After defeating Branson, next Douglas County DA vows to listen to women, community
Poised to become the first new district attorney in Douglas County in 16 years, Suzanne Valdez said she plans to hit the ground running.
Even before she walks through the door, she plans to review existing policies and meet with her future constituents.
Valdez, a law professor at the University of Kansas, finished 8 points ahead of her closest competitor in preliminary results of the race to become the next Douglas County District Attorney. She believes she is the first Hispanic woman to hold a district attorneys’ office in the state of Kansas.
“I’m grateful because maybe we’ll get other people of color to say ‘you know what, if Valdez can do it, I can too,’” she said. “That is meaningful for me because we need people of color to be in these types of roles because it brings perspective.”
In October 2019 Valdez spoke to a Star reporter about problems she perceived in the Lawrence and Douglas County criminal justice system and at KU.
The institutions, she said, failed to protect women.
Her student had been charged with making a false report of rape. That charge, along with false report charges against two other women, was ultimately dropped under public scrutiny and reporting by The Star.
When Valdez learned of the charges, she was incensed. Many students, she said, had come to her with stories of having been victimized and then brushed aside by police or university officials.
“I knew I had to speak out about it because I was just tired of it,” she said.
In April, she filed to run for office, accusing the 16-year-incumbent, Charles Branson, of being “asleep at the wheel.”
In an interview Thursday, Valdez said Branson is a good person. But after running uncontested for three terms, he got too comfortable, she said.
“There is something healthy I believe in having a challenger,” Valdez said. “It requires you to remain engaged it requires you to really think about moving forward on your promises.”
In a three-way primary on Tuesday Valdez gained nearly 40% of the vote. Her competitors, Branson and criminal defense attorney Cooper Overstreet, each earned around 30%.
No Republicans are running for the position, meaning Valdez is likely to be the next district attorney.
Making change
Though still five months away from taking office, Valdez is already planning out her next steps.
Before she takes office, she said, she plans to review all the policies in the district attorney’s office and determine where changes can be made so it can occur as soon as she steps into the role. Once in office, she plans to improve upon the drug court and behavioral health court which already exist.
She also intends to continue to meet with community members to see what they want and need.
Valdez said she is not sure yet exactly what she will do to improve handling of sexual assault cases but believes a main piece of what should be done includes training, working with Douglas County’s colleges, and ensuring survivors know they are being listened to and respected.
Police officers she’s talked to, she said, want more training.
Last year, the Star reported that the Lawrence Police Department has a lower arrest rate for rape than the state average, that their investigations had led to more false report charges than other cities and that officers are not as well trained to handle such crimes as police in comparable jurisdictions.
The district attorney’s office and police department each announced plans for new training and policies this year.
One survivor, Valdez said, reached out to her during the election and said that if Valdez could “listen to (her), and believe (her) and empower (her) and be sensitive to the issue” then she would have her vote.
“That’s what I think people expect,” Valdez said. “If I can deliver that then that’s what I’m going to strive for.”
Taking her first elected office as a prosecutor in a period of intense scrutiny of law enforcement and calls for reform, Valdez asked the public and those she works with to hold her accountable.
After George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, she said, she nearly dropped out of the race.
“When that happened it was horrific, it made me sick,” she said. “If this is what prosecutors have a hand in, I want nothing to do with it.”
Instead, she said, she chose to stay in the race and to listen to the community. As a Hispanic woman, she said, she feels she has the perspective to push police and others in law enforcement in “uncomfortable ways” to think about those issues and how they interact with people of color.
“If I mess up I acknowledge it, I apologize and I try to fix it, and it won’t happen again. We learn from it and we move on. So that’s what we need to do,” she said.
“I’m not promising anything will be easy. I’m not promising there will be complete fixes to this and I’m fairly certain we’re going to screw up along the way. But if and when we do that’s the approach I’m going to take.”
