Each of the 87 counties in Minnesota elects an official to be the chief policymaker and manager for its county attorney’s office. Duties of the County Attorney’s Office include enforcing the United States’ and Minnesota Constitutions, through state and local law, by prosecuting adult crimes and juvenile delinquency matters. The County Attorney’s Office also represents Scott County Human Services in child protection matters, enforces delinquent child support, and provides civil legal counsel for county administration. The County Attorney’s Office also provides support to witnesses and victims of crimes. Additionally, the County Attorney is an important voice to lobby the Minnesota Legislature on behalf of Scott County citizens regarding justice system legislation.

Prosecutors must make moral, ethical, and tactical decisions about whether charges should be filed in every single case submitted by law enforcement. A determination must be made to determine whether involvement in the justice system is necessary to protect public safety. When

the decision is made to bring that person into the system, the prosecutor continues to have a responsibility to ensure a just resolution. In many cases, this means zealously advocating for victims and public safety, through a trial and conviction if necessary. This also means prosecutors should seek creative solutions and collaborate with justice partners to achieve outcomes that reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and save taxpayer dollars.

Repeatedly sending offenders with mental health or chemical dependency problems to jail and releasing them without treatment is bound to result in additional interaction with the justice system, wasting resources. Treating that individual, so they can work and pay taxes, allows those resources to be redirected to public safety threats, such as domestic abusers and intoxicated drivers.

Change is always a challenge within any organization. Change in an organization that prosecutes the most dangerous criminals in society is even more of a challenge. In order to ensure change is most effective, and to ensure critical operations are not disrupted, I would spend the first three months of my term in office conducting an internal evaluation of all the policies and procedures of the County Attorney’s Office.

This would begin with employee feedback, through one-on-one meetings and anonymous surveys, to assess work culture and identify staff concerns. Policies such as remote work and job duties are critical for job satisfaction and recruitment/retention of employees.

I also want to take time to collaborate with justice partners on large initiatives such as Children and Families Division. An initiative such as this cannot be carried out solely in the County Attorney’s office. It will require input and cooperation from Scott County judges, Human Services, and juvenile probation. As a law student, I collaborated across county agencies to create the Scott County Veterans Treatment Court. I’m confident we can continue to collaborate to implement the reforms I have proposed.