of State Fagan ends marijuana consulting contract, apologizes for poor judgement, Roads closed in Salem due to shooting involving police, Neighbors criticize city's decision to use logs to cover up former homeless encampment, Washington Gov. At a job fair, though, it was the Multnomah County DAs office that showed the most interest in him and his self-described solid-but-not-spectacular grades, so he took a summer internship there and then joined the staff as a deputy DA. Her remarks regarding Mike Schmidt were filmed and posted online by an So, we put together this treatment court and said, Maybe we can keep people in our community and get better results than we would if we sent them to prison and thats what were seeing.. Simon, with the ACLU of Oregon, fears that, despite Schmidts best intentions, the program could disproportionately prosecute marginalized communities for quality of life crimes. Even among those cases, the percentage pursued by prosecutors fell, too, dipping 47% in 2021 before rebounding to 58% last year. MDQyOTBhYTNkYjQ5MzU3NmU4MWIxZjFkMzA1MmJmMjA3MjRhNzkxZWMxNTdl Schmidt took office several months early after he was appointed by then-governor Kate Brown to replace the retiring Rod Underhill. I thought to myself, OK, this is a pandemic, you know, this will come back online and then it didnt and then it got worse, Schmidt said. Mike Schmidt is on the defensive. NDEzNjYxMmI0YzYwYWE3ZmI3YTZhYTA2MjlmZjMyNzRjYjJhNDdjNTM4MDFl We can look at the data, but that doesnt change the fact that people dont feel safe in our community, said Schmidt. You have let defense attorneys run this courthouse, and now our office.), Schmidt came in with good ideas, says a lawyer who departed earlier this year, has not previously spoken about the decision, and requested anonymity because of concerns about future employment. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. In recent years, the county's board of commissioners has shifted funding from the DAs office to other areas of county government to support more social programs, like behavioral health services and supportive housing. A 2016 investigation by Street Roots reported that neighborhood prosecutors often prioritized non-violent behavioral offenses that churned people through the local justice system. [3][4], Schmidt left the DA's office and joined the Oregon House and Senate Judiciary Committees in 2013, then led the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission in 2015.[4][5]. To do that, he'll need to break through the daily fugue of dispiriting news about property crimes and drug violence and shootings. And when the legislature reconvenes in January, Schmidts office plans to push for legislation that would require the state Department of Justice to investigate any officer-involved shootings, taking the responsibilityand any appearance of improprietyfrom local DAs offices that have to partner with police forces day in and day out. MmQ2ZmY3YzY1ZTA5Y2ZkMjg4YjY1NWU3OGFlOGQ1OTNmZDcyNWYwYmViYmNl Simon also said she was uncomfortable with Schmidts framing of prosecutors as a social service. He previously served as the executive director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. NWE4MjZkOGRmYjQzMDMxOGI0OTVhYmUwZTFhYmU0OTRkZWZlYmYxMjk3MDFi ADVERTISEMENT Mia Cathell Aug 15, 2020 6 minute read ADVERTISEMENT Review: A New Documentary Shines Light on Abuse Within the Portland Thorns and Women's Soccer. I have to connect and understand that when people dont feel safe, thats real, he says. This page is not available in other languages. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Overwhelmingly elected by voters, Mike Schmidt has served as Multnomah County District Attorney since August 2020 from taking office in the middle of Portlands 2020 protests to now launching a drug treatment-style court. I definitely think they are moving too slowly, she says. The results of this Novembers city council and county commission races pitting true-believer progressive candidates against more moderate ones will be predictive for Schmidt; in the meantime, his office is moving forward with a plan that could potentially blunt internal opposition by asking legislators to add DAs to the list of government employees who, because of the potential dangers they might encounter on the job, are able to retire early with full PERS benefitsa longtime goal of DA unions. Schmidt said he met with numerous community organizations, some of which have expressed cautious support for the idea, to get their feedback before proposing it to county officials. Many have called out Schmidts perceived soft touch on crime approach for months on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. In that role, Mike oversaw a $90 million budget and spearheads community-based efforts to reform our state's approach to criminal justice. His defenders are tarter and more pointed. The neighborhood prosecutors worked to turn law enforcement-friendly Lloyd District residents and business owners into citizen informants, educating them on what kind of evidence prosecutors needed to convict someone for low-level crimes like drug dealing. They provided unlimited love and wonderful examples. He also says treatment court is a proven intervention to keep communities safe. 1. All rights reserved (About Us). The United States locks up more people, per capita, than any other nation: about 1.9 million total currently, per the Prison Policy Initiative, and about 24,000 in Oregon. Almost all of his senior prosecutors are male; unlike some of his colleagues in the judicial reform movement nationwide, he chose not to clean house upon taking office. He noted, It doesnt matter your politics or ideology.
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