New District Attorney Tanner Rouse takes helm, lays out vision

Part of Monday’s swearing in ceremony included a changing of the guard at the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, where former First Assistant Tanner Rouse now takes the mantle as the top law enforcer in the county.

Rouse, 42, Swarthmore, who served for six years under outgoing DA Jack Stollsteimer, was technically sworn-in Friday in a much smaller ceremony ahead of the pomp and circumstance of Monday’s affair.

He took up the position after Stollsteimer won a seat on Common Pleas Court in November under a somewhat new state law that automatically appoints the first assistant to fill the remaining term of any outgoing district attorney.

Rouse, a Chester County native, eared his Juris Doctorate from Fordham University before joining the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in October 2010. He remained there for seven years before moving on to doing civil work for about 18 months in private practice.

There was good money to be made there, Rouse said, but it was never really a good fit. So when Stollsteimer called him somewhat out of the blue to be his first assistant, they both took something of a leap of faith.

“And obviously I’m incredibly grateful that he took that chance on me and I’m incredibly grateful that we both took that leap, because I think that it’s worked out very well and certainly I’m really proud of the work we’ve done,” Rouse said.

Rouse said he was able to bring Philadelphia’s “zone system” with him in helping to implement some of Stollsteimer’s key efforts, like investing in the special victims unit, developing diversionary efforts, drastically reducing gun violence in Chester and dismantling violent gangs in several smaller municipalities like Darby, Collingdale, and Sharon Hill.

There has also been a focus on demonstrating care for the community by going out into it and simply talking to people, Rouse said.

“I don’t do this job from behind a desk,” he said. “… I think demonstrating that commitment and that care by being more present in those communities and not by being kind of the big, scary law enforcement agency on the hill, but by being a part of those communities is incredibly important. I’ve seen the value of it first-hand. I saw it in Philadelphia and certainly I’ve seen it out here too.”

Now it will be Rouse’s vision to implement as he sees fit, and he has already begun talking with surrounding suburban counties to solidify a more regional approach to helping people, as well as making some new appointments inside the office.

Kristen Kemp, former head of Special Victims Unit, now moves up to first assistant DA. Danielle Nispel replaces her as deputy district attorney overseeing SVU, while longtime ADA Mike Hill takes up the DDA position for diversions and Shuaiyb Newton replaces Stephanie Wills as deputy of trials.

Rouse said he would also appoint a DDA just for Upper Darby, which appears to be the next area of focus for the office. Unlike the “focused deterrence” model employed in Chester, Rouse said Upper Darby will require a different approach, which will become apparent in the next few weeks and months.

Drawing in that talent, much of it from other districts, is what Rouse considers his greatest contribution to the office so far. As for what that team will do over the next two years, Rouse said it would be “an evolution, not a revolution.”

Which is to say it will look much the same, with a focus on Chester, but perhaps a shift of what that focus looks like.

Diversionary programs are going to be crucial in helping people become meaningful, contributing members of society, Rouse said, so expect those to become even more robust under Hill.

“One of the things that I’m most proud of and one of the things that I have most emphasized is that you can have it both ways,” Rouse said about balancing punishment and rehabilitation. “We are demonstrating that every single day, and if anyone wants to figure out how, we will tell you, because it was formulaic. We weren’t inventing these things whole cloth. We had to be kind of be bespoke with it, because every place is different, but we were following the plan that has worked before and will work again, and it worked here.”

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