Our Mission is Working

Dallas County Voters,

I am proud of what we have achieved so far to make good on the promises of my 2018 campaign. We have made progress on every front to achieve needed criminal justice reform. On many issues, we are seeing results, notably on decriminalizing mental health and homelessness, and implementing commonsense approaches to low-level offenses.

We are no longer prosecuting first-time offenders in misdemeanor marijuana cases, thereby eliminating the racial disparity in arrests and prosecution. All of these reform measures are allowing law enforcement to focus on violent crime, because our justice system is unclogged of thousands of minor, non-violent cases. That means a safer county, and a drop in violent crime.

Here are some of my key accomplishments:

• REDUCING VIOLENT CRIME: Under my leadership, the DA's office has successfully increased prosecution of violent crimes and homicides, convicting in thousands of cases. My new policies have led to reduced violent crime - including a drop of more than 4% in Dallas - and allowed law enforcement to better focus on serious crime and to improve incident response times.
• GETTING GUNS OFF THE STREETS: One way to prevent violent crime and homicide is to get guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals. My office partnered with the City of DeSoto to buy back hundreds of guns. We also held town halls with Moms Demand Action to teach the community about gun safety. I plan to continue these measures going forward in my second term.
• HOLDING BAD ACTORS ACCOUNTABLE: We convicted Amber Guyger in the murder of Botham Jean and investigated police brutality against protestors. My office has a good relationship with law enforcement in terms of going after violent crime and implementing criminal justice reforms and new policies. We respect the work of law enforcement but will not tolerate bad actors.
• PASSING IMPORTANT NEW JUSTICE REFORM LAWS: I worked with legislators during the last session to pass the Richard Miles Act, requiring police departments to certify that they have turned over all evidence so that prosecutors make decisions to prosecute - or not to prosecute - based on all the facts. I also helped to pass Bo’s Law, requiring police to keep cameras on during an investigation.
• LAUNCHING KEY CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS: My policy changes have unclogged our system of thousands of cases in which the offender poses no threat and committed a minor offense. I launched a new policy not to prosecute first-time possession of marijuana, leading to a decrease in arrests, particularly of people of color. I also moved to decriminalize homelessness and mental illness, and instead worked to create programs and networks to get treatment for those in need.

We are on the road to reform, a stronger and fairer justice system, and a safer county. There is much work still to do, and I am seeking another term to bring strong leadership and vision to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office. I ask for your support so we can keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Hon. John Creuzot

Dallas County District Attorney