Why Johnson County Needs Change: A Vision for a Better District Attorney’s Office

We’re less than a week from election day. I’ve said over and over that the last four years have to justify the next four years. I’ve said that the last four years of Steve Howe haven’t justified another term in office. My campaign is about my ideas of how to improve the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office. There are so many areas where we can improve and do better for the people of Johnson County. As District Attorney, here are some of my priorities:

Fentanyl

Work with law enforcement to charge overdose cases – even when they're not perfect. Families deserve justice and inaction is not justice.

Fully engage with drug court and behavioral health court to help break the cycle of addiction. Getting drug addicts sober will help reduce the property crime rate and violent crime rate. It also serves to disrupt the drug economy by reducing demand and profits for dealers.

Partner with law enforcement, community partners, and national awareness groups to find proactive messaging to help educate teenagers and young adults about the dangers of pills.

Violent Crime

I will create a major crimes unit of prosecutors in the office to specialize in handling the most serious cases. Additionally, I will create a unit of investigators who will work on sharing intel with the varying law enforcement agencies in the KC Metro area. By collaborating with agencies in the area, prosecutors will be able to best identify the most dangerous defendants and treat them accordingly.

Transparency

The District Attorney is accountable to the people. As the recent Johnson County Community Survey has shown, the public has lost faith in the District Attorney’s Office over the last four years. To restore that trust, I plan on being much more transparent with the data and statistics of the office. The DA’s office will publish the number of police referrals per year, along with charges, plea bargains, and trial statistics.

I will regularly have forums where the public can speak to the issues they see in their community or with the DA’s office, as well as sending regular communication through email and twitter to keep the community aware of developments in the DA’s office. No more standardized press releases for political gain. 

Traffic

Justice in Johnson County is skewed in favor of those with the money to pay up front. As the cost of life has risen, so has the burden on the average citizen who wants to resolve their tickets. Rather than making people pay for diversion up front, we will make it easier and more accessible to the public to reduce the financial burden.

I am asking for your vote on August 6th, because I refuse to settle for complacency and resting on achievements from a decade ago. There are areas for vast improvement and I have a plan on how to achieve them. That’s why we need change.

-DG