Thursday, September 06, 2012

Ed Martin: I'll stop crime by forming a council

(From the Ed Martin for Attorney General campaign)

Ed Martin, the Republican candidate for Attorney General, announced plans today to take decisive action against crime in Missouri. Martin’s plans announced on Tuesday call for a “Crime Cutting Council” (CCC) within the Office of the Attorney General.
 
“Missouri’s two urban centers have crime rates among the worst in the nation,” Martin said. “Illegal drugs are a terrible problem in urban, suburban, and rural Missouri. There is an urgent and growing need to curb cybercrime. Action must be taken to tackle major crime problems in Missouri. Yet, Chris Koster refuses to see the problems or take action.
 
"Instead of helping fight crime in Missouri, Chris Koster has been consumed with politics since his arrival in the Attorney General's office four years ago. Koster's complete lack of leadership and his many failures as Attorney General are the reason we need a new leader in this office. I am committed to helping get violent criminals and drug criminals off the street when I am Attorney General. My 'Crime Cutting Council' will include the best law enforcement officers in Missouri, the people with the expertise to combat crime on every level.
 
“Today, my opponent isn’t at work in Missouri. He is attending the Democratic National Convention as a pro-Obama rubberstamp delegate, and probably receiving backslaps for refusing to join the multi-state lawsuit against ObamaCare. He will be making fundraising connections so he can try for Governor in 2016.”
 
Martin also highlighted shocking crime statistics that show Missouri has the highest black murder rate in the country and consistently has the more meth lab incidents than any other state.
 
“The numbers don’t lie: St. Louis just had its eighty-third homicide this yearKansas City is up to 86 homicide cases. As of June, Missouri meth lab incidents were over 1,000, and Jefferson County outside of St. Louis had nearly 200. Obviously, we have a big problem. Chris Koster claims to be tough on crime, but clearly his solutions are not working.”
 
Former Missouri Senator, Governor, and Attorney General John Ashcroft developed a similar council during his time as Missouri Attorney General, which earned him a strong reputation for being tough on crime. Martin developed his plan for the Crime Cutting Council with assistance from Ashcroft and discussions with other law enforcement officials around Missouri.
 
The CCC with the will be made up of sheriffs, prosecutors, and other law enforcement professionals from around Missouri who will help develop solutions to make Missouri safer. Some initial areas of focus will be on family protection, urban crime, drugs, cybercrime and fraud.
 
Martin spoke at the Justice Center in Cass County, the home of incumbent liberal Democrat Attorney General, who lost Cass County to the Republican candidate for Attorney General in 2008. After getting to know Koster as a politician, even his home county constituents voted Republican and conservative for Attorney General.
 
Additional details of the Council will be announced in coming weeks.

No comments: