With a record 25 homicides on the books in the city of Peoria last year, responding to violence and ensuring safety is a key campaign issue for both Peoria County State's Attorney candidates. But both candidates have different takes on how relationships play into that response.
Jodi Hoos said her record of collaboration with other officials make her the best candidate for the top prosecutor's job.
Hoos, a former circuit judge, was appointed to the seat after Jerry Brady died last summer. She's facing Peoria defense attorney Christopher McCall in the March Democratic primary.
"You know, if you cut through everything, I don't think Mr. McCall and I disagree on a lot of stuff," she said. "But I think the big difference, and one of the big differences we have, is maybe accomplishing the things you want to accomplish. And how do you do that? By the relationships you have."
She says Peoria County has a lot of problems that won't be solved overnight, but the best way to tackle those issues is for her to continue working in tandem with law enforcement, judges, the coroner, and other officials to make headway.
McCall countered by saying many members of those groups are unresponsive to community concerns.
"It's not about the good old boy members or the cliques. We're about the people. Why do we need that? Because violent crime is continuing in Peoria County, and people are calling the police less and less because of this clique nature that is here," McCall said. "Wake up."
He said he'd aggressively increase community outreach efforts if elected to regain trust. He also said he'd seek to work with the coroner and other officials.
Hoos says as the county's first female state's attorney, and someone who grew up on a small farm in Nebraska, she doesn't belong to the clique McCall describes. She said she's working with the U.S. Central District of Illinois to form a new program to build trust between young people and various law enforcement agencies.
No Republicans are running for the office.
Where they stand on key issues:
Expungements: Hoos says she supports expunging the criminal records of most non-violent offenders as allowed by the law. McCall says he also supports expungements, because people deserve second chances.
Eliminating cash bond: McCall says he supports eliminating cash bonds for first-time, non-violent offenders. Hoos says there's already been a lot of progress on this issue in recent years. She says her experience as a judge taught her that in some cases, bonds are necessary to ensure people return to court to face charges.
Officer-involved shootings: Hoos says an outside agency should handle investigations of officer-involved shootings to ensure inpartiality. Such cases are usually referred to the Illinois State Police. McCall says such investigations have lacked transparency in the past. He would form a 9-person panel of retired judges, police officers, and attorneys to make recommendations on such cases.
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