Adam Deitch calls for overhaul of Norfolk County DA’s office, pledges reviews of cases and culture changes

State Representative Tommy Vitolo interviewed Adam Deitch on July 9 on Brookline Interactive’s TV on TV about Deitch’s campaign for Norfolk County district attorney and his plans to reform the office if elected.

Deitch, a former federal prosecutor who said he worked on cases ranging from bank robberies to police corruption, said his top priority would be "to evaluate every single case where survivors, victims, and their family members have not gotten justice" and to revisit those cases. He pointed to the Sandra Birchmore matter as an example in which the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI later pursued charges after the county office had ruled the case a suicide.

"There have been a couple of very high profile cases in Norfolk County," Deitch said, adding that those matters illustrate what he called a "two‑tiered system of justice" in which people with connections receive different treatment. He said that pattern, and recent revelations about text messages from an investigator he described as "racist, bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic, anti‑Semitic," show cultural problems that require new leadership.

Vitolo noted the officer in the text‑message reporting has been fired and, under the POST system, "will not work as a police officer anywhere in Massachusetts ever again," reinforcing that the individual is out of state policing.

Deitch said he would prioritize completing investigations before making charging decisions, arguing that conviction rates alone are a poor measure of an office’s success. "A DA's office should never be focused on winning," he said. "It should be focused on what is the just outcome." He described a plan to introduce data‑driven prosecution to track crimes and resources and to restore public trust through transparency and town halls in his first 100 days.

On investigative standards and technology, Deitch said the tools exist in Massachusetts but must be used consistently: he criticized examples where evidence was allegedly mishandled and urged ensuring the state police detective unit and county investigators use modern forensic techniques and timely scene responses.

Deitch also said the office should expand alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders — including diversion, specialty courts and treatment for substance‑use and mental‑health cases — while prosecuting violent crimes "to the fullest extent of the law." He highlighted restorative justice and reentry programs as priorities for reducing recidivism.

Deitch framed the DA role as central to everyday justice and public safety and said the county needs a leader with experience investigating police misconduct and enforcing high ethical standards. He described campaigning across Norfolk County, noting that many voters do not fully understand the DA’s role and stressing the need to explain why the office matters to residents.

The interview closed with Vitolo reminding viewers that the primary is Sept. 1 and that voters in Brookline can vote early in person or by mail, with specific early‑voting locations mentioned on the broadcast.

The interview aired as part of a series of candidate conversations on Brookline Interactive ahead of the September primary. The campaign website mentioned in the broadcast is voteadamdeitch.com.