Bragg to create special vics unit with prosecutor

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the creation of a new special victims unit Monday to be overseen by a chief prosecutor implementing a new approach to cases involving survivors of sex abuse.

Bragg’s former chief of trials, Joyce Smith, will lead the Special Victims Division, comprising the sex crimes, domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking and elder abuse units.

In an email to the office’s 1,300 staffers shared with the Daily News, Bragg said the reorganization intends to place “the dignity and wellbeing of survivors at the center of our work.”

“Our new organizational structure — along with the forthcoming dedication of resources commensurate with a division in the Office — represent a significant step toward best supporting our survivor-centered and trauma-informed practice,” the DA wrote.

Smith was previously the acting Nassau County District Attorney and sat on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. She prosecuted domestic violence cases and worked for the Family Justice Center in the Bronx before joining the Manhattan DA’s office.

Veteran prosecutor Lisa DelPizzo will replace Smith as head of the trial division.

“I already have started to rely on Lisa’s wise counsel, and I am confident that Lisa is the right person to lead the Trial Division going forward,” said Bragg.

Bragg named Niki Blumberg as his new chief of the sex crimes unit, which he promised to overhaul during his two-year campaign for district attorney. Blumberg formerly oversaw the DA’s child abuse unit.

The announcement came on the same day former Columbia University gynecologist Robert Hadden pleaded not guilty to new federal charges of abusing patients. Hadden received a no-jail plea deal from the DA in 2016, making him one of several high-profile offenders who gave the sex crimes division a reputation of allowing elite suspects to skate with slaps on the wrist.

Former DA Cy Vance Jr. allowed Hadden to cop to sexual abuse charges for molesting two female patients even though prosecutors were investigating accusations from over a dozen women. More than 200 of Hadden’s former patients have now come forward. Manhattan federal prosecutors have charged him with enticing minors to his practice from out of state.

Advocates have also criticized the office’s handling of sex crimes for its attempt to reduce Jeffrey Epstein’s sex offender status in 2011 and the decision not to prosecute Harvey Weinstein in 2015, before the #MeToo movement.