Pat Dugan is looking to be Philadelphia’s new district attorney. Having served as a municipal court judge for 17 years, Dugan said he didn’t necessarily join this race because he wanted to, but because: “I just feel somebody has to step up. We have to bring common sense back to the District Attorney's Office.”
As the May 20 Democratic primary approaches, Dugan visited City Cast Philly to make his case for why Philly’s public safety problems mean he should take over as the city's top prosecutor. (There are no Republican candidates running, so the winner of the Democratic primary will effectively win the race.)
Dugan criticized his opponent’s approach to illegal dumping, gun violence, and retail theft prosecution; extolled his own leadership capabilities based on his time as judge; and sought to set the record straight on being a no-show at a debate.
Here’s a preview of City Cast Philly host Trenae Nuri’s conversation with Dugan:
You often speak about how Philadelphians don't feel safer, but the numbers show that we are safer. Is it the district attorney's job to make sure Philly feels safer?
“ I think it's part of it. I really do…one of the questions I ask people when I go to these community meetings and when I'm walking the street is, 'Do you feel safer?' And I ask them, 'Do you let your children go to the playground by themselves? Do you let them go to the corner store?' If you're not letting your kids go to the store or go to the playground, you're not safer, you're not freer. And it's across the board. No matter what neighborhood I'm in, they're telling me that. They're also telling me that as victims, they’re not being communicated with …
“Do they feel safer if somebody comes in and puts a gun to their head, gets robbed, but then that person doesn't hear about the court date because of miscommunication or mismanagement? I'm not sure what's going on, but too many people tell me that they never hear about what happened to their case …
“Even though the numbers look like they're safe, I don't believe people feel safe sitting on their steps when we have all these folks getting shot still … one is too many. So I do think the D.A. plays a part in how we feel out there, but they also have to know that the D.A. has the community's back, that they're gonna be taken care of when they're assaulted and not forgotten.”
Krasner in our interview with him last week … he dismissed you as a “misdemeanor judge” and said you have no experience with felony cases. Is that accurate?
“ As a Philadelphia municipal court judge, I handled felonies. I did these diversion courts, but I was in the felony homicide room. So we handled all the preliminary hearings of felonies … I did it for about 15 years …
“ In terms of who's prepared and who's not, Larry Krasner came from a law office where, frankly, he didn't supervise anybody at all … I have led a court system. I was the president judge of a municipal court, had three divisions, over 300 employees, 27 judges that worked with me …
“I know how to lead. I know how to run an office, and frankly, I am not going to be in court prosecuting people. I'm going to bring in competent supervisors and leaders to help me run that office. I am not somebody who thinks he's the smartest person in the room. I plan on bringing good people around me to help run that office, and he can call me a lowly misdemeanor court [judge] all he wants. He has nothing else to say other than that.”
Krasner has also called you a prop for Trump and a MAGA Republican. He says Republicans have signed your petitions to get you on the ballot, and Trump donors are also donating to you …
“Larry has nothing else to run on except he wants to try to tie me in with Donald Trump. I am a Democrat. Been a Democrat my entire life…
“.I have more Democratic wards that have endorsed me than that have endorsed Larry Krasner…So Democrats are coming to Pat Dugan. Unions are coming to Pat Dugan…
“He was name-calling me in the beginning. He called me Nixonian. He called me a Trumper ... All he can do is call people names.”
➕ District Attorney isn’t the only race to keep an eye on. Stay tuned for our breakdown of the judicial races.
