As a Republican candidate, I have faced immediate skepticism based on my political affiliation. However, my website, mikewarnerforda.com, outlines my nonpolitical perspective and practical approach to reforming the District Attorney’s office. While I am not a political extremist but rather a career prosecutor, running for public office requires a party affiliation, providing the entire county with a two-party choice. Here is what I foresee and what initiatives I’d like to undertake. Tell me how “extremist” my following proposals are.
- Restore the DA’s office’s basic functionality. Repair relations with victims, courts, and police. Reestablish the office as a protector of people, property, and victims’ rights. Ensure that prosecutors and police enforce the law impartially and without bias.
- Expand restorative and reformation options to include a Veteran’s Treatment Court for service members suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues attributed to their service to the county.
- Extend diversion program options for persons whose alleged unlawful conduct is attributed solely to their poverty status. Diversion will include a requirement of community service, skills training, or employment. Entry will require nonperson offense conduct. This option will focus on helping people to become economically self-sufficient.
- Establish a mental health diversion program for individuals who have not committed person-related severe offenses and whose alleged unlawful conduct arises solely from mental health issues.
- Having the District Attorney’s office handle Probate Court care, treatment, and commitment cases instead of private attorneys being paid with taxpayer money to provide this public service.
- Expand resources for Juvenile Court and juvenile justice, emphasizing accountability and preventing future criminal conduct.
Like all adult diversion options, I would advocate using community service work, education, and skill training options to enhance a juvenile’s future prospects. In the area of juvenile justice, I would encourage work with ATF and local authorities to establish a gun violence intervention strategy to address gun assessability and environmental factors contributing to youth violence. - I would advocate for a special Domestic Violence court in Douglas County District Court. The purpose of such a court would be accountability and the prevention of escalating violence. The program would utilize substance abuse and mental health assessments in conjunction with protecting victims from further harm.
- I would advocate for an online traffic diversion program for qualified, nonmoving infractions so that people would not need to leave work or home to go to court.
- I would support and encourage multidisciplinary public task forces, both private and public, to address any alleged disparity in police or prosecutorial discretion and to further address county factors contributing to crime. Prosecutor candidate Melissa Johnson is currently proposing a similar program in Jackson County, Missouri.
- I would request the establishment of regular community—and law enforcement-based communication sessions to enhance feedback between citizens, law enforcement, and the DA’s office. These sessions will encourage dialogue between citizen concerns and law enforcement and hopefully encourage improved understanding. In Douglas County, there is ongoing controversy concerning biased or unfair criminal justice practices with the concurrent assumption that police are latently racist, make pretextual car stops, and deliberately incarcerate persons of color for longer periods of time. A better understanding of both perspectives is needed.
Remember, this “Republican” candidate has extensive state and federal prosecution experience. That means I bring prosecutorial knowledge, agency contacts, and program familiarity to a DA’s office. This experience is practical and public service-oriented, not political or extremist.
Thank you—Mike Warner
Candidate for District Attorney
