BY BTL STAFF
DETROIT – Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy will be honored on Nov. 16 during the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation's 12th annual Archer Award event. The Dennis W. Archer Award is presented annually to an attorney or jurist who has followed an exemplary career of public service, according to Archer Award Co-Chair Kathleen Lang of Dickinson Wright. "Our Foundation created the Archer Award event for two main reasons. The first is to recognize outstanding legal professionals who exemplify the highest ideals of our profession – people who have made serving others the cornerstone of their working lives," Lang said in a press release. "The second, equally important, reason for this event is that it raises funds for our own collective public service work, including free monthly legal clinics and the work of our foster children's organization, For The Seventh Generation."
According to the DMBA Foundation, Worthy is being recognized for her "heroic efforts to clean up a shocking backlog of untested rape kits, to her office's dedication to protecting vulnerable groups like senior citizens and LGBT individuals." Under Worthy's leadership, Detroit saw the nation's most ambitious and effective response to its rape kit backlog – 11,431 to be exact. As of March 2016, roughly 10,000 rape kits have been tested in Detroit. Worthy has been recognized for her ability to transform the "entire culture of law enforcement" and spearhead the push for concreate legal and procedural reforms in jurisdictions nationwide. Read more about how Worthy helped Detroit become the leader of a movement. Worthy's Elder Abuse Unit, the first of its kind in the history of the prosecutor's office, allows her team to make fighting crimes against vulnerable victims, such as senior citizens, a priority.
At a news conference in July, Worthy announced the formation of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, a collaboration between Fair Michigan and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. The program will help Worthy and law enforcement investigate crimes against the LGBT community. More importantly, prosecute those crimes that Worthy said "often go unreported by the LGBT community and can be more difficult than other cases to solve." FMJP will now investigate and prosecute new and cold homicide cases, criminal sexual conduct, carjacking, armed robbery, assault with intent to murder, and other crimes involving LGBT victims who were targeted based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The project is funded through a grant by the Hertz Schram law firm. These accomplishments and more will be acknowledged at the Archer Award gala which includes a strolling supper, open bar, and an opportunity to network and socialize with other legal and business professionals at a landmark Detroit location to be announced in early September. Event reservations are $150 per person and are available online.
