Thursday, Aug. 17, 2000 | 9:08 a.m.
Editor's note: In August Where I Stand is written by guest columnists. Today's guest, Kathryn E. Landreth, is the U.S. attorney for Nevada.
Before I was sworn in as U.S. attorney, my impression of federal prosecution in Nevada was formed largely by press accounts. Criminal cases seemed largely confined to illicit drug trafficking, with a few organized crime prosecutions thrown in for good measure. I imagined an office occupied by lawyers who stayed just long enough to add a line to their resumes; other cases were handled by outsiders from Washington who jetted in and jetted out -- sometimes before a verdict was rendered.
In my past six years as your U.S. attorney, I found these notions to be badly outdated. I've discovered that assistant U.S. attorneys are a distinguished corps of dedicated professionals, many of whom have sacrificed high-paying private sector jobs for public service. The men and women of the U.S. attorney's office are active members of the community who are committed to making this a better place to live. These dedicated individuals go far beyond representing the United States in court. They devote countless hours to improving the criminal justice system and enhancing the security of our residents, through strategies involving crime prevention and intervention, law enforcement training and community outreach.
Although it may once have been enough to take any provable case to indictment and trial, our lack of growth in staffing, coupled with the wide array and heavy volume of matters presented for prosecution, requires us to be much more discerning about how we use our very limited resources. Through discussions with law enforcement and community outreach, we determine where to concentrate our efforts in order to make an effective impact. Such a collaboration resulted in our intensive prosecution of illegal telemarketers and the decimation of a previously thriving criminal industry. We also focus more attention on prevention and intervention, which when combined with prosecution, can yield greater effectiveness.
Fighting violence in our communities. One of our most important community needs is the continued reduction of violence, particularly gun and family violence. In cooperation with federal and state law enforcement and local prosecutors, the U.S. attorney's office targets for prosecution violent felons and domestic abusers who illegally possess guns. We make a concerted effort to educate law enforcement and victim advocates on federal gun laws and federal domestic violence statutes. Our goal is to provide personal training to every uniformed officer in Southern Nevada. We also undertake preventive measures. Through a Department of Justice grant, Nevada has one of the first pilot programs aimed at helping individuals avoid a return to crime following their release from prison.
Protecting civil rights in our community. Enforcing the nation's civil rights laws is a priority for the U.S. attorney's office. With the Department of Justice, we enforce laws that protect our community against discrimination based upon racial or ethnic status, gender or family status or individual disabilities, especially in housing and public accommodations. And our recent hate crimes prosecutions have included ex-police officer Christopher Brady for his role in the murder of Daniel Mendoza and cases arising from attempts to destroy houses of worship in Nevada. Through the FBI's Hate Crimes Working Group, we meet regularly with local law enforcement and representatives of communities especially vulnerable to hate crimes to develop methods to increase crime reporting and to build effective strategies for prevention.
Working with our Native American tribal communities. The U.S. attorney's office works with all of Nevada's 26 reservations and colonies to improve the quality of life of their residents. We prosecute major crimes occurring in Indian Country, and we provide training, technical support and other resources to address tribal needs.
Building effective legal systems in developing nations. Our attorneys have traveled to developing nations in Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Balkans to work with judges, prosecutors and other officials toward developing systems of justice that promote principles of integrity and fairness found in the American adversarial process.
For the substantial contribution that these fine public servants quietly make to Nevada and to the United States and even to the world beyond, I am both proud and grateful.
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