State Attorney Brodsky plays too much politics with public safety, says challenger Young
Democratic challenger Betsy Young says there is too much politics in how the 12th Judicial District State Attorney’s Office is run by Republican incumbent Ed Brodsky.
Young promises she would bring more accountability and transparency to the job than Brodsky, who has been the three-county district’s top prosecutor since 2013.
“I think public safety is more important than politics and I certainly won’t let my politics decide my filing decision and how I handle cases,” she said.
Brodsky, who is up for a third term in the Nov. 3 election, is touting his experience since taking office, claiming a balanced approach of being tough on crime while being attentive to the special needs of the community, make him the best person for the job.
“You have to have a balanced approach,” Brodsky said. “This administration has worked to address the special needs of the community over the last eight years.”
Young, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, has criticized his opponent and others in the community for giving favorable plea deals to well-connected defendants. If elected, Young said she hopes to eliminate what she calls “cash register justice.”
“We have to have a lot of direction and policy, so that we don’t have a Flanzer case,” she said. “There just needs to be clear standards for violent crimes and for people who create danger for law enforcement and the public at large.”
Ryan Flanzer was charged with firing several gunshots into an empty apartment unit in May 2018. Flanzer, 25 at the time and a member of a well-connected family, received no jail time as part of the deal negotiated with Brodsky’s office. Instead, he earned credit for the 18 months he received mental health treatment at a dual-diagnosis treatment program in Malibu, Calif.
Brodsky has defended the deal.
The Flanzer case and concerns of “cash register justice” inspired former prosecutor Lisa Chittaro to challenge Brodsky in Republican primary in August. Brodsky won that race by a 2-1 margin.
Brodsky touts reduction in crime
If re-elected, Brodsky said he intends to continue to manage his office as he has since 2013. Brodsky cites the reduction in crime in the 12th Judicial District — Manatee, Sarsasota and DeSoto counties — as his administration’s top accomplishment.
Between 2013 and 2019, in Manatee County, there was an overall 42% reduction in crime, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s annual uniform crime reports. That crime rate is based on the number of index crimes — murders, forcible rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle theft — reported in relation to population. During that same period, Sarasota County saw a 33% reduction in crime and DeSoto County saw a 24% reduction.
Young pointed to the violent crime rate in response to Brodsky’s claims.
In Manatee County, the violent crime rate dropped by 15% between 2013 and 2019. In Sarasota and DeSoto counties, violent crime has dropped 17% and 15%, respectively.
But between 2018 and 2019, DeSoto County saw an 18% increase in violent crime. Meanwhile, in Manatee County violent crime increased by 2% while in Sarasota violent crime decreased by 3% between 2018 and 2019.
The creation of specialty units within his office that specialize in violent crime, white collar crime, elderly exploitation and aggravated animal abuse are some of the ways Brodsky says he has helped combat crime. As important in reducing crime, Brodsky said, is addressing the underlying causes to prevent recidivism.
“There is a significant number of people in our jails,” he said. “We wanted to address the mental health and substance abuse. There is a holistic approach in addressing underlying cause of crime.”
One example of this is the state attorney office’s role in establishing a Veterans Court.
“I think specialty courts are part of the solution. But why is there no juvenile drug court and why is there no juveniles mental health court,” Young said. “That’s where you could get more bang for your buck, when kids are just starting to experience with drugs.”
Juvenile specialty courts are also helpful in identifying a family dynamic that could cause a young person to turn to crime, she added. It can also save someone who may have otherwise go on to abuse drugs and commit crimes for years.
Young pointed to the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough as an example of how such courts can be successful.
“If he is really creating courts, then why is he neglecting our children?” Young said.
Addressing systematic racism and police brutality
“Systematic racism is something as state attorney I take very seriously,” Brodsky said. “I am not saying we are perfect, but we are vigilant about the issue and all of us have to work to do. I led the initiative across the state for prosecutors to be trained for implicit biases.”
Brodsky said he now requires that implicit bias training for all prosecutors in the 12th district.
The first step to address the disparities is to listen to people in the community affected by them, Young said.
“You have to be able to not be defensive,” she said. “You should be able to have a conversation with people in the community when you disagree.”
In dealing with cases of police brutality, Brodsky defended his office’s record, which includes several plea deals negotiated with former Manatee County jail deputies who in 2019 faced charges of battery for incidents involving inmates.
“We have demonstrated that we will hold law enforcement officers accountable,” Brodsky said.
Most of the deputies were never physically arrested and received plea deals under which most received only probation and not jail time.. Some never even stepped foot in a courtroom to face charges.
Brodsky insisted the cases were handled fairly saying, “We review each case to see if law enforcement violated the law. We will prosecute them. We are completely transparent.”
Young thinks it’s important to recognize the interplay that exists between the state attorney’s and law enforcement.
“They have to work together to prosecute crimes,” she said. “But at the same time, the state attorneys’ office has to be independent.”
That independence is important, she explained, because the state attorney’s office has to make sure evidence and confessions in cases are properly obtained by law enforcement officers.
“You have to be independent of law enforcement and you can’t be part of the good ole’ boys club to make an independent judgment, and we have seen that in the past,” Young said.
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 6:54 AM.
