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New Protocol For Agency That Sent Death Reports To Nowhere

New York's oversight agency for the disabled in state care says it updated email lists following an Associated Press story that a district attorney didn't receive nine reports of suspicious deaths sent over the past three years.

The Justice Center said Friday that it has established a more robust protocol that requires notifications to be sent directly to each district attorney and one designee, followed by phone calls to ensure they were received.

The Suffolk County DA's office says it found that notifications of nine deaths with suspected abuse and neglect were sent to the dormant private email address of an assistant prosecutor.

None of the deaths have led to criminal prosecutions.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.