Mr. Paulus was a worthy adversary in court. He was a tough as nails negotiator, and his dedication to the people of the State of Florida and Dade County as a public servant was nonparell. The people of Dade County are immeasurably better because of his service.
We invite those prosecutors and friends who worked closely with him to write in with their memories.
The Herald article is here.
The Captain informed us:
If you want to give a donation, they can be made to the David Paulus Family Trust and mailed to David Kahn, Esq. at Green & Kahn, 317 71st St., Miami Beach, FL 33141.
I will mostly miss David because of the week we spent on a recruiting trip. He showed a kindness and concern for others that he could hardly express as a gang and narcotics prosecutor.
We spent a great deal of down time speaking about his family and the things that were truly important to him. I learned more about the soul of this fine man than I ever could at the office.
It was obvious that David was a most decent person who was a prosecutor for only one reason: he cared.
We spent a great deal of down time speaking about his family and the things that were truly important to him. I learned more about the soul of this fine man than I ever could at the office.
It was obvious that David was a most decent person who was a prosecutor for only one reason: he cared.
I battled with David many times. He was a very worthy adversary, tough as nails but always professional and the tax payers were very well served. Such a sad loss. Passing away at 46...really puts things in perspective.
19 comments:
I want to make sure I am clear about this- I did not know Mr. Paulus well, and it would be disingenuous to write a lengthy obituary when I really didn't know him. He was tough as a negotiator, he was doggedly committed to his ideals and enforcing the law and his dedication was very admirable. But outside of some difficult negotiations I did not know him well. I am not writing less about him because he is a prosecutor. I sincerely hope lots of his friends and colleagues write in and I will post some of the best on the front page.
HR.
Great guy. He was endearingly called "Dr. No" because he would frequently answer no during plea negotiations. Always kept his word. He was one of us. He will be missed.
A real straight shooter. Never let his toughness as a prosecutor affect his friendly demeanor. RIP
Another REGB cancer victim. When will a study be done?
I remember going to David for pleas on the "green" files. He would press you hard on the facts and adhear to a well known set of guidlines, unless there was a reason to deviate. That actually made the process much more predictable and fair.
But he was no automaton, and he trusted the judgment of the pit prosecutors. After litigating a motion to suppress that I thought went pretty poorly, simply on that assessment, he authorized a wh and probation in a 15 yr mm case. That level of trust and reason was hard to cone by in comparrison to other areas of the office.
A real loss for the people of Miami Dade.
D
Reprinted, with permission from The Captain.
The Captain Reports:
VERY SAD NEWS ....
I have been told by a close friend that, unfortunately, ASA David Paulus has finally lost his battle with brain cancer. Our prayers go out to his wife Nina and their three children. Just like with his job, David fought like hell to beat this dreaded disease, but in the end, it was just too much.
Those of us fortunate enough to know David, outside of the office, know that he was a warm and caring soul and a great dad to his children. He was always a tough competitor in the ring/courtroom, but he always fought fair.
I have been told that there is a fund being set up and administered by David's closest friend, David Kahn.
If you want to give a donation, they can be made to the David Paulus Family Trust and mailed to David Kahn, Esq. at Green & Kahn, 317 71st St., Miami Beach, FL 33141.
We will all miss him greatly. He was 46 years old.
Cap Out .....
Wednesday, February 01, 2012 6:21:00 PM
I battled with David many times. He was a very worthy adversary, tough as nails but always professional and the tax payers were very well served. Such a sad loss. Passing away at 46...really puts things in perspective.
I worked closely with David when he was my supervisor in the narcotics unit at the SAO. He was both a great boss and an all-around great guy. I am so, so sorry to hear about his death, and will keep his family in my thoughts and prayers.
David Nozick
Munster, IN
When I was a B prosecutor, I went to David for min man waivers on trafficking cases. He was a great guy, great mentor and he will be missed!
