The attorney general's position might seem pretty distant from many people's lives, but it is critically important. Think of it as the ""state's top cop.""
Sure the attorney general must deal with consumer protection and protection of our natural resources. But the primary objective must be the protection of our most important resource: you, your families, and your communities.
The first priority of the attorney general is public safety. The second priority should be ethics reform, including election integrity. We must take a strong stand against the public corruption so rampant in government.
I've been the district attorney of the state's third largest county for almost 20 years and am a two-time president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys office. As a member of statewide leadership commissions, I've had a hand in most of the major innovations in the criminal justice system in this state, such as the sexual predator law.
Northern and western Wisconsin are in the throes of a methamphetamine epidemic. We can't allow meth to do to the rural areas of our state what crack cocaine did to the urban ones.
As a member of Gov. Thompson's crime commission for years, I worked with local metro drug units. As a veteran DA in the state's third largest county, I funded crime prevention and drug prevention programs as a proactive measure, and in court, my policy is to recommend hard time.
As attorney general, I would create a separate Division of Narcotics Enforcement unit within the Department of Justice. I would create a meth strike force in northwest Wisconsin. Similarly, we must address the handgun violence wreaking havoc in our urban areas.
The state crime lab backlog is another problem that has gone unaddressed. The crime lab backlog has hampered the ability of cops all over the state to solve crimes, and it's slowed the prosecution of cases.
We should increase the state's ""crime laboratory/drug law enforcement surcharge"" from $8 to $50 and remove most of the exemptions, including those for drunk drivers. This can fund more DNA analysts, among other solutions.
Illegal immigration is another issue of concern. I am the only candidate in the race who believes the attorney general should get the legal power to crack down on illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
Lastly, we must aggressively go after public corruption. We must create an independent governmental accountability board with real teeth, and we must empower the attorney general's office to aggressively crack down on public corruption through an aggressive Public Corruption and Fraud Unit.
Together we must restore integrity to Madison.
