Law Enforcement Appreciation Week: Prosecutor seeks justice tempered by 'Golden Rule'

Mark Welker didn't grow up wanting to be the prosecuting attorney for Cape Girardeau County. In fact, he didn't really have a specific interest in being a lawyer at all.

"It was always something that was in the back of my mind, but it wasn't really a burning desire," said Welker who was elected prosecuting attorney in 2018 and is running unopposed in 2022.

Welker grew up in Cape Girardeau, and as he was getting closer to graduation from Southeast Missouri State University he thought, "Why not law?"

Next was his law degree from Southern Illinois University where he also interned at the Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney's office.

"When I was in law school, I interned for Morley Swingle," Welker said. "And that's where I grew to have an affinity to the office."

However, when he graduated law school there wasn't an opening to become an assistant prosecutor, so Welker joined his stepfather's firm as a general practice litigation attorney.

"But in the back of my head," said Welker. "I always wanted to work in prosecution."

Welker and his wife, Callie, are lifelong residents of Cape Girardeau, and it was always their plan to return.

"This is home for us," said Welker. "This is where my wife and I both grew up, high school sweethearts. We wanted to grow our family back home."

In 2013, he transferred to the Limbaugh Firm in Cape Girardeau, and a few years later an unexpected opportunity to run for county prosecuting attorney popped up when Gov. Mike Parson appointed Chris Limbaugh to his staff.

"The governor stole Chris away to be his general counsel, and that's when I decided to run for prosecuting attorney," said Welker.

At the time, some considered him young for the position, but Welker disagreed.

"Actually, I'm not." Welker said. "When Morley Swingle was elected prosecutor, when Chris was appointed prosecutor, we were all about the same age. Historically. it's always been someone in their early 30s. In Cape Girardeau County we've always had a younger, ambitious, prosecutor."

Though Welker had a desire to be the county prosecutor he wasn't as excited about the political aspect of the position.

"Unfortunately, this job is political," Welker said. "That's not something I really enjoy about the job, but unfortunately you have to run every four years. If I could, I would just do the job. That's what I try to do as much as I can. But the reality is that it's political. But when you really look at it it's just the practice of law. It's representing the State, through the prosecution of cases."

In the largest prosecutor's office in Southeast Missouri, Welker, along with eight assistant prosecutors, handle between 3,500 to 4,000 cases a year that range in severity from speeding tickets all the way up to domestic violence and even murder.

Welker said such a high case load is daunting but tends to believe the stress of going into a daily job can be the same no matter where you work.

"The approach I take is that I will have a problem," Welker said. "No matter what, every day, I'm going to have a problem. And my job is to deal with that problem that day and make sure I don't allow it to spill over to the next day, because the next day will have new problems. And that's just the reality of crime. There's just no way we are going to eliminate crime."

Added to the grind and stress of an endless supply of crimes to prosecute, Welker also knows he will seldom be able to completely satisfy anyone involved in the process.

"Every case that is referred over to our office, no matter what, almost everyone is going to be upset with the outcome of our decisions. And that's just the reality that we have to face. But that's just a part of our job, that justice prevails, and we have a level head."

This is not to say that being the county prosecuting attorney is completely thankless.

"We have senior prosecutors that will tell us that we are looked at as the model office. How we handle our cases, our plea offers, our communications, our level of professionalism," the prosecutor noted.

Welker is both proud and modest with this assessment.

"That was instilled prior to me and has just continued. I can't take credit for that. It's the attorneys that are still in the office that have continued to work there that have carried it over. I just haven't screwed it up," he said.

Another aspect Welker is quick to praise is how his office works with the victims of crime and their families.

"Anytime there is a victim in a crime, our Victim Advocate will reach out to them and their family making sure they're aware of what's going on in the case. Staying in touch as much as possible."

When it comes to the reason and need for a prosecuting attorney, Welker doesn't mince words.

"If you're breaking the law, we're going to file it. We're going to seek justice," the prosecutor pledged.

Yet, in keeping with their reputation as professionals, Welker's office follows the "Golden Rule."

"We try to treat everyone how we would want to be treated," Welker said. "Because there might be a time in anyone's life where they're on the other side of that. We have to look at a case as fair as possible. We're really that last point for someone's life and liberty."