Candidate Profile: Alexis King, 1st Judicial District Attorney

The 2020 election is heating up in Colorado and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate and judicial seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Alexis King is running for 1st Judicial District Attorney.

Age: 40
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: I call Jefferson county home, along with my husband, David, two children, and a Foothills Animal Shelter rescue dog named Kayla.
Occupation: Fourteen years as an attorney.
Previous elected experience: NA
Family members in government: NA

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

Public health and safety

Our communities are grappling with a dual public health crisis - the impact to daily life of the current pandemic, and the resulting budget crisis that threatens our ability to address critical health and safety issues within the criminal justice system. My policy agenda will help keep our community safe by prioritizing the ethical and effective prosecution of violent people who are a substantial risk to our community, while also expanding our diversionary options for low-risk, low-level folks who can stabilize in our community without criminalization, many of whom are struggling with healthcare issues of mental illness and addiction. This approach is also fiscally lean, because it diverts folks who can be safely supervised in the community from the more expensive options of court process and incarceration. It also means that when we do incarcerate, we are spending our resources to only house those who are too dangerous for our streets.

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

I am the only candidate who has fought for survivors in the courtroom and brought reform to this community. During my decade of service as a Deputy DA here, I designed programs to keep kids out of the system, both educational and therapeutic, and addressed human trafficking through effective prosecution and evidence-based policy locally and for people throughout Colorado. Unlike my opponent, I have seen the system from more than one angle, from serving as a magistrate judge working on bail bond reform to serving as a victim rights attorney with the preeminent victim advocacy nonprofit in Colorado. I have a track record of transformative and collaborative leadership that stretches far beyond the bounds of the courthouse.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

After college, I came home to Colorado and worked at a domestic violence and sexual assault nonprofit saw the impact of DA’s decisions on survivor’s safety. My commitment to working for vulnerable people is what led me to become a Deputy District Attorney in Jefferson & Gilpin Counties. In my decade of service, I led the daily operations of the DA’s Juvenile Unit for four years, mentoring attorneys, managing staff, developing prosecution alternatives, working with the community, and advancing legislation, all while trying cases and leading the juvenile mental health court. I then led our Human Trafficking Unit with local and federal law enforcement and stakeholders. I represented all of Colorado’s DAs on trafficking policy at the legislature and on Colorado’s Human Trafficking Council.

I just finished serving on the Colorado Bar Association’s Executive Council where I monitored the implementation of our five-year strategic plan, and oversaw a $10 million budget.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

Jeffco must commit to evidence-based and fiscally responsible criminal justice practices that reduce the percentage of local county budgets that are dedicated to criminal justice to allow for the focus to be on economic stimulus for local businesses. One of these is smart bond reform, to reduce the incarceration of low risk folks, allowing them to stabilize in the community, an effort I’ve already led as a magistrate judge. Another is partnering with community efforts to divert people from our jail. The jail accounts for a significant portion of our local budgets and should be reserved for dangerous people, not low risk, low level folks who can be stabilized in the community at less expense and with less re-offense.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

Since I began this campaign, before George Floyd’s murder, I was championing data collection and transparency to address systemic racism. The DA is a powerful public servant who is obligated to answer tough questions including whether people are treated differently because of their identity. Once answered, we must dialogue with our community, including police, about moving forward together with solutions to address systemic inequity and public safety. Under my leadership, we have an opportunity to raise the bar in government transparency. The integrity of the justice system is earned and we will do so through accountability to those we serve.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

My first-tier priorities are threefold: transparency, safety and alternatives to incarceration.

My office will be transparent. A Conviction Integrity Unit, focusing on both innocence and equity, will collect, analyze, and utilize data regarding prosecutions and plea bargains to advance evidence-based practices and increase accountability.

At the other end of the spectrum, we must vigorously and ethically prosecute dangerous people who prey on our most vulnerable. Smart reform means freeing up resources to focus on crimes against children, the elderly, and other at-risk populations, including those crimes motivated by hate or bias.

For those for whom incarceration is unnecessary and wasteful, we must have an appropriate diversionary track, similar to those I have already helped develop for this community, and focused on restorative justice, education, and stabilization.

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

After handling thousands of cases as a prosecutor and magistrate judge, and building a track record of collaboration in this community and leadership in the legal community, I have earned a reputation as a transformative problem solver. At a time when those across the political spectrum are demanding the utmost professionalism of experienced prosecutors, my priority will be just that - ensuring that my attorneys are among the most qualified and have the broadest lenses. As the only candidate who has relationships with diversity bar associations and pushed for sweeping efforts to increase representation of different identities in the legal community, we have an opportunity to develop attorneys and staff who seek to protect our community, and raise the bar in how we serve our community, beyond the status quo. As your public servants, we will guard community resources closely and seek to improve public health and safety above all else.