Daniel M. Donovan Jr. took office as Richmond County District Attorney on January 1, 2004.  A native Staten Islander with more than 20 years of public service, Mr. Donovan has established a proven record of leadership and advocacy for the people of Staten Island.

As District Attorney, Daniel Donovan implemented innovative policies targeting crime on Staten Island, while leading the City of New York in felony conviction rates six out of his seven years in office.  Mr. Donovan has aggressively prosecuted drunk drivers, graffiti vandals and those who prey on senior citizens and children.  He has used digital billboards to display the mug shots of convicted shoplifters to help thwart theft at the Staten Island Mall.  He has proposed legislation to toughen laws against domestic violence offenders and to make it easier to prosecute “deadbeat parents.”  He has also co-authored legislation with Congressman Michael Grimm that creates a federal prescription drug database to help stop the abuse of painkillers.  He recently started a cooperative endeavor with the media to capture some of the borough’s “Most Wanted Fugitives,” which resulted in the apprehension of one violent suspect within the first two weeks

Under Mr. Donovan’s leadership, his office has obtained the borough’s first indictment, arrest and conviction as the result of the “John Doe DNA Indictment Initiative,” which is aimed at preventing sex offenders from using the statute of limitations to escape prosecution; filed the second bias crime indictment in New York State for a crime against the elderly; and obtained the first felony conviction in the state under Stephanie’s Law, which targets video voyeurs.  In 2004, the Staten Island District Attorney’s office also led the city in the conviction and incarceration of Megan’s Law violators.  Fulfilling a commitment he made to the borough, Mr. Donovan also established the borough’s first formal witness protection program.

District Attorney Donovan’s record of success earned the recognition of his fellow District Attorneys in New York State in 2008, when they elected him to serve as President of the New York State District Attorney’s Association.  He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the DAANY.

Before being elected District Attorney, Mr. Donovan served as the Chief of Staff to S.I. Borough President Guy V. Molinari for six years and as Deputy Borough President under James Molinaro. During that time, Mr. Donovan served as chairman of the Staten Island September 11th Memorial Advisory Committee and as the Borough President's liaison to the Department of Education, the uniform services of New York City and the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management.

Prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff, Mr. Donovan served with distinction as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office.  In his nearly eight years under Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, Dan Donovan prosecuted major narcotics cases throughout the City and served as senior trial counsel.

District Attorney Donovan earned his Juris Doctorate cum laude from Fordham University School of Law in 1988, where he was a member of the Fordham Law Review, and his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University in Staten Island.