JOHN HALL PLEDGES TO MODERNIZE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN MISSOURI

If he is elected attorney general this year, former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Hall says his primary focus will be on modernizing law enforcement in the state of Missouri.

Hall promised "to modernize Missouri's total approach to law enforcement for the 21st century. From my perspective as a prosecutor, there has been too much talk, and too little action on issues that matter across the board in law enforcement.

"It's time for new ideas and leadership in the fight against crime, formed out of the toughness of experience, rather than rhetoric."

Hall was in Cape Girardeau Thursday as part of a tour around the state to kick off his campaign for the Republican nomination for attorney general.

The 34-year old candidate was born and raised in the Kansas City area, but now resides in St. Louis County. Before resigning recently to start his campaign, Hall served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Missouri for three years.

During his tenure as a prosecutor, Hall said, his emphasis was on narcotics crimes and white-collar fraud, something he feels has prepared him to be attorney general.

"I very much want to make law enforcement the centerpiece of my campaign," declared Hall. "It's my experience as prosecutor that gives me the background to talk about law enforcement in this campaign."

During his three years as a prosecutor, Hall said, he never lost a case.

As part of his modernization effort, Hall said he would work to revise state sentencing procedures to be more like the federal system where parole and plea bargaining have been abolished.

"In the federal system, sentences are on the basis of total criminal conduct," noted Hall, pointing out that those sentenced in state courts often serve only a small percentage of their actual sentences.

"We need to have a system in this state where the sentence you get is the sentence you serve. In the federal system, three years is three years," he declared.

"The disparity between the sentence from the bench and time served undermines public confidence in the system and the deterrence effect."

Hall said that some argue against stricter sentences because it would result in the need for additional prison space. But he disagrees.

"I think it will reduce the number of people that come into the criminal justice system if they realize the sentence they receive is the time they will serve."

In fraud cases, Hall believes the best deterrence is sentencing people to prison, in addition to seeking compensation.

"Plea bargaining and deals are really a thing of the past in federal court," added Hall. "It's a system that works."

Hall supports expanding police powers for officers involved in regional drug task forces and giving the Missouri Highway Patrol the power of search and seizure. However, he is opposed to legislation being pushed this year in the General Assembly that would create a Missouri Bureau of Investigation (MBI).

He feels the best approach is using the influence of the attorney general's office to build on cooperation between law enforcement agencies. This cooperation will help in developing strong criminal cases, he said.

"My focus is not on creating agencies to usurp the authority of local agencies," said Hall, noting that talk of creating an MBI tends to increase distrust between agencies rather than improve cooperation.

"I think we can still move toward modernizing law enforcement without having an MBI," he noted.

As attorney general, Hall said he would continue the efforts of present Attorney General William Webster to negotiate an end to the state's responsibility for school desegregation in St. Louis and Kansas City.

"We are finally reaching the stage where we have to focus on the end," he stressed. "There is a question of when does the state's obligation to remedy segregation actions from decades ago end.

"The state has done what it can do to remedy the problem; now it is time to let the local school districts take over."

Hall said the state should not consider itself at the mercy of a federal judge and should keep the pressure on for a final settlement.

If elected, Hall promised to be an advocate for families and strong values in the state; to aggressively pursue consumer fraud cases; and to work toward raising the minimum training hours for police officers.

Hall formerly worked as a speech writer and policy assistant to Gov. Christopher Bond and worked in Washington, D.C. as legislative counsel to Sen. John Danforth. In 1988, he managed Danforth's successful re-election campaign.

Danforth has endorsed Hall in the GOP primary and is serving as chairman of his campaign.

The only other Republican candidate in the race so far is David Steelman of Rolla, past minority leader of the Missouri House.

Hall received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard.

His wife, Rochelle, teaches at Washington University in St. Louis. They have two children.