Democrat John Allen Brooks has launched his campaign for Hamilton County district attorney general to replace Neal Pinkston, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination to Coty Wamp. Brooks recently sat down with the Chattanooga Times Free Press to speak about his long-term and short-term plans for the office and why people should vote for him in the Aug. 4 general election.
Q: What does your 60- to 90-day plan look like?
A: Well, the first thing I would do is sit down and meet with the staff at the district attorney’s office, including the investigators. I would ask them what they thought should be done. I think that they’re the ones that are working there right now, and I don’t know when or if they’ve been asked. Now, the thing that I would be looking to do in 60 to 90 days would be setting priorities. The priorities are going to be prosecuting violent crimes and crimes against children. I have been a guardian ad litem, for children. I do that a whole lot, and the reason is, it’s one of those times I can try to make things better.
Q: What else is lacking in the current district attorney’s office that you would want to address?
A: I think serious crimes that involve violence should be moved quicker to trial. If you let a case sit around, and it’s four or five years old, who [rely on] the witnesses. And I don’t think that that’s good for anybody. It’s not good for the person charged. It’s not good for the people here.