Jamie Mosser: Kane County State's Attorney Candidate Profile

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Family: Three children: Parker (15), Camile 13, and Vivian (10)

Education: Bachelors of Science from Illinois State University – Major Political Science, Juris Doctor from DePaul University with a Certificate in Criminal Law

Occupation: Kane County State’s Attorney – 4 years, private attorney – 4 years, legal aid attorney – 2 years, Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney – 10 years, New Orleans Assistant District Attorney – 2 years.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Elected Kane County State’s Attorney in 2020.

Campaign website: www.mosserforkanecounty.com

The single most pressing issue facing our county is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it?

The single most pressing issue facing our county is domestic violence. The The majority of the cases that come through our system are domestic violence related. Due to the cycle of violence, children that grow up in DV homes are statistically more likely to be an abuser (boys) or a victim (girls)and may suffer from significant physical and mental health issues along with addiction issues. In speaking with most inmates in jails or prisons, the vast majority of offenders have experienced some form of DV in their lives. I have been working with our judicial system to transform three of our courtrooms to focus on DV crimes so that the Judges, prosecutors and public defenders are specialized in those matters. They would be trained to be victim centered and trauma informed. We will bring in programming that is able to help the victims and offenders to break the cycle of violence along with providing therapy for the children that witness DV. This approach will lessen recidivism while providing true protection to victims.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My opponent spouts that he will take the ‘law and order’ approach to criminal behavior without explaining what that actually means. Each defendant that comes through the criminal justice system needs to have the case looked at individually to see what true justice should be. Not every person needs to go to jail or prison to be held accountable. Our criminal justice system can have a valuable impact on our community if we prosecute ethically always looking for what is right for the defendant, the victim, and our community. Kane County needs a prosecutor that will not take a one sided approach to prosecution. Further, my opponent has not proposed any programming or initiatives that he will put in if elected. As the State’s Attorney, I have proven I can find the resources needed to keep this community safe.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

As the current State’s Attorney, I have provided a balanced approach to prosecution. Those who can be reformed are provided the opportunity to take accountability and get access to treatment and resources. With that being said, there are individuals who choose to make our community unsafe and they need to be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. While in office, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office, I created Kane County’s Child Exploitation Unit that investigates and prosecutes those who possess, create or disseminate child pornography cases. This unit alone has tripled the amount of cases that were being investigated and prosecuted prior to my administration. Additionally, we have applied for funding to create a Human Trafficking Unit. This unit will employ investigators, prosecutors, advocates, and translators to investigate and prosecute Human Trafficking cases in Kane County. Because this is such a specialized area of law, you need investigators, prosecutors and advocates that understand the complexities in these cases along with helping to get the victims the help that they need.

If you gain this position, what accomplishment would define your term in office as a success?

The innovation that I have brought to the office already has been a great accomplishment for Kane County including expanding deferred prosecution, creating pre-arrest diversion, and our creating our 4th specialty court. The creation of the Child Exploitation Unit has been a huge accomplishment for keeping our children safe from child predators. In my second term, I will continue to bring programs that help those in need while watching crime trends to see where we need a directed approach. As mentioned earlier, we are seeing a rise in Human Trafficking cases likely due to the migration issues Illinois has suffered from. The creation of a Human Trafficking Unit will help to protect those being victimized in our community. Additionally, having a greater focus on breaking the cycle of violence for Domestic Violence cases will reduce recidivism rates and protect those from being victimized as I explained in another question.

Why are you running for office?

I ran for office originally wanting to bring true criminal justice reform to Kane County. In my first term, I have been able to accomplish that and more. I expanded the programming that we have to help low level/low need offenders with robust deferred prosecution programs. I created Illinois’ only pre-arrest diversion program that is designed to partner with police officers to help those who are committing crimes due to untreated mental health issues, substance use disorder, or a lack of resources. I also helped to create our 4th specialty court program that helps high risk/high need offenders who commit multiple DUI offenses. These programs have been proven to help get people to treatment and resources while still holding them accountable for their criminal activity. When re-elected, I will continue to bring innovative programming like this to Kane County.

What questions should be asked of current government employees accountable to your board?

The most important thing to ask elected officials is how they are spending governmental funds. As an elected official, it is my duty to prosecute cases fairly and to represent the County in all civil matters. I employ 196 people ranging from support staff to investigators to advocates to assistant state’s attorneys. Through my first term, I have provided transparency in each of the divisions within my office. We have also disseminated the statistics related to each division in our end of year reports that can be found on the Kane County State’s Attorney’s website. We, as elected officials, need to be transparent in how government funds are spent and are in line with our mandated duties. As the State’s Attorney, it is my job to always focus on public safety and how best to defend our County and their elected officials. I have done that with fiscal responsibility at all times.

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office?

All elected officials should be good stewards of funding and be transparent to the community. As the elected State’s Attorney, I have been under budget each year in office. I have provided presentations through our Judicial and Public Safety Committee as to how we have spent county funds. Further, when new positions were needed, I requested that funding through the County Board by providing statistical data and the concurrent need. Unfortunately, I was also subjected to unfunded mandates through the passage of the Safe-T Act. I worked with my judicial partners to analyze what new positions were essential to implement this law in the most effective way. While my budget has increased due to this over the last four years, it was done with County Board approval and with the data to prove that all increases were necessary. Additionally, I do not rely solely on the County Budget. I also seek other funding through local, state and federal grants. I have been able to supplement my budget with these grants. Recently, I was granted a $1 million grant from the State through the advocacy of Senator Linda Holmes. We will use this money to increase our efforts to combat the Domestic Violence issues.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have been an attorney for over 22 years having worked as a prosecutor for 16 years, 4 years in private practice and 2 years in legal Aid. During my time as a Kane County resident, I have worked for our community volunteering for organizations, providing free legal assistance, and serving on boards like Mutual Ground. I have dedicated my life to serving the Kane County community in a variety of ways. That level of service is what I have brought to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. Since day one of taking office, I have improved on how we prosecute cases by creating vertical prosecution units. I have researched and created innovative programming that is designed to help get people out of our system while focusing our resources on keeping those who make our community unsafe in jail or prison. I have proven in 4 years that I can make our community safer with this balanced approach.

Do you think Illinois’s SAFE-T act/no cash bail has been effective?

Yes, I do. When the SAFE-T Act was passed, I was one of the first democrats to object to it for a variety of reasons. While I support the concepts behind the SAFE-T Act and the elimination of cash bail, the language contained within would have created many negative consequences for our County. Myself along with DuPage SA Berlin and others in law enforcement worked with the legislators to pass three trailer bills that significantly improved the law. It is those changes that made the Safe-T workable. While there are more changes that are needed, we have seen that dangerous offenders do not have the ability to pay their way out of jail any longer. Low level, non-violent offenders are not being held because they cannot post bail. I am committed to continue to work with the legislators to expand the case that should be detainable based on what we have seen over the past year since its implementation. Additionally, I provided training to all Kane County law enforcement and law enforcement throughout the State of Illinois on the Safe-T Act and the elimination of cash bail making it so that our implementation of the law on 9/18/2023 was as seamless as possible.

Do you think state taxpayer money should be provided to ease the migrant crisis?

As the State’s Attorney, I do not have a role in deciding where tax payer funds should be directed. I am the legal counsel for the County and do not opine on policy.

Should municipalities adopt restrictions on unscheduled bus drop-offs?

As the State’s Attorney, I cannot advise municipalities regarding issues such as this.

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