Douglas County’s top prosecutor says her office has not yet issued any notices for violating laws regulating the sale of certain forms of THC products, and Lawrence business owners would like to keep it that way.
But some proprietors fear that “One or two of these people are going to ruin it for everyone else.”
The Lawrence Community Police Review Board tonight advanced a charter creating a new task force. Members did not raise questions about officer truthfulness policies that have spurred conflict between area law enforcement and the district attorney’s office.
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The Douglas County DA’s office has dropped an estimated 50 cases because of officer integrity issues — including one homicide case. And dueling policies about officer truthfulness and bias are straining the relationship between police and prosecutors.
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The Douglas County DA’s office is seeking to expand its alternatives to incarceration by establishing a restorative justice program intended to give a voice to victims and reduce recidivism.
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Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez has launched an online survey to gauge how the public feels about in-person court hearings and jury trials amid record numbers of COVID-19 cases.
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A Lawrence attorney has filed a complaint against the Douglas County district attorney for “spiteful, malicious” conduct, called for an investigation of the former coroner, and says the DA’s office should be disqualified from handling his client’s case.
Douglas County Democrats
Weeks after announcing her office would not prosecute violations of a new Kansas law that criminalizes giving the appearance of an election worker, Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez on Saturday will join a panel of election experts to discuss the state’s voter laws.
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About 15 people spoke in favor of a centralized public defender office for Douglas County, and a few others — including the county’s top prosecutor — spoke against it or expressed uncertainty during a hearing Sunday afternoon.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt reinforced Monday that his office would, in fact, prosecute a law that caused activist groups to cease voter registration drives for fear of felony charges — including in Douglas County, where District Attorney Suzanne Valdez said her office would not enforce the law.
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez said Tuesday that she won’t prosecute anyone under a new state law that caused nonprofits to halt voter registration efforts at the start of July, but the groups won’t immediately resume engaging with voters.
