Four candidates running for attorney general named crime as the biggest problem facing the state at the Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council’s forum in Baton Rouge on Wednesday. Each acknowledged, to varying degrees, the limited role of the office in law enforcement when it came to how they would deal with this issue if elected.
Criminal cases probably occupy the least amount of work in the AG’s offices, but investigators and lawyers for such cases are staffed. All forum participants have pledged to provide these resources to their local District Attorneys as needed.
Two career prosecutors in the field — District Attorney John Belton of Ruston and Marty Murray of Baton Rouge — boasted of their experience handling the case. Attorney General Liz Marrill spoke about her insight as a second person in the AG office, and State Rep. John Stefanski highlighted his comprehensive experience as a small-town attorney.
Murray was the only candidate who specifically addressed law enforcement needs. Louisiana’s surge in retiring officers hasn’t been replaced by a supply of well-trained officers, he said, suggesting the AG’s office could help prepare inexperienced officers. .
In verifying his credentials, Marley mentioned his successful prosecution of serial killers Derrick Todd Lee and Sean Gillis.
Candidates also spoke about the realities and perceptions of crime. They said it easily offsets the attributes Louisiana can offer homes and businesses.
Marill, who is running to replace her boss and gubernatorial candidate Jeff Landry, said she carries a gun whenever she travels to New Orleans.
“When you walk into a city in our state, you shouldn’t feel like you need to be armed,” she said.
Stefanski said he will contact prosecutors in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport to determine how the AG’s office can assist in their efforts. He suggested that assistant AGs could handle appeals in local criminal cases if district attorneys committed to prosecuting more criminals with freed resources.
Belton, who prosecutes cases in Lincoln and Union Parish, said violent offenders and perpetrators of sex crimes should be targeted first, and that the “compassionate side of justice” should be available to those who can be rehabilitated. Said it should be.
Belton is currently filing criminal charges against five white police officers involved in the May 2019 chasing death of black driver Ronald Greene.
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When asked by PAR President Steven Procopio what they thought of the AG’s office transparency, all four candidates pledged to prioritize access to public meetings and records. In that sense, Murrill highlighted his early career as a journalist before entering law school.
Her boss, Landry, sued a reporter for The Advocate for denying her access to AG records regarding an internal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against one of his top assistants. The judge ruled against Landryforced him to hand over the requested records.
Candidates were also asked about their expected reliance on outside counsel for their official duties. Such contracts have been scrutinized for their price tag and political ties.
Mr Murrill elaborated on the wide range of legal work performed by the AG office. In total, she said, there are about 3,000 pending lawsuits seeking $1 billion in damages in the Risk Division, which deals with lawsuits against states. About 85% of these cases are handled in-house, and the remainder often involve complex litigation requiring specialized legal experts, she said.
Three other candidates made similar commitments to use outside counsel only when necessary.
Asked to differentiate himself from each other, Belton said he was the only non-Republican in the campaign because he doesn’t belong to any party. said.
Murray said he was already doing the work other candidates said they would do, but Murray again brought back his background as a prosecutor and the experience of running his own law firm for more than 30 years. emphasized that
According to campaign finance reports filed earlier this month, Malil has more than $893,000 in cash on hand. Stefanski is next at $645,000, followed by Belton at $419,000 and Marie at $16,000.