Dear Editor:
As a former police chief in Jefferson City, interim sheriff of Cole County, director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and director of the Missouri Department of Corrections, I have seen firsthand the importance and value of experience and integrity on the bench.
Many lay people do not have a full understanding of the criminal justice system. When a law enforcement officer writes a ticket or arrests an individual for the commission of a crime, that criminal charge is forwarded by law enforcement to the appropriate prosecuting body. In Cole County, that means either the Jefferson City prosecuting attorney or the Cole County prosecuting attorney.
The Jefferson City prosecuting attorney and the municipal court handles parking tickets, speeding and traffic infractions, and some first-time offenses, such as ordinance violations and peace disturbances. All felony or serious crimes are sent to the Cole County Prosecuting attorney and the Cole County Circuit Court. A defendant has the right to a trial by jury of their peers in circuit court, not in city court.
When a serious criminal faces a jury trial, it is the judge's responsibility to make sure that all of the rules of evidence and other rules of the court are followed. If a mistake is made from the bench, it can mean a reversal of a conviction and a criminal can go free. It is also important that the defendant has been afforded all of the rights granted in our state and federal constitution, otherwise, the conviction could be reversed. A judge should interpret the law as written and not be swayed by their personal feelings.
I have always felt that these judicial positions should have less to do with partisan political party affiliation and more to do with qualifications and experience. I am deeply concerned with the claims that are being made in this judicial race. In particular, one candidate is claiming that he "handled' or prosecuted over 30,000 cases. I don't think that traffic violations and parking tickets makes one qualified to be a circuit court judge. This statement is very misleading.
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