County Attorney Choi Announces Bid for Re-Election

Feb 1, 2018 | Press Release

Contact:
Beth Commers
bethcommers@donjek.com
651.247.7009

Choi has defined career by bringing people together to prevent and solve problems in our community

[Saint Paul] Today, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced his bid for a third term in office.

“I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish by working together with a wide variety of partners to achieve meaningful results for our community and I am eager to engage voters in this election cycle,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi. “There is more work to do to enhance the quality of justice and build trust in our justice system, combat gender-based violence, and improve outcomes for our youth and I am looking forward to continuing to work alongside our community partners to make it happen.”

As county attorney, Choi has continued to build on his strong record of bringing people together to prevent and solve problems in our community. In doing so, Choi has been both visionary and responsive, amplifying community voices in his leadership around a host of challenges to get real results for our community.

The community scorecard below highlights several of these transformational efforts:

Challenge Results
Children in our community being bought and sold for sex
  • Increased awareness of sex trafficking due to statewide training efforts and community presentations
  • Children no longer being prosecuted, but offered specialized services and treated as victims
  • Significant increase in numbers of prosecutions and convictions of traffickers
  • Secured dedicated resources from State Legislature to fund statewide training, victim services and improve systemic response
  • Changing culture by engaging men and talking about how we raise boys to value and respect women & girls
Vast majority of sexual assaults going unreported; perpetrators not being investigated or prosecuted
  • Reached out to police to ensure all rape kits tested
  • Launched Sexual Assault Justice Initiative to review past cases from victims that receive medical attention but choose not to report to police all the way through cases that reach our office and are successfully prosecuted
  • Launched Start by Believing Initiative in Ramsey County to change the culture around believing victims of sexual assault
Increasing numbers of youth reaching our office having physically acted out against school staff
  • Launched a Community Task Force on Safe Schools, comprised of parents, teachers, school resource officers, youth workers and residents to discuss the underlying causes and recommend community-based solutions
People addicted to drugs cycling through the system while dealers continue to profit from devastation
  • Reformed state drug sentencing laws
  • Increased penalties against major dealers and eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for low- level drug users
  • Reinvested savings in local drug treatment and supervision so those who are addicted can get help
Numerous reports of child sexual abuse against Archdiocese
  • Charged the Archdiocese for its failure to protect children
  • Archdiocese admitted systemic failure and recommitted to new reporting standards
  • Holding entity accountable through ongoing court monitoring
Inadequate domestic violence case outcomes in suburban communities
  • Launched Domestic Violence Prosecution

Enhancement Initiative to partner with city attorneys on enhancing prosecutions to hold offenders accountable and keep victims safe
Accidental shootings resulting from children finding unsecured guns in the home
  • Partnered with Public Health & Sheriff’s Office to launch a gun safety initiative to raise awareness and disseminate free gun locks through community-based settings
Diminished public trust in the aftermath of officer-involved shootings
  • Increased transparency by committing to taking accountability for charging decisions and making all documents public at the conclusion
  • Improved prosecutorial process
  • Enhanced public trust and confidence by thoughtfully ensuring the integrity of the process

In addition to Choi’s record of results in office, he has engendered a solid base of community support including securing official endorsements from AFSCME and the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation. For more information on Choi’s campaign, please visit www.johnchoi.org.