What are the top issues facing the prosecutor’s office and how would you address them?

The top issues facing the prosecutor’s office are juvenile crime, an elected prosecutor focused more on political pandering and coddling criminals than victims and protecting the public, and fractured relationships with police and other public safety partners.

Juvenile crime: If you want to see the future of a city, look at the crimes being committed by juveniles today. This is a five-alarm fire: Teens are carjacking, fleeing the police in high-speed chases, killing, and being killed. I will shine a light on our juvenile system and support my deputy prosecutors to enforce clear standards and to stand up for victims and the public in juvenile cases. Teens need to start seeing real consequences sooner in their criminal careers before it’s too late.

Drift from the core mission: The Prosecutor is not a social worker. The office needs a leader focused on the core mission of enforcing the law, delivering justice for victims, and protecting the public–not political trends. This starts with a concerted first-100-days review of cases with the worst repeat offenders to make sure those criminals are aggressively and appropriately charged and that applicable sentence enhancements for habitual offenders and gang members are filed.

Fractured public safety partnerships: The relationship between IMPD and the prosecutor’s office is at an all-time low. As Prosecutor, I will work to rebuild trust with police and other public safety partners because public safety requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. That starts with regular case communication.

How would your office address some of the root issues that can drive crime, such as mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness?

First, we must recognize that many people struggle with mental illness, addiction, poverty, and homelessness without choosing to commit crimes that victimize their neighbors. These obstacles are real and difficult to overcome, and their connection to crime is complicated. But none of these obstacles are an excuse for breaking the minimum standards of conduct in our society and victimizing someone else. The Prosecutor is not a social worker, and the criminal justice system is a poor substitute for families, churches, neighbors, and community groups.

Second, I will restore communication with IMPD and real service providers so addiction, mental health, and street problems get flagged early. But again, these problems do not justify crime.

The city of Indianapolis instituted a curfew for minors in response to juvenile-involved shootings and crime. Do you think this policy has or will lead to a reduction in juvenile crime?

Curfew is a useful but limited tool. I supported strengthening it, but it’s not a solution by itself. Real reduction in juvenile crime requires accountability in the system, parental engagement, and consistent enforcement, with the curfew as a small piece of that. It can reduce some late-night offending at the edges if it is enforced; it will not fix the crisis if juvenile court remains a revolving door.

You called for a special prosecutor to look into the Hogsett administration. Why do you think this is necessary? If you were to take office next year, what actions would you take?

I called for a special prosecutor because the public cannot trust Ryan Mears to handle an investigation into Mayor Hogsett’s administration when Mears clearly wants to run for mayor next year. Making matters worse, he misled the public about the role of the prosecutor’s office in investigations, claiming he cannot investigate based on the Mirror Indy corruption reporting without a police referral. But as outlined in a court’s recent dismissal of a Broad Ripple business tax case, Mears initiated the investigation there with no police referral and far less articulable suspicion. His refusal to be straight with the public about his mayoral run and his office’s role in investigations have boxed Mears into a catch-22: if he investigates and prosecutes, then Hogsett’s allies will call it an attempt to clear a path to mayor for Mears; if he doesn’t, it looks like a cover-up. Whatever he does now will be viewed as political by the public. A special prosecutor fixes that. Additionally, when a special prosecutor is appointed to investigate a public servant, that prosecutor is required to file a public report at the conclusion of their investigation.

If no special prosecutor is assigned when I take office, I will review any investigation completed to date and follow the evidence and the law.

The current prosecutor has said his office will not prosecute women or doctors over abortions. The office also does not file charges over simple marijuana possession. Are there any types of crimes or cases your office would blanketly not pursue charges for? Why or why not?

In Indiana, unlawful abortion is a crime for the doctor who performs it, not for the pregnant mother. Indiana law explicitly exempts a pregnant mother from criminal prosecution for an abortion. Declaring that you will not prosecute women even though Indiana law would not allow prosecution of women anyway is a cynical scare tactic.

I would not have blanket policies nullifying crimes such as marijuana possession or doctors performing unlawful abortions because the prosecutor has an obligation to enforce the law, not to rewrite it. Prioritizing efforts and resources is appropriate, and the county does not have time or resources to pursue a crusade against those smoking joints in their basements. However, the statehouse decides what the law should be, and the Prosecutor cannot ignore crime when presented with evidence. It is corrosive to the rule of law for the Prosecutor to spend more time talking about laws he won’t enforce than about prosecuting criminals.