Alapaha Judicial Circuit district attorney sworn in as special assistant U.S. attorney

VALDOSTA – A member of the Valdosta Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force, Alapaha Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Rebekah Ditto, was sworn in as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in an effort to strengthen the task force’s ability to prosecute violent crime with even greater success, Charlie Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, said in a news release.

The swearing-in was conducted remotely by phone due to social distancing restrictions in place since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). Ditto is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Vermont Law School. Since 2013, she has served as an assistant district attorney in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Cook and Lanier counties. Ditto currently serves as the chief assistant district attorney for the Alapaha Judicial Circuit.

PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

PSN is a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, with the criminal division establishing PSN task forces in areas with the highest violent crime rates across the district. PSN task forces are operating in Valdosta, Albany, Columbus and Macon, comprising members of law enforcement, as well as federal and state prosecutors.

“Under PSN, we work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute the most violent individuals in our communities in the most appropriate court system, whether it be state or federal, with the single objective to remove dangerous criminals from the street for as long as possible,” Peeler said. “Ms. Ditto serving as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney amplifies this effort in the south Georgia community, allowing even more efficient and effective prosecutions of the most violent defendants. I want to thank Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney Dick Perryman for his continued partnership as we collectively work to make south Georgia safer.”

Special Photo
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