Marc Buller, Dolores Carr, Jim Shore and Karyn Sinunu answer
questions concerning the District Attorney’s Office.
QUESTION:
What would you do to improve relations with law enforcement and members of the DA’s Office?
Marc Buller, Assistant District Attorney
“My relationship with law enforcement during my 22 years has been excellent. I would call upon those relationships to strengthen the relationship between our two offices. … I have had the privilege of training law enforcement officers throughout the country and will make that a priority within my administration.”
Dolores Carr, Superior Court Judge
“I am proud to have the trust and confidence of the majority of law enforcement associations in the county. Our law enforcement officers understand that under my leadership, every kind of case, including those involving police conduct, will be judged on facts – not politics, emotions or public outcry.”
Jim Shore, Deputy District Attorney
“The first thing we must do is take politics and political considerations out of the DA’s office. I will never allow politics to guide my decision-making.”
Karyn Sinunu, Chief Assistant District Attorney
“The relationship of the DA’s Office with police is positive. I certainly would not have had a successful career without the support of fine detectives and departments. … I am the only candidate to advocate for a coroner’s inquest system so that police conduct can be shown publicly. I will have a dedicated ethics/training officer who will work to train police in legal matters.”
QUESTION:
What would you do to change the public’s perception of the
District Attorney’s Office?
Marc Buller
“Any change within the District Attorney’s Office needs to be systematic and not reactionary. Internally, I would increase training for our attorneys and supervision of all phases of prosecution. I then would turn to community outreach through our Community Prosecution unit which I founded in 1996.”
Dolores Carr
“I will maintain a trial culture without focusing exclusively on won-loss records. I will help attorneys develop good judgment. I will appoint an ethics officer to train and advice prosecutors facing thorny issues. Reports of unethical behavior will be scrutinized and prosecutors who don’t respect our criminal justice system will be disciplined.”
Jim Shore
“We can all agree that the best place to protect the innocent is at the front end of the system, to make sure that only the guilty are charged and convicted. As district attorney, I will take immediate action to create an office culture where justice is always the first priority.”
Karyn Sinunu
“I will have a community advisory board which will meet quarterly with me. This group will include leaders from the diverse groups in the county. I will listen to their concerns and in turn share mine.”
QUESTION:
What would you do to make trial evidence readily available to improve the county’s justice system?
Marc Buller
“Making trial evidence readily available is essential to the efficient operation of the criminal justice system. I would utilize computer technology to electronically send discovery to defense counsel.”
Dolores Carr
“This is a question of leadership, not new policies. The rules requiring disclosure of evidence favorable to the defense are well-known and understood. I would make it very clear that we have an ‘open file’ policy; unless there is a compelling reason under the law not to provide discovery (e.g., a sexual assault victim’s home phone number), we will turn it over.”
Jim Shore
“I would propose that prosecutors should instead turn the evidence over to a judge and allow the judge to make the decision after an in-camera hearing – so that the judge makes an independent decision, not a decision made by a partisan looking at the evidence.”
Karyn Sinunu
“I am the only candidate to have lectured on the importance of Brady vs. Maryland. I changed the discovery policy within the office last year. This change has been applauded by the public defender and law professors. I will create a uniform discovery policy based on the new electronic discovery procedures currently being fashioned.”
