Deb Ryan
After dedicating her entire career to public service, Chester County District Attorney, Deb Ryan, announces her candidacy for judge in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas.
“Serving as the Chester County District Attorney has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” Ryan said. “Since taking office, I have been dedicated to the mission of keeping our communities safe and doing everything in my power as DA to effectuate justice fairly. Now I look forward to the opportunity to serve the county as a fair and impartial jurist committed to the integrity of the courts, the protection of individuals rights, and the due process of law.”
Ryan began her career as a prosecutor in 1998, working as an assistant district attorney in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Since 2006, she served as a prosecutor in the Chester County District Attorney’s Office (DAO), handling thousands of cases including many high-profile matters, such as homicides, sexual assaults, child abuse, domestic violence, gun violence, high-level drug trafficking, and white-collar cases. She was appointed Deputy District Attorney in charge of the Child Abuse Unit in 2013 where she was overseeing all child sexual and physical abuse cases. She was awarded the Chester County Prosecutor of the Year in 2014 for her work with child abuse cases and her positive collaboration with law enforcement.
Ryan has also worked at several nonprofit agencies dedicated to the protection and advancement of children including serving as the county coordinator for the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative at the Crime Victims’ Center. This was the first comprehensive, evidence-based program in Chester County committed to eradicating child sexual abuse through prevention and education programs for children and adults.
In 2019, Ryan made history in Chester County after being elected as the first woman and first Democrat to serve as District Attorney.
“As a result of working smart on crime, I am proud to report that crime in Chester County has decreased by over 10% the past three years. My office has implemented necessary reforms that address critical changes in the criminal justice system, such as combating the drug epidemic by helping those with substance use disorders while prosecuting the high-level drug traffickers who bring this poison into our community. Under my direction, the Chester County DA’s Office has expanded eligibility into our treatment courts; we have one of the most robust mental health courts in the country. My office has increased our efforts to investigate and prosecute the most serious offenders, like our child predators, murderers, gun traffickers, and others who hurt our county’s most vulnerable victims. Most importantly, as DA, I place victims first, treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Since taking office in January 2020, the DAO has successfully apprehended and prosecuted some of the most serious cases in the county’s history. Working in collaboration with over 50 law enforcement agencies including the FBI, OAG, municipal police departments, the PA state police, and others, the DOA has dismantled a human sex trafficking organization, convicted defendants who committed grisly murders of domestic partners and strangers, and prosecuted child abusers at a rate unlike ever before.
Since taking office in 2020, the DAO has increased the number of prevention and education programming for law enforcement, students, and adults throughout the county focusing on child sexual abuse prevention, internet safety, substance use disorders, crime scene forensics, treatment courts, juvenile justice, school safety and security, and elder abuse.
Ryan created the Chester County Law Enforcement Task Force on Race & Justice with the goal of improving relationships between communities of color and law enforcement. The task force has engaged with hundreds of students and adults around the county through workshops, town halls, and symposiums to discuss our criminal justice system, and ways to do better in the community.
Working with Attorney General (now Gov. elect) Josh Shapiro, Ryan implemented the Chester County Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (LETI). LETI provides help to those with substance use disorders get access to free treatment. The goal of the program is to help save lives, reduce recidivism, and destigmatize those who suffer from substance use disorders. Through partnerships with law enforcement, the program has already aided dozens of people battling this epidemic.
Ryan has increased the accessibility of Youth Aid Panels in the county that allows juvenile offenders second chances instead of earning a record that will hinder them for the rest of their lives.
Among the many boards that she serves, she is a member of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, PA District Attorney’s Association, Liberty Mid-Atlantic HIDTA, Chester County Prison Board, Chester County Hero Fund, and the Chester County School Safety and Security Task Force.
I do not support Deb Ryan! Under her leadership my family and I never received justice. My 11 year old daughters room was shot into by 3 men in the morning at 5 am waking my whole family up with terroir. My father having to jump to the ground as bullets flew through the window through the wall reaching two rooms. Thank god no one was hurt. This happened in toughkenamon and was basically covered up no one heard about anything. Even the lead officer cpl Madonna never even finished his case obtaining the damages that were done to our house and only charging two of three men and the ADA on the case yes charged both boys and send one to jail but the one who pulled the trigger never even had to pay for any restitution to us to repair the 9,000 dollars of damage done, not to mention all the hurt and paranoia that this has cause us this senseless act that we still have no answer to and still have bullet hole in our widow due to the price being so high to pay. I have reached out for 3 years now asking everyone and anyone who can help me and requesting to speak to Deb Ryan and no one has cared. The ADA told me in a 15 min conversation that being all the time he could give me that it was his mis take and he doesn’t know why he never mandate a stipulation of restitution at least to pay for our house let alone the pain my 11 year old daughter has been through her now 14 and feels like the cops or the justice system really doesn’t care! Deb Ryan there must be something some one can do to make these men pay for what they did so us as VICTIMS can receive justice! Isn’t that what’s it’s all about.
Is being victims were never given the chance to even make a VICTIMS statement! They never sent us the date of the boys court date so we could go. That is our legal right to be able to testify and that was taken from us as well. W e have been completely left out as Victims. We have not been heard and I’m reaching out to all platform to say that this article isn’t all the way the truth. The things said about Chester county I’m telling you proof as a victim we were so easily over looked they said and not giving justice in 3 years still have 5 bullet hole in our once brand new siding. We deserve to be heard and as victims receive Justice. That was stolen from us. So this so called perfect system they say in this article that they have going on is a lie. I am a home owner is Chester county and I’m here to tell the truth about there system here with justice it is failing us all the time. The southern chester county police do not care about my family’s welll being. I stand with my daughter and family to tell the truth.