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Lammons appreciates support for DA campaign

I, Ben Lammons, am running for district attorney because of my conviction that we need a change in leadership. The current DA office has not improved outcomes for victims of sexual and physical violence. Without change, lenient offers to child molesters, serial rapists and other violent offenders will continue.

For 21 years, I have worked hard to secure justice for crime victims. Working in all three criminal justice systems in Southwest Colorado has provided me with a good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each system. Tribal courts are better at restorative justice. Federal courts are best at incarceration. State courts, handling the bulk of criminal cases, fall somewhere in the middle.

It is essential that the district attorney strike the right balance between restorative justice and protection of the community. The district attorney plays a major role in shaping consequences for each defendant who commits a crime. I believe my experience as a prosecutor places me between the two extremes.

I have worked with law enforcement agencies in many parts of Colorado. Fourteen of my 21 years as a prosecutor have been spent in state courts. Members of the local Fraternal Order of Police have recognized my accomplishments and endorsed me. The quality of the district attorney has a measurable impact on the life and safety of our community. Experience matters.

For the past eight years, I have served as the Southern Ute Tribal Prosecutor on a reservation that spans 1,100 square miles and extends into three counties. I handle 500 cases per year, making all budget and personnel decisions. I have the largest caseload of any prosecutor in the region. As the only prosecutor on the reservation, the outcome in every case is my responsibility. During my tenure, the tribal prosecutor's office has gone from winning less than 10 percent of its jury trials to winning more than 60 percent of its jury trials.

We have restored the tribal community's faith in the criminal justice system by showing fairness for defendants and compassion for victims and their families. This was accomplished by reaching out to tribal elders, tribal youth, certified addiction counselors and community members and listening to them. Our Wellness Court is the best drug court in the region, offering the most extensive support to clients. We have helped many addicts get into recovery and remain sober. When the offender takes responsibility for his actions, restorative justice is most likely to succeed. But non-repentant serious offenders must be dealt with rigorously to protect our community.

I am running for district attorney to achieve the same kind of turnaround. I will work to expand services in the drug court and the mental health courts. I will follow court orders, so that important cases do not have to be retried, adding costs to the taxpayer and re-traumatize crime victims. I will not turn away from prosecuting serious cases. I will engage with community members, so I am certain that our plea offers are both fair to the defendants and protect the community.

Nationally, a recent case involving a Stanford student who raped an unconscious woman and received only six months in jail has sparked public outrage and rightly so. By comparison, our DA office offered a man who raped an unconscious woman a plea bargain for 90 days in jail and probation. As your district attorney, I pledge to protect the community from such violent serious offenders.

I encourage you to examine the records of both candidates and vote your conscience in the current primary election.

Ben Lammons

Durango