District Attorney
Horton:
Claiming his critics are badly misinformed,
the D.A. boasts the highest efficiency in the U.S.
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Of the Emerald
Incumbent District Attorney
Pat Horton is defending his
past term in office from attacks
from State Sen. Ed Fadeley as
well as his opponents in the
race.
He claims his critics are
"badly misinformed.” He
claims the lowest rate of plea
bargaining in the state is in
Lane County, and he says that
of felony cases going to court,
87 per cent ended in victories
for the DA’s office.
Horton also claims that the
cost of operation for the DA’s
office has only increased
seven per cent in the last year.
Citing the “cost-bill” prog
ram as an example of prog
rams of the office which have
the apparent budget and the
actual budget for the office dif
fer greatly. The cost bill prog
ram charges convicted per
sons for the prosecution and is
payed in monthly installments.
According to Horton, his op
ponents are “not aware of this,
and they speak before they
hear the facts.”
He says his is “perhaps the
most efficiently run DA’s office
in the country.”
Regarding the issues of the
campaign, Horton says that
gun control "doesn’t stop
crime” and pointed to the laws
of New York as an example of
the ineffectiveness of controls.
Horton has concentrated his
efforts in the area of narcotics
investigation, the hard drug
user and “hard core Dusher.”
tation program which replaced
the arrest program is a “fair,
expeditious law.” He says “the
police were wasting their time
with marijuana convictions. He
adds that “it also decreased
the jail population of people
who shouldn’t even be there in
the first place. I don't regret for
a minute that we made a
commitment to the people to
concentrate on hard drug
cases.”
Horton says the Lane In
teragency Rape Team (LIRT)
is a “great success” and cited
the increase to 95 per cent
convictions for rapists as evi
dence of the effectiveness
of the law and LIRT. “More
women now report rapes,”
says Horton.
Horton savs the Drooosal for
Charles
Promising to raise the standard of the office,
he says the D.A. has done a terrible job
By TOM JACKSON
Of the Emerald
John Charles, city pro
secutor and attorney for
Springfield, is running for the
Lane County DA's seat on the
promise of raising the standard
of the office, improving pro
secution, and enforcing all the
laws.
Charles feels that Horton,
the incumbent DA, has done
an "extremely terrible job,”
and that he has created a
“tremendous communication
gap., between the DA’s office
and the police agencies.
Charles also criticizes his
other opponent, Betty Browne.
Browne, says Charles, is a
“professional politician," and
he feels she is “unqualified for
the job.”
Charles calls the county
plan for a regional corrections
facility to relieve the crowded
county jail “extremely imprac
tical." He feels that a regional
facility would result in transpor
tation problems and less local
control of the jails.
Charles would favor another
jail facility, however. He says
such a facility could be built at
a cost of only $15 per year per
homeowner for 10 years. “We
have to have a facility," says
Charles, “because of the con
ditions in the jail now.” He says
the jail is operating at about 50
persons over capacity.
Charles is opposed to the
proposal to form a single met
ropolitan police force. He says
there would be a loss of local
control and the “priorities
would be reduced to the lowest
jointly agreeable common de
nominator.” This, claims
Charles, would “reduce over
all efficiency . ” He says it would
lead to ‘‘watered down crime
control,” and adds that “each
community is unique."
Charles is “very much in
favor'’ of the Lane Interagency
Rape Team (LIRT). He says
he would prefer to have
women on the rape team. He
would, however, decentralize
LIRT because he does not “be
lieve in roving teams because
they are inefficient.’’ He favors
more local control for LIRT.
Charles would also provide a
legal advisor out of the DA’s
office, and would favor a
“coordinator” who would also
educate the public about the
services of the team.
Charles also favors the
proposal for a public
defender’s office. He says the
staff of professionals would
give more justice to the defen
dants and reduce the cost to
the taxpayers.
Browne" A'le9in9 'ncrease9 ar|d improper spending,
" she also cites the D.A. for lack of leadership
By TOM JACKSON
Of the Emerald
State Sen. Betty Browne is
running for the Lane County
District Attorney this year in
spite of the fact that her term
as state senator will not end for
another two years. She said
she will resign her senate post
if elected to the DA’s office.
Browne serves District 22,
which includes all of Lane
County except for the
Eugene-Springfield area and
part of Douglas County.
Much of Browne’s campaign
has been based on criticism of
the incumbent DA Pat Horton.
"We need a DA who will stay
home and do the job. I believe
my experience as an attorney,,
a legal author, a deputy pro
secutor, law enforcement in
structor and chairman of the
Oregon Senate Judiciary
Committee qualify me to do
the job," says Browne.
Most of Browne's criticism is
based on Horton’s increase in
salary and office expenditures,
and also includes Horton's al
leged spending of state money
for personal gain.
Regarding the issues of the
campaign, Browne says she
believes the state penal sys
tem has a “poor record for re
habilitation." Browne says she
supports the concept of a reg
ional jail facility for first time
offenders and non-violent of
fenders. She says they are
more “effective because they
are more selective."
Asked to comment on the
feasibility of cooperation bet
ween agencies for a single
metropolitan police force,
Browne said she feels the
single force could work under
the lead of the DA, and added
that “there is not the leader
ship there should be for the
police agencies.”
The Lane Interagency Rape
Team (LIRT) is “not effective
at the present time,” according
to Browne. She feels there is
not enough concern for the vic
tims of rape and added that
help should be available “24
hours per day.” She also be
lieves that there should be
more convictions for perpet
rators of rape. A specialist for
trying rape cases should be
added to the staff of the DA,
she says.
Prosecutions for environ
mental cases should be hand
led by a specialist also, says
Browne. The DA should play a
more “meaningful role" in en
vironmental prosecutions ac
cording to Browne.
Browne believes a public
Pat Horton
a public defender’s office
meets with his approval if it is
“fiscally sound” and provides
the defendant with “adequate
representation.” But he adds
that defendants now get “a
high quality of defense at a low
cost to the taxpayers.”
John Charles
Charles says he is “law and
prosecutor oriented.” He
wants to “make the DA’s office
a career and clean it
up—make it as non-political as
possible.”
Betty Browne
defender's office should also
be established with some re
servations. “I’d like to see
one,” she says’ “but mixed
with private appointments.
Until the public defender’s of
fice builds up a cadre of ex
perienced defenders, judges
should appoint someone they
think is appropriate.”