Although I try to be balanced in this column, my interests are often defense-oriented. So for this installment, I thought I’d do something a little different and give the prosecution a chance.

What follows is my interview with Stephen D. Crump, who serves as the executive director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference (TNDAGC). He was named executive director by Tennessee’s 32 district attorneys general in March 2023. At the time he was the elected district attorney for the 10th Judicial District. He was also my classmate in the University of Tennessee College of Law Class of 1993, so we’ve known each other for 33 years!

Many people might not know much about the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. What is the TNDAGC and what is its mission?

The Conference was created in 1961 to serve the functional needs of the Tennessee’s district attorneys general. We serve as the governmental liaison to all the other government agencies, the governor and the Tennessee General Assembly. We provide human resources, fiscal and information technology support to over 1300 employees across the 32 Judicial Districts. We also provide both basic and advanced training across multiple platforms to our assistant district attorneys general, our victim witness coordinators and our criminal investigators. Our Legal Services division provides a weekly case law update and coordinates and handles conflict cases from across the state. The Conference provides the same services to the Child Support Enforcement divisions of the 21 offices that have child support responsibilities as well.

What do you do as the executive director?

My job as executive director is to function in many ways as a CEO. The Executive Committee of elected district attorneys general serves as a board of directors. They set the overall policy for the operation of the Conference. Each district attorney general is an independent constitutional officer and not subject to oversight or discipline from the Conference; however, my job is to provide them with guidance and servant leadership on both operational and policy decisions. I oversee almost 50 employees in the TAGC office. We have eight divisions: Fiscal, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal Services, Legislative, Training, Child Support and Communications. Those divisions all service the state from the Nashville Conference Office.

Tell us a little bit about your background and how you were chosen as the executive director.

I was born and raised in Bradley County, Tennessee. After my graduation from Bradley Central High School, I attended Carson Newman University (then College) and then the University of Tennessee College of Law where I graduated in 1993. I returned home to practice law and after a few years in private practice I was hired by former District Attorney General Jerry Estes as an assistant district attorney. I served until 2006 when I ran for DA following the retirement of AG Estes. I lost that election and returned to private practice. In 2014, I was appointed as DA by then Gov. Bill Haslam and was then elected to a full term later that same year. I served on the Justice & Professionalism Committee and as the Chairman of the Legislative Committee for most of my time as DA. I was reelected in 2022 for a second term.

Following the surprise announcement by our former Executive Director Guy Jones that he was retiring, I was asked by several of my fellow DAs to consider serving in that position. At our June 2023 Annual Meeting, I was unanimously elected by my colleagues to serve in this position.

You were the elected district attorney for the 10th Judicial District when you took this position, what made you want to make the change?

Leaving the DA’s office was the hardest professional decision I have ever made. I truly loved every day that I was able to serve. The trust given to me twice by the citizens of the 10th Judicial District is the highest professional honor, rivaled only by the trust Tennessee’s DAs gave me by choosing me for this role. As we approached selecting a new executive director, it was clear that we all wanted someone who had been elected as a DA in Tennessee. We were looking for someone to give a vision to the Conference and move the TNDAGC forward both in service and mission. As I prayed about the decision, the choice in my mind became clearer and clearer. I believed that I knew the areas where I wanted to change the dynamic of the Conference and believed that, while I did not understand entirely, God had given me a great opportunity to serve the entire state as well as a group of men and women that I truly admired, respected and considered by friends.

What do you do on a day-to-day basis as the executive director?

My day-to-day schedule varies pretty drastically depending on the time of year it is. From January until the General Assembly adjourns in April or May, most of my energy is spent on passing our legislative package and pushing our budget initiatives. I spend a great deal of time advising individual legislators and staffers on bills or public safety issues and seeking solutions for the problems they are seeking to address. From the day the legislature adjourns until the fall, I prepare our budget for a year ahead. So now, I am preparing our FY 25-26 budget.

On any given day, I usually work with all the divisions in the Conference as we try to achieve our strategic vision for each division and improve efficiency. Each division has different goals and missions to accomplish, but they all have to work together in as a cohesive team. Much of my job is to work with my deputy directors and the directors of the divisions to integrate their efforts into a singular team effort.

My favorite part of the job is working with the DAs to solve a problem in their district or to help them achieve a goal that they have set. I enjoy taking their problems and putting my team in the flow to give them options and answers. I also very much enjoy the work with other government agencies and officials to move Tennessee forward and increase public safety. Working with the Office of the Attorney General, TBI, Gov. Lee’s office, the Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Safety, the sheriffs and police chiefs of Tennessee is an incredibly rewarding way to serve the people of Tennessee.

Do you have a lot of interaction with the legislature and other executive branch officials?

Under the statutes that created the TNDAGC, we are statutorily charged with advising the General Assembly on matters of criminal law and public safety. I have almost daily interaction with members of the legislature, Speaker Sexton’s office, and Lt. Governor, McNally’s office. We have advised on virtually all the bills touching public safety in the last General Assembly. Much of my planning involves passing our legislative and budgetary priorities.

What are some of the legislative priorities for the Conference?

Our most consistent priority has been seeking resources. We have been well short of the number of assistant district attorneys in every weighted caseload study performed. We are always looking for ways to add resources to more effectively serve Tennessee. More Assistant DAs means less delay for victims, defendants and the public. It means we can get to the right answer more quickly. Increasingly, however, our resource needs involve technology. With body worn cameras, digital evidence and electronic storage becoming a large part of the evidence we deal with, we need the technical tools to review, assess, compile and present the evidence contained within these media.

We have worked for several years to revise and streamline the elder and vulnerable adult law. Elder abuse is a serious issue, and the cases will only continue to grow as the population ages. We have worked to increase the penalties for methamphetamine and fentanyl sales. Most recently we have looked to find better ways to prosecute overdose deaths.

We have worked for many years to see “truth-in-sentencing” legislation enacted. Every year we look to close loopholes in the criminal code as well as amend it to protect Tennessee citizens against emerging crimes.

Each year, the full membership develops a legislative agenda that we try to move forward and pass.

You’ve been in private practice, been on the front lines as an assistant district attorney, an elected district attorney and now the executive director of the TNDAGC; what changes have you seen in the criminal justice system since you have been practicing?

There have been so many changes since I started. The most pervasive is the use of technology, both in the office and in the evidence we review and present. At the beginning of my career, fingerprint analysis and basic forensics were the main tools of criminal justice. When I began, DNA was still very basic in its application and now we have moved to Rapid DNA technology and “touch” DNA. The ability to replicate DNA has revolutionized both the prosecution and defense of criminal cases. It has both speeded up and slowed down litigation. In the end analysis, Tennessee is safer and the system is better for its advancement and ubiquitous use.

The system has become much more detail oriented in its preservation of both defendants and victim’s rights. Victims are largely a forgotten group, and the enactments of the Crime Victims Bill of Rights was a major step forward for giving victims more of a voice in their cases and in their litigation.

What are some of your biggest challenges in this role?

I think the biggest challenge is trying to navigate the various interests that are involved in the criminal justice system. It is far more than just prosecutors, law enforcement and the criminal defense bar. Mental health experts, substance abuse recovery providers, private contractors, national political interest groups and many more all seek to influence the direction of criminal justice legislation and practice. All these groups have their own agendas and pursuing our legislative initiative and competing for state resources is a significant challenge.

Within the Conference, the biggest challenge is managing the budget. The learning curve for the budget was steep for me. I spent a fair amount of time just familiarizing myself with the various components of the budget. Our statewide budget is over $200 million. The needs of the district offices are diverse and often time sensitive. Providing for the needs of the districts and trying to anticipate future needs is a definite challenge.

The budget process is arduous and those who vote or set your budget are demanding in our justifying any enhancements in our budget. Our budget goes through multiple hearings before both the administration and the legislature. Each department’s requests are thoroughly vetted.

What is the Conference’s role in providing pro tem prosecutors and what are some of the reasons it is necessary for a pro tem to be appointed?

The Conference provides pro tempore prosecutors under two circumstances: The District Attorney can determine that they have a conflict and request that either another DA prosecute the case or request that the Conference appoint a district attorney pro tempore. The only ground for recusal is where the elected DA has a legal conflict. The appearance of impropriety is not a ground for recusal and Supreme Court Rule of Professional Conduct 1.11 sets our special rules for recusal of government lawyers.

Once a DA requests our office appoint another prosecutor, the statute provides that I can serve as the pro tem or can appoint another prosecutor from another district. I do not have sufficient time to handle pro tem cases for the most part. Our legal services division manages these cases and Deputy Director Micheal Dunavant finds DAs who are willing to handle the cases and we then have the pro tem enter an order. In other cases, we assign the pro tem to one of the staff pro tem attorneys in Legal Services.

In cases where we appoint another elected DA’s office, we look at geography and the complexity of the case. We try to match cases to offices who can handle the cases efficiently and without undue disruption to their own district caseload. Larger and more complex cases usually are assigned to offices with more personnel to handle the cases.

What would you like the Bar to know about the TNDAGC that I haven’t asked?

While I miss my work as a prosecutor very much, and greatly miss my former staff back in the district, I am blessed to have the opportunity to cast a vision and develop a strategic vision for the Conference. Being able to dream it and then take steps to see it come to fruition is incredibly rewarding. My parents wanted me to go into business and were not thrilled about my study and practice of law. My mother did not see the beauty and promise of the practice of law that I did. I remember she once told me that I should “do something that builds something and not tears something down.” I think today she would be very proud to see what I get to do every day. |||

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WADE DAVIES is the managing partner at Ritchie, Davies, Johnson & Stovall PC in Knoxville. He is a 1993 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. The majority of his practice has always been devoted to criminal defense. Davies is a member of the Tennessee Bar Journal Editorial Board.  

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