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Choose experience for better justice

I am running for district attorney because we need to secure better outcomes for victims of sexual and physical violence in our communities. Without change in our District Attorney’s Office, lenient offers to child molesters, serial rapists and other violent offenders will continue.

Recently, there has been national outrage over the six-month jail term given to a Stanford student who raped an unconscious woman. In our district, my opponent gave a local man who raped an unconscious woman 90 days in jail and probation. This is not my vision for the future of the criminal justice system.

My vision for the future is to protect our community from dangerous offenders, while offering non-violent offenders alternatives to incarceration. For 21 years, I have secured justice for crime victims in tribal, state and federal courts. I have a good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of all three court systems operating in Southwest Colorado.

Over the last eight years, I have restored the tribal community’s faith in the criminal justice system by showing fairness and compassion to victims and defendants. This has been accomplished by listening to tribal elders, tribal youth, victim advocates and other community members. I have worked with law enforcement agencies in Colorado for many years as a state court prosecutor. The Fraternal Order of Police has recognized my accomplishments and endorsed me as the better choice for district attorney.

I am running for district attorney to achieve a similar turnaround. I will follow court orders so trials do not need to be redone. Retrials retraumatize victims and cost the taxpayer money. I will not turn away from prosecuting serious cases. As district attorney, I will engage with community members to ensure that our plea offers are in line with community values. I will work hard to improve our drug and mental health courts.

To make an informed decision concerning our next district attorney, we must examine the past performance of each candidate. Experience matters. Please vote for me in the upcoming primary!

Ben Lammons

Durango



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