Hillar Moore III will kick off his re-election bid for 19th Judicial District Attorney with a fundraiser on Thursday.
Moore says he decided to “get out early” for the 2020 election to raise awareness and gather supporters. He’s unaware of other possible contestants for the position.
It’s a critical time for criminal justice and criminal justice reform, he says, not just in the nation, but also the state and Baton Rouge. Along with deterring violent crime and homicides, racial issues and mental health have become forefront criminal justice issues, he says.
“Can we develop ways to triage people who come through? Treat those who need help, punish those who need to be punished and making sure we understand the difference between the two. But it takes money, time and resources,” Moore says.
Different entities need to work to become more transparent to restore community trust in the criminal justice system, Moore says.
“If the community trusts the system, they will obey the system and laws in place. If they don’t have basic underlying trust, they won’t abide by rules,” Moore says. “Underlying issues affecting that trust is race, education, employment and how they see the system from their side.”
Moore is currently serving his second six-year term as district attorney.
