Prosecutor Candidate: Indy has Repeat Offender Problem Thanks to Mears
INDIANAPOLIS — The Republican candidate for Marion County Prosecutor said the county and the city of Indianapolis have a repeat offender problem, not an overincarceration problem.
“Anyone who tells you otherwise is not serious about public safety,” said Philip Foust.
Foust joined WIBC’s “The Hammer and Nigel Show” on Tuesday to talk about the recent violence happening in Indianapolis and what he would do if he were prosecutor to make the city safer.
“I think we’re all fed up with the status quo here in Marion County and ready for something different,” Foust said, adding that Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears is “coddling” criminals.
The Harvard Law School graduate used to serve under Mears. Foust believes Mears has turned the prosecutor’s office from one that understood the law and enforced it into an “ideological office.”
“One where you’re basically rewriting the laws as the prosecutor, one where you’re acting more as a defense attorney rather than as a prosecutor, and one where you’ve laid down a marker that you’re not going to partner with police or any other partners of public safety,” said Foust.
While some judges are tough and some are more lenient, Foust said police officers are doing their job by arresting violent criminals, but the prosecutor’s office is not doing its job to keep them off the streets.
“Even if you have tough judges, the prosecutor doesn’t just get to throw up their hands and say ‘Oh, it’s the judges’ fault,’ it’s our job, day after day, to fight for the public, fight for victims, and fight for justice.”
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If elected to be Marion County Prosecutor, Foust said one of the first things he would work on is addressing juvenile crime and not treating them as victims or as if their actions don’t have consequences.
“We cannot afford to stick our heads in the sand,” said Foust. “If you want to see the future of our city, you need to look at the crimes being committed by juveniles today; that’s the clearest picture of what’s coming our way, and that’s alarming.
Foust said he would also quickly “reorient” the prosecutor’s office back to its core mission of enforcing the law, seeking justice for victims, and protecting the public.
Prosecutor Candidate: Indy has Repeat Offender Problem Thanks to Mears was originally published on wibc.com
