Retiring Judge Dale Ross threw his memories away.
Pictures of him with notables that hung on his office wall for years are shredded.
Plaques awarded during 35 years on the Broward bench – half of them as chief judge — are in the dumpster. Knickknacks from his desk are trashed.
“These past 35 years have been a heck of a ride,” Ross, 69, wrote in his resignation letter to the governor.
Under almost constant attack for years from members of the Criminal Defense Bar, Ross was criticized for his alleged bellicose demeanor. Public Defender Howard Finkelstein was particularly harsh, branding Ross as insensitive to the poor.
Yet it was Ross who approved many of the innovative programs in today’s Broward Courthouse.
He can be credited for the Drug Court, which offered offenders treatment as an alternative to jail. The Mental Health and Domestic Violence Courts were formed under Ross’s Administration.
“He was an innovator,” criminal defense attorney Michael Ahearn said.
