NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — There was relief mixed with rage in a Manhattan courtroom Monday after a family faced an accused killer following a 13-year wait.

Taking DNA From All Criminals Should Be Standard Procedure

By CYRUS R. VANCE Jr.

In a remote corner of a dimly lit lower Manhattan government building, analysts at high-tech workstations spend their days scouring smartphones, iPads and laptops for evidence of criminal activity.

The lab is part of an effort to combat cybercrime by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, one of a growing number of local officials across the country trying to keep pace with criminals who are increasingly turning to lucrative computer fraud schemes that carry less risk of violence and arrest.

The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., is taking on terrorism in the city’s criminal courts. For the first time in the borough’s history, his office got indictments under the state’s terrorism statute in 2011. And it did so twice.

A crime ring used corrupt employees in banks, an Audi car dealership, and the nonprofit United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York to steal identities of well-heeled customers, clients, and donors and defraud them of more than $2 million, New York authorities said on Friday.

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Mr. Vance understands that Mr. Mogenthau has been a national leader in the prosecution of corporate malfeasance in addition to being an effective administrator of a huge office—the Manhattan DA oversees more than 500 attorneys. The task of presiding over such a large operation, and the challenges that come with such a complex case load, will try the patience and competence of anyone who believes the job is simply about getting the bad guys. Mr. Vance best understands the prosaic tasks that accompany the occasional glamour that comes with the job of Manhattan DA.

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Mr. Vance is by far the most impressive candidate in the race. He has been a distinguished criminal and civil trial lawyer and comes across as a person of quiet competence and reflection. It is unfortunate that in today's electrified atmosphere, shrillness and zealotry are too often equated with a passion for justice. The Manhattan DA's office is a virtual mini-army with approximately 500 lawyers and many more support staff. It is best led not by a Crusader Rabbit type hell-bent on seeking out wrongdoing and holding incessant press conferences but rather by a public servant dedicated to the responsible, objective and deliberative pursuit of lawbreakers.

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Vance spent six years in the 1980’s as a prosecutor in the Manhattan D.A.’s office and is currently a trial attorney with Morvillo and Abramowicz, a criminal defense law firm. His experience on the other side of the fence makes him an ideal candidate to lead the necessary changes in the D.A.’s office. He has addressed reform of the criminal court system to the creation of a “re-entry director.” These are all cutting-edge concepts for an office long accustomed to old approaches to criminal justice.

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The result was a decades-long crusade by Mr. Morgenthau's office to break organized crime's grip on key sectors. First, he drove organized crime from the trucking business, then he broke up the mob-dominated garbage cartel, then he cleaned up the garment center and the Javits Convention Center. The effort soon broadened to tackle money laundering, securities fraud and eventually executive greed.

The key question for the city's business community in the Sept. 15 Democratic primary to succeed Mr. Morgenthau is who will continue his efforts to protect honest business-people. The candidate most likely to continue Mr. Morgenthau's work is Cyrus Vance Jr.

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The position of Manhattan district attorney is one that has not been vacant in 34 years. It is an office that sees some of the most violent crimes in this city, as well as high-profile white-collar crimes. The diversity of the prosecution is as varied as the city of New York and that is why it takes a very special individual to lead such a diverse office.

While all of the Democratic candidates are capable individuals, there are unique qualities and issues that make Cy Vance the ideal candidate.