Albany County District Attorney David Soares attended lunch on Tuesday August 7th at the Capital Hills Golf Club where he spoke to youth participants from the Junior Golf Alliance, an organization designed to provide local children with character education and mentoring through the game of golf. David praised the achievements of the JGA and the programs they provide in Albany County, which he believes are instrumental in steering children at an early age away from gravitating towards a life of crime. District Attorney Investigator Kimberly McCoy, a vital member of the School First! Task Force, which provides anti-truancy education and outreach to at risk youth, was also on hand and spoke with the youth participants about the consequences of habitual truancy.
The programs put on by the Junior Golf Alliance are funded in part by the ‘Making Crime Pay’ initiative of the District Attorney’s Office that is designed to deter crime by depriving criminals of the profits and proceeds of their illegal activities and then uses those ill-gotten gains to support law enforcement and public safety initiatives throughout the county. Through this program, assets are seized from criminals and used to help close the gap and meet the serious needs of some of areas in the community that are most in need. It is the hope of this office that this positive and aggressive use of asset forfeiture funds will make a significant impact on public and quality of life for our citizens here in Albany County.