History will be made in November when Jackson County voters elect a new county prosecutor. Either Republican Tracey Chappell or Democrat Melesa Johnson would become the first Black woman elected to the position.
The current county prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, is not seeking reelection.
KCUR's Up To Date hosted both candidates for a debate on Wednesday.
Residents in Kansas City are frustrated with the rise in property crimes and perceived lack of consequences — a problem each candidate says they have a new strategy for.
"There's a three-prong approach that I plan to get a bit more aggressive on our charging decisions and increase the amount of people that we are able to prosecute," Johnson told KCUR's Up To Date.
Johnson said she will invest in cellphone analyzation technology, creating a property crimes division supplemented with law students, and utilizing focused deterrence.
Chappell wants to embed prosecutors within police stations, and also said she'll be more aggressive determining which cases to prosecute compared to the current prosecutor.
"I know how to properly assess a case. I know exactly what the evidence should be, and I know when cases need to be charged," Chappell said.
The two candidates sparred over experience and the best method to improve prosecution rates. But both candidates took a firm stance on holding juveniles certified to be tried as an adult and their parents accountable for repeated or violent criminal activity.
- Tracey Chappell, Republican candidate for Jackson County prosecutor
- Melesa Johnson, Democratic candidate for Jackson County prosecutor
