Dust settles after dozens fired from Philadelphia district attorney's office

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The dust was starting to settle Monday following last week's firing of dozens of prosecutors from the Philadelphia district attorney's office.

The cuts came just days after new D.A. Larry Krasner was sworn in.

In all 31 prosecutors, chiefly from the ranks of those at odds with Krasner's progressive priorities - including his opposition to the death penalty - were let go.

Others let go included unit supervisors who also did not fit into Krasner's game plan.

Criminal lawyers on Monday downplayed the impact of the move.

"This is not something unusual, only because it's a new philosophy of the D.A. Everybody makes such a deal out of it, but it happens all the time around the country when a new D.A. comes in," said attorney Jack McMahon.

A spokesman for the president judge of common pleas court says there were no known disruptions to the court's operations Monday.

Krasner is making it a point of to stay out of the public eye. A source said Krasner is planning to name some major new murder squad personnel late this week.

Some are expected to be staffers who left the D.A.'s office years ago but are ready to return as reformers.

"He's progressive in the sense he going to initiate the kind of programs that are in tune with the times. I think that's going to do well for the city of Philadelphia, for the victims as well as for the defendants who may come to the courthouse," said criminal lawyer Nin Tinari.

Krasner did appoint a new supervisor of victim services, Movita Johnson-Harrell. She is both the mother and the daughter of homicide victims.

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