Former prosecutor, CrimeStoppers head, and attorney Kim Ogg officially announced her candidacy for Harris County District Attorney today in a press conference at the 1910 Courthouse. She will be running as a Democrat.
As most of you know, since District Attorney Mike Anderson's term was not completed, the election will be in 2014 and the position of District Attorney will be on the ballot again in 2016. As of this writing, the only other candidate who will be running is Interim District Attorney Devon Anderson.
Although I don't know Kim Ogg very well, I like her. On the few occasions we've had to talk, I have found her to be very smart and is someone who cares about the Criminal Justice System very much. (NOTE: yes, I know that I just used the word "very" three times in a row, but I'm very rushed for time at the moment.) She will make a great candidate for the Dems. She has already stated her opposition to the filing of trace cases and is developing a platform.
The idea of having two candidates running a clean race against each other where they just debate the issues is something that would be a refreshing change of pace from our D.A. elections of the recent past.
Of course we are early on in the election season and I'm sure both Devon and Kim could draw opponents from within their own parties. That would be a shame. Last year's surprise Democratic primary win by Lloyd Oliver was an embarrassment to all involved.
Ultimately, I think next year's race is going to be decided by factors that have nothing to do with the D.A.'s Office, so for the moment, I'm just happy that we have two candidates in the race who actually care about Criminal Justice.
23 comments:
Hey if you scroll through the photos on Jolly's website you'll see those staunch Republicans Jim Leitner & Don Hooper glad handing with Ms. Ogg after her announcement. No doubt both are curious about her proposed staff.
I noticed that. Not to mention Big Jolly himself being the man behind the camera.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think anybody should be a straight ticket voter, but it is pretty transparent when you have two hard-core Republican bloggers and a former Republican candidate for D.A. showing up for the Democratic, the interest isn't political support.
Its vengeance.
The vengeance of morons.
Come on Murray, you sound as if your scared.
Scared of the vengeance of morons? Um, no.
If one is to judge the ethical behavior of another the same standard should apply to each party.
Which is worse: engaging in a fraudulent conspiracy or vengeance?
I am a strong Republican who thus far is supporting Kim Ogg. However, if she affiliates herself with Jim Leitner or any of the Lykos crew I will never support her. So let's see how the campaign evolves.
I have met Kim Ogg before....she is one of the honest good guys.
Anon 1:14:
Jack Ogg is also one of the honest good guys and will be an excellent wing man for his daughter Kim.
Harris County dems want new leadership in Austin and honest non-pandering leadership at the DA's office.
Hard core BS on trace cases is not only prejudicial on its face it is untenable economically and morally.
Trace case haters, here is your logic failure:
Why prosecute any crime? The crime is already committed be it burglary, robbery, assault, murder. It's done, just like the crack is smoked. Wash your hands of it and move on.
But we gotta prosecute the burglars, robbers, assaulters and murderers to protect people from becoming victims in the future.
Well, duh. That is the same reason to prosecute the crack heads. Crack heads don't work, the steal you AC coils. They break into your cars. They break into your houses. All this to get money to buy they next crack rock.
Arrest them. Give them a chance at rehab. If they don't take advantage of them, lock 'Em up.
I've known Kim for many years. She's top drawer. The DA's race looks like it's lining up to be one of those rare elections here. No matter who gets the most votes, the citizens of Harris County will be the winners.
Anon 5:18:
The pesky 4th Amendment conflicts with your police state logic. Probable cause must be based on factual evidence and not just on suspicion.
Extrapolation of your reasoning would allow cops to: --stop African Americans for driving while black, after all we "know" that the black driver doesn't work and probably stole something.
--arrest all Islamic males between the ages of 19-27 because we all "know" he's probably a jihadist planning on blowing some shit up,
--arrest all hispanics because we all "know" he/she is likely an illegal alien and stole some AC coils
BTW, trace cases are not limited to crack and I fully understand the "it's a tool theory of justice" that law enforcement uses to make their jobs easier........I'm sure you also supported the since repealed law prohibiting vehicle license frames from covering any part of the Texas plate graphics.
The US Constitution, however, is more concerned with our liberties than with making police officers jobs easier.
As for your comment as to "why prosecute any crime" your old buddy Chucky Rosenthal was not able to sell that load of crap to the Supremes when he used "trace logic" to defend the archaic Texas sodomy laws.
Bottom line is that the hang 'em high concept of law enforcement that you cling to while trampling on our civil liberties is a dog that won't hunt any more, nor should it.
Sincerely,
A "Trace Case Hater"
Wow, trace case hater, I am glad you responded to my post without reading it, or maybe you did g and your readi g comprehension is lacking.
Not sure where you are going with the 4th Ammenmdent and "police state," but neither are germane to the argument. If you get busted for a crime, you get busted for a crime.
You then show the impotence of you "argument" by tossing in the obligatory race card or three.
The doltish mentioning of Texas license plates and "my old buddy" Chuck Rosenthal further lend credence to your weak argument.
It's not making "police jobs easier." if it was about making the job easier, no police would file any charges. It is about protecting hard working citizens from the dregs of society.
