Our future

History shows that crime rises in hard economic times. In the coming months and years, I will continue to look for ways to do the work of the County Attorney’s office more efficiently and with fewer resources. Stretching dollars can be difficult, but by focusing on what’s most important, we can continue to do the best for the County’s citizens.

Under my direction, my office will continue to work to resolve criminal cases quickly and proficiently. This will likely be a challenge in the future, given the ongoing budget constraints in our office and across the justice system. But for the safety of our citizens, expediting prosecutions remains a vital objective.

Melanie Ford with Deputy County Attorney Kenneth Udoibok (left) and Breitung Police Chief Jim Hill

I plan to continue working to reduce crime by preventing it. The lack of an education is a common thread among those involved in crime, and as a result I will keep up efforts to reduce truancy. I will also continue to work with schools and communities to reinforce the importance of keeping children in school, using such tools as our “Stay in School” calendar project, tutoring programs for the chronically truant, and community outreach regarding drug use.

I will also continue to support drug, DWI, and other “specialty” courts, as a long-lasting approach to solving drug- and alcohol-related crimes and crimes committed by the mentally ill. It’s an approach that mends lives, improves neighborhood safety, and saves taxpayers money.

When I was first elected, one of the most troubling statistics I encountered was the disproportionate number of youths of color in detention. As a result, I established a Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) for our County, a collaborative group focused on understanding the causes of that inequity, learning how to reduce the disparity, and finding alternatives to youth detention. Our study is under way, and we expect to finish the research in 2010 and begin making the changes that will help correct this inequity.

In future years, I also see the County Attorney’s office continuing to go beyond the minimum federal guidelines in determining paternity cases and enforcing child support. Those efforts will help us reduce trauma in families and communities and cut costs.

Our future will likely present many challenges. I nonetheless look forward to the opportunity to continue bringing excellent services and positive change to the people of St. Louis County.

Melanie Ford