Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 07/11/05

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards - 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Assistant District Attorney Larry Scoufos

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY GREG JACOBS RECIPIENT OF STATE AWARD

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that Sonoma County Assistant District Attorney Greg Jacobs was honored as one of the Outstanding Prosecutors of the year by the Californian District Attorneys Association. Assistant DA Jacobs as well as a select number of other prosecutors were honored for their professional dedication and commitment to justice. There were approximately 300 people that attended the awards banquet dinner last week at the CDAA Summer Conference in Lake Tahoe.

District Attorney Passalacqua stated, "Greg Jacobs exemplifies the true public servant. He is an outstanding career prosecutor who is compassionate, committed, and conscientious in seeking justice; he has been a huge asset to our office for 31 years." Mr. Jacobs was honored by the CDAA for his "outstanding courtroom achievements, professional dedication and commitment to criminal justice."

He has tried 110 cases, including rapes and sexual assaults, major violent crime, and complex, high-profile death penalty cases. The most notable was the 1996 capital case of Richard Allen Davis, which involved the kidnap and murder of twelve-year-old Polly Klaas. The Davis case was the catalyst for the passage of the Three Strikes Law. In October of 2004, the National District Attorneys Association inducted Jacobs into the Home Run Hitters Club, an award given to prosecutors throughout the nation for their outstanding work in prosecuting complex high profile cases.

Six other prosecutors in the State of California received recognition for outstanding performances: Los Angeles County prosecutor Robert Schirn; Alameda County prosecutor James H. Anderson; Stanislaus County prosecutors Rick Distaso, David Harris, and Birgit Fladager; and Riverside County prosecutor William Mitchell. Assistant District Attorney Jacobs plans on retiring on July 18, 2005.