Again, your lack of comprehension when you mention "my hang Em high mentality" but failed to mention my preference for rehab.
Here is hoping the next AC cooks stolen in Houston belong to you.
Anon 6:29,
Please help my comprehension.
What percentage of crack arrests are black folks?
If you were noted to have red eyes by a police officer and the subsequent search of your person revealed a hundred dollar bill with trace amounts of powdered coke should you be prosecuted? Or do you believe it's okay for white folks to have trace amounts of powered cocaine but black folks can't have trace amounts of crack 'cause we all know white folks don't be stealing no copper AC coils? Seriously?
Did you agree with Chucky Rosenthal arguing before the Supremes to uphold the Sodomy Law?
Oral sex used to be a crime in Texas so I guess Bill Clinton ought to thank his lucky stars he didn't hook up with Monica at the Rice Hotel back in the day with you working intake!
Kim Ogg is NOT Pat Lykos and the trace abusers will have a tough time in these tough times garnering support for this type of abusive law enforcement.
Reasonable allocation of resources must be mandated.
Petty thieves will fare better as will society if they get rehab instead of a Master's of Incarceration. Turning 2 bit crooks into well honed criminals is not good policy, your angry ranting notwithstanding.
Trace Hater
Hey anon 5:18,
You mean my toll road authority electronic tag that is designed to be placed over the top 1 inch of my license plate is now legal? Say it ain't so!
Anon 5:18.
Judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials regularly set priorities for enforcement. You don't have to drive too far on the Katy Freeway to see the city doesn't spend a lot of time and money enforcing the 60 mph speed limit. That's a legitimate decision.
Trace crack cases, what I refer to as "dirty crack pipe" cases, are the low hanging fruit of local law enforcement. It's easy to make that bust and spend the next three hours or so off the street filling out reports, transportng the prisoner etc. I'd rather have those officers on the street enforcing real laws.
And, they take up a resources in the jail, the lab and the courts. I'm sure you're going to scream like a wounded eagle when a cop killer's trial keeps gettng reset to try trace cocaine cases.
I for one plan to put the state's feet to the fire in EVERY trace case I get where the client is entitled to probation. Speedy trial motions, orders to the lab to retain everything, orders for retesting of what the lab has. And it's all going to be on the county's nickel.
There is a reason the federal government makes possession of small amountsof personal use cocaine a misdemeanor. There's a reason bleeding heart liberal judges like Mike McSpadden have been pushing for years ot make possession of less than a gram a misdemeanor.
Anon 5:18,
Google satire and irony and then re-read Trace Hater's comment in context with your"logic".
But as Ron White prophetically said, "You can't fix stupid".
Trace hater, you make such poor "arguments" that they vacant be debated.
If it wasn't so sad, it would be pathetic. It basically goes like this: I really can't argue the merits of my position, so I will give unrelated apples to oranges analogies. And if you point of the fallacy of those, I'll toss out more.
Anon 5:18... For crying out loud, ALL convictions take up valuable resources. What don't you underhand about that. And the crack head that took "3 hours of an officer's time" to put in jail for a a trace case, will take an hour of many many officer's time to write reports and investigate thefts and BMVs. Why do you refused to acknowledge that?
To the person who is doing the Kim Ogg bashing, I'm going to need more than innuendo if you expect it to be published.
Anon 6:49 a/k/a ad hominem:
WHOA! I must say you have a very interesting skill set when it comes to expressing your thoughts.
Perhaps the following might be an easier concept:
The private sector doesn't conduct business like the government. Private business must prioritize and allocate resources efficiently in order to stay competitive and prosper. Attention to detail and accountability are rewarded not avoided. Merit trumps seniority. Getting the job done right is more important than getting the comp time count right.
Rather than launch personal attacks and cling to outdated schemes and methodology the private sector focuses on triaging issues and innovating to improve outcomes.
"Trace Hater"
Trace hater what you don't seem to appreciate is the gubment worker mindset. Think of them as elitist union workers and you'll quit beating your ahead against the wall. They're like a freight train going through a tunnel with an empty load.......and there you fucking have it bro'.
I like Kim Ogg and I think she'd do a tremendous job as DA (as would Devon). But please, Kim remember if you lay down with dogs, you will wake up with Hoppers.
I meant "you will wake up with Hoopers". Auto correct is annoying.
It was tragic enough for the 2 young Anderson children to suffer the loss of their dad the way they did. Now, more than ever, they need their mom full time.
Pat Lykos is long gone and Kim Ogg is more than capable, so I urge Devon to consider saving her children first--what could be more important to a mom than the welfare of her children?
The mantra of "SAVE the OFFICE" is wearing many people out. "The office" is filled with adults and Kim can manage them just fine.
So if Devon must decide whether to delegate the nurturing of "the office" or the nurturing of her shattered children the choice is crystal clear.
Wow 10:25 a.m.,
You should really be ashamed of yourself for that argument.
Who are YOU to say what is best for the Anderson family? Is that the best argument you have? That Kim deserves the Office because Devon should be staying home with the kids? Should she be staying in the kitchen as well?
Kim Ogg probably wouldn't appreciate you undermining her credentials with such crap.
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