It has been my honor and pleasure to serve Jackson County, Missouri as a prosecuting attorney for the majority of my legal career. Being a prosecutor is an extremely rewarding job. However, like all things that are worthwhile in life, this job is extremely difficult. Jackson County is the largest county in our State and unfortunately has one of the highest crime rates in our State. Just keeping up with our enormous case load and vigorously prosecuting the criminals in Jackson County is more than a full-time job. But it is not enough for me to limit my job to managing our caseload. It is incumbent upon me to set policies and programs that will reduce our crime rate. This is critically important not just for the safety of the public, but also to ensure economic development for Jackson County’s future.

An extremely important initiative for reducing crime is the MyARTS program. MyARTS takes high-risk youth and converts them into productive and self-reliant adults. Over the years this program has been accepted by youth as a viable drug prevention effort. MyARTS has also been recognized locally and nationally as a model to reduce underage drinking, illegal drug use, improve grades and provide skills that lead to positive self-esteem. My administration will continue to fight crime through traditional prosecution and incarceration. At the same time we must continue to develop programs like MyARTS in order to provide a comprehensive and realistic approach to crime reduction.