work reflect an emphasis on coordinating criminal justice, health and social services across the district. He offered to return with further updates and thanked town officials for their time.