I will mostly miss David because of the week we spent on a recruiting trip. He showed a kindness and concern for others that he could hardly express as a gang and narcotics prosecutor.
We spent a great deal of down time speaking about his family and the things that were truly important to him. I learned more about the soul of this fine man than I ever could at the office.
It was obvious that David was a most decent person who was a prosecutor for only one reason: he cared.
Nice Gut, Straight Shooter. His word was good. Tragic for his family.
DS
Really, really sad and tragic.
David was very tough, but very fair and quite professional. He had the rare skill of being a very zealous advocate but not taking anything personally. We had our battles, but he was always friendly and professional. When there were issues with cases, he acted accordingly and reasonably.
Abe is right--David was a prosecutor because he cared. He could have easily been a stellar lawyer in private practice making far more than he did at the SAO. He was taken from us far too soon--my condolences to his family.
I worked with David for four years as a narcotics prosecutor. He was a great mentor. He helped me become a better prosecutor, but more importantly a better person. David loved his job and loved serving the people of this community. David was well respected by judges, his peers, the defense bar,and the law enforcement community.
In addition to being a dedicated public servant, David was a great human being. David loved his family. He always spoke so highly of his wife and kids. He was so proud to be a husband and a father.
David will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. May you rest in peace.
If you ask him on any given day what are you doing David ?he would say "Keeping the streets safe". David was an amazing person, friend, and boss. He was a great teacher for Young attorney and cops a like. He will be missed. Miss you Dr. No
I worked with David in the narcotics unit for several years. He was everything we should aspire to be - a good spouse, a good parent, a good friend and a good lawyer. He wasn't afraid to do the right thing. I will never forget sitting in his office and chatting about his baby girl Elizabeth and about taking the boys hunting. He was such an amazing family man. He will be missed.
JRH
David you will be missed, I will always remember,how every year you use to take all the secretaries out for lunch on secretaries day for lunch, I will always remember your Bambi chilli & how you always wanted us to try it, I couldn't b/c it reminded me of Bambi, I'm sure it was great. I also remember when you use to bounce the ball on the wall every day, I know my desk was right across your office. David was a great prosecutor and family man, he adored his family.
David may you rest in peace & I will always have you and your family in my thoughts & prayers
You will be missed
I just found this blog after 4 years I am 13 now and I know its late but I wanted to say thank you to all the people who supported my family and wrote these things. He really was the best parent and lawyer and I still miss him everyday. I also wanted to give thanks to the people who worked at the Justice Building with my dad because you gave him the best years of his life working there and sometimes I still think he is gonna come back from there with his briefcase. I remember take your child to work day and walking around the office talking to his co workers and friends I remember looking through some files and playing with the badges he had in his office. I am really proud of the man he was and I wish he could have seen me now and helped protect the streets. He fought a long battle and actually lived longer than he was supposed to I remember the hospital visits. I also remember the people working at the Justice Building and his co workers supported us and gave us comfort and brought food and flowers for him even when he was really sick. Thank you for giving him the chance to protect people and bring justice for as long as he could and I think the world just stopped for a second when such an amazing person died as young as 46. My family and I are doing good for ourselves though we haven't forgotten about him though who could but we are well and from time to time I come to this blog and look at the comments his friends and co workers wrote about him because I know what a spectacular person he was. I hope everybody at the Justice Building is doing is doing well and I hope that some still remember that goofy lawyer known as "Dr. No". I hope to visit the Justice Building one day to remember the place he used to work at and where he made so many memories and accomplishments. I love him and I know many of the people at the Justice Building loved him too for bring justice to homes and to the streets. This is all I have to say for now but I hope you all are having a amazing day and stay safe always:) From, Elisabeth Rogers-Paulus
Elisabeth
You sound like a fine young lady. It's been almost five years since your father's passing. Your father was a great guy who had the kinda of integrity that others should aspire to have. I am sure your father is watching over you and he must be very proud.
C. Baaske
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