Ama Dwimoh, former Chief and founder of the Brooklyn DA’s Crimes Against Children Bureau, and current Special Counsel to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, has dedicated her life to serving and protecting the people of Brooklyn.
Ama was raised by West African and Native American parents and her upbringing instilled in her the importance of community, a strong dedication to justice and a deep understanding of and appreciation for different cultures. She has used these lessons to serve Brooklyn’s diverse population as both one of the Borough’s most accomplished prosecutors and as a nationally renowned public policy and legal expert.
Ama received her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College before graduating from Georgetown University Law School. From there, instead of going into private practice, she chose to pursue her dedication to public service by joining the Kings County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant DA. She stayed for more than two decades, making history as a Prosecutor and Administrator.
Ama rose quickly through the ranks of the office, starting in the Special Victims Bureau, where she prosecuted domestic violence abusers and perpetrators of sex crimes. She then became a senior felony trial attorney in the Homicide Bureau before being elevated to Deputy Bureau Chief of the office’s Trial Division. Finally, she was named Chief of the Crimes Against Children Bureau – a unit which she created and then ran for 13 years – and Executive Assistant District Attorney.
When Ama Dwimoh founded the Crimes Against Children Bureau, it was the only specialized bureau of its kind in New York, dedicated exclusively to investigating and prosecuting cases of child homicides and child cruelty. Her work with the unit led to major changes in public policy and New York City law, including major reforms at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) agency.
The Bureau also reached beyond the District Attorney’s office to forge community partnerships in order to prevent child abuse and create education programs across Brooklyn. These innovative, progressive programs included the Baby Safe Haven Program, Brooklyn Child Watch, Prosecutors Responding to Child Abuse (C.P.R.) and Project S.A.F.E.
As Chief of the Bureau, Ama fought and won some of the most notorious child abuse cases in New York and the nation, including the case of seven-year-old Nixmary Brown. Nixmary was tortured, molested, beaten, and murdered by her stepfather and biological mother. Ama secured the convictions of both: 29 years for the stepfather and 43 years for the mother.
Following these successes and others, Ama left the Kings County District Attorney’s Office and joined the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, where she works today as special counsel to Borough President Eric Adams. As part of his executive policy team, she continues to work on a wide range of legal and social justice issues that impact the day-to-day lives of Brooklyn residents.
Source: TCJonline.org
