Voter: Help me serve and protect you

Dear Editor,

I’m not a writer; I’m a law enforcement officer. This letter is a plea to the community to help me fulfill my job. I took an oath to serve and protect and I’m asking you to vote for Lando Voyles, a career prosecutor, as our next Pinal County Attorney.

Right now, there is an attorney, James Walsh, sitting in the position of County Attorney, who has never prosecuted. The main role of the County Attorney is to prosecute. The current county attorney is a good politician, with many high political allies who endorse him. But, he is not a prosecutor.

Most people don’t understand that all of the state law enforcement agencies that investigate felonies in Pinal County, turn almost all of our cases over to the County Attorney. The County Attorney is considered a law enforcement position and therefore, is a member of the executive branch of government. You would think that all of the members of the executive branch always work together. However, for the past 5 years, nothing could be further from the truth.

If we bring the criminals to our county attorney, we expect them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. However, when I hear the statistic of 61% that Lando Voyles researched and found were the violent felons who were avoiding prison, I questioned that statistic. I didn’t question that statistic because I thought it was a to high, I questioned that 61% because it seems too low for how many cases that I see rejected by the current county attorney’s office.

My wife knows how dangerous it is to enforce the law here in Pinal County and I know she worries for my safety. Every close friend and family member of law enforcement should worry if they work here in Pinal County. No sooner do we arrest these violent offenders, than the county attorney releases them back out on the street. It has become so bad that criminals know to come to Pinal County to commit their crimes because they know that they will get probation if they get busted.