Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 1-21-22

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City’s Department Of Solid Waste And Environmental Program Management 3R’s Art & Poetry Contest
State Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit Gets New Leader
Hillsborough State Attor- ney Andrew Warren re- cently announced that accomplished Attorney Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy is joining his staff to serve as Su- pervising Attorney for the of- fice’s Conviction Review Unit. Attorney Warren founded the Conviction Review Unit in November 2018 to identify, remedy, and prevent wrongful convictions.
“Ms. Coy brings a wealth of wisdom and a fantastic per- spective to this position. She knows how to get to the truth. She understands that our job is to seek justice, and that com- mitment to justice never ends—even if that means ac- knowledging we got it wrong in the past,” Attorney War- ren said.
Attorney Coy is a long- time leader in Tampa Bay’s legal community and recipient of multiple awards for profes- sional and community service. Her background includes a broad range of experience as a civil attorney, private criminal defense attorney, Assistant Public Defender, and adjunct professor at both her alma mater, Stetson University Col- lege of Law in Gulfport and Cooley Law School in Riverview.
Attorney Coy has served as president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association, a member of the Mayor’s African American Advisory Council and many professional organ- izations in the legal field, and as both a hearing officer and Civil Service Board attorney for the City of Tampa.
Attorney Coy earned her law degree from Stetson after graduating magna cum laude from Florida A&M University in 2002.
She stepped away from her own private law practice in early 2020 as she battled metastatic breast cancer. With her cancer now under control, she has emerged ready to step up to this new challenge.
“We all know that the jus- tice system has had its flaws. So the ability to be able to get into this and try to correct some of those errors—whether they were intentional or unin- tentional — is really a dream job for me and a great culmi- nation of my life’s work so far.
“There are only five units like this in the state, so to have
ATTORNEY THERESA JEAN-PIERRE COY
a State Attorney’s Office that's willing to be at the forefront of this is an amazing opportu- nity,” Attorney Coy said.
Attorney Coy will take over the CRU as its fulltime leader soon after being sworn in as an Assistant State Attor- ney.
Assistant State Attorney Teresa Hall served as the CRU’s initial Supervising At- torney and developed it into a national model emulated by a growing number of prosecu- tor’s offices across the United States. Attorney Hall has continued to oversee the CRU while transitioning to another leadership role as Division Chief for one of the office’s Felony divisions.
Members of the general public, attorneys, and inmates can submit cases for review by Hillsborough’s Conviction Re- view Unit, or CRU. Since its founding just over four years ago, the CRU has reviewed 398 convictions. In nearly every case, the review confirmed that the conviction was correct and justice was served — how- ever, CRU reviews have prompted prosecutors to seek reversals of wrongful convic- tions in three cases, including the case of Robert DuBoise, who spent nearly 37 years be- hind bars for a murder he did not commit.
“This position is vital and should be part of every prose- cutor’s office—any wrongful conviction undermines our en- tire justice system and threat- ens public safety. If an innocent person is behind bars, that means the guilty person is still out there,” At- torney Warren said.
For more information on Hillsborough’s CRU, visit the Hillsborough County State At- torney’s website.
Mayor Jane Castor with the winners from 2021.
The annual contest has begun accepting art and po- etry submissions from stu- dents in grades 3 to 12, representing Tampa schools, homeschooling, the Mac- Donald Training Center and other City of Tampa pro- grams.
The contest, now enter- ing its 17th year, is an out- reach education program that encourages participants to promote environmental stewardship through impor- tance of the 3R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle; a message conveyed in the submitted
artwork and poems.
Winning artwork will be displayed on recy- cling collection vehicles and winning poetry will be displayed at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
“Every year we continue to be astounded by the in- credible talent, words, and visuals created by our appli- cants," said Edgar Castro Tello, a recycling specialist for the City of Tampa.
All artwork and po- etry must be submitted online or in person by February 4th, 2022.
For instructions, rules, and regulations on the 3R’s Art & Poetry Contest, please visit the website at tampa.gov/3Rs.
Due to the Department’s limited-service area, only students attending a school or living within Solid Waste service area are eligible to apply.
Be advised that not all addresses containing Tampa, FL as the city lie within the Department’s service area; to confirm, please visit the website above.
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