LAWMAKERS THREATEN
TO REPEAL THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT, NEXT.
>> THIS IS "HOUSTON NEWSMAKERS"
WITH KHAMBREL MARSHALL.
>> GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO
"HOUSTON NEWSMAKERS" AND GOOD
MORNING TO KIM OGG, THE NEWLY
ELECTED HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING, KHAMBREL.
>> HAS IT SUNK IN YET ABOUT THE
JOB THAT YOU HAVE AHEAD AND HOW
SOON IT'S APPROACHING?
>> OH, IT IS.
IT IS A WEIGHTY RESPONSIBILITY,
TO SAY THE LEAST, BUT IT IS THE
MOST EXCITING PROFESSIONAL
OPPORTUNITY OF MY LIFE, ANDAS
A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN, I THINK
IT'S EXCITING FOR A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
>> YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE A
LOT OF THAT OFFICE AS YOU'VE
BEEN CLIMBING UP THE RANKS
DOING VARIOUS LEVELS OF
PROSECUTION AND SO FORTH WITHIN
THE GANG OFFICE, WITHIN CRIME
STOPPERS, SO YOU'VE BEEN AROUND
THAT.
NOW YOU GET A CHANCE TO LEAD
THAT WAY.
HOW IS THAT TRANSITION PROCESS
GOING?
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET
READY FOR THE WAY YOU WANT TO
DO THINGS AS OPPOSED TO THE OLD
WAY?
>> WELL, CLARIFYING THE MISSION
THAT COMES OUT IN A THOUSAND
DIFFERENT PIECES IN YOUR
CAMPAIGN IS CRITICAL.
EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GOAL IS,
AND IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY.
THAT'S THE DELIVERABLE.
HOW WE PROVIDE IT ARE THE GOALS
AND THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE
GOING TO EMPLOY.
THOSE ARE IMPORTANT TO IRON OUT
BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE PEOPLE
ARE GOING TO KNOW WHAT THEIR
JOBS ARE AND HOW TO DO THEM.
AND THEN STAFFING AND POSITIONS
THAT ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED
TO VERY TIME-CONSUMING PROCESS,
REVIEWING EVERYONE WHO WORKS
THERE, TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO WORK THERE,
AND LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT FIT
FOR A NEW ERA OF JUSTICE, SO
IT'S A TIME-CONSUMING PROCESS
AND VERY EXCITING.
>> WHEN SOMEONE NEW COMES IN,
IS THE PROCESS KIND OF
AUTOMATIC THAT EVERYBODY WHO IS
THERE NOW OFFERS THEIR
RESIGNATION?
DOES EVERYBODY ASSUME THAT
THEY'RE GOING TO BE OUT, OR DO
THEY JUST REAPPLY FOR POSITIONS
THAT THEY HAVE?
>> THAT'S DETERMINED BY EACH
TRANSITION TEAM AND IT'S BEEN
DIFFERENTLY BY DA s IN THE PAST.
WE HAVE A PROCESS AND IT'S ON
THE WEB SITE.
IT'S A TIME TO PLAN FOR
UPCOMING EVENTS THAT MAY
INVOLVE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE
D.A.'S OFFICE, LIKE THE SUPER
BOWL, AND THEN WE'VE PROMISED
SOME BIG CHANGES TO OUR BAIL
SYSTEM.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
LAWSUIT, HARRIS COUNTY IS, AS
THE D.A. -ELECT, I'M NOT A
PARTY YET, AND IT GIVES "ME"
TIME TO SEE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
DO ABOUT IT, AND THEN MARIJUANA
REFORM IS COMING.
I PROMISED THAT WE WOULD NOT BE
JAILING PEOPLE CAUSING THEM
PERMANENT CRIMINAL RECORDS
FOLLOWING THE FIRST OF THE
YEAR, AND SO I'M GETTING THAT
IN PLACE.
WE'VE GOT A LOT GOING ON.
>> YOU'RE RIGHT, THERE'S A LOT
GOING ON.
DURING THE CAMPAIGN, WHICH WAS
CONTENTIOUS BETWEEN YOU AND
DEVON ANDERSON, AT LEAST FROM
THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN.
>> YOU DON'T SAY.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THE
BIGGEST THING WAS THAT CAUSED
THEM TO CHOOSE YOU OVER THEM?
>> EVERY CAMPAIGN PERFORMS AN
AUTOPSY ON THE ELECTION AND
FIGURES OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO
THE PATIENT AND WHY, AND IN THE
CASE OF DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
POSITIONS AND OUR ELECTIONS, I
THINK VOTERS HAD A CLEACHOICE
ON TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT
APPROACHES TO JUSTIC
JAILING A RAPE VICTIMBECAM
EMBLEMATTIC TO HER
ADMINISTRATION.
MY POSITION WAS THAT THAT WAS
WRONG, THAT INNOCENT PEOPLE
DON'T BELONG IN JAIL OR PRISON,
THAT RAPE VICTIMS NEED TO BE
NURTURED, NOT JAILED, AND THAT
WE COULD ACHIEVE A JUST RESULT
THROUGH FAR DIFFERENT MEANS,
BUT OTHER ISSUES, SUCH AS PRAOS
CUE TOREIAL CONDUCT, DEPENDING
CERTAIN CASES AND BEHAVIORS
THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF A
CULTURE WHERE WINNING WAS VERY
IMPORTANT.
I SEE OUR JOB AS JUSTICE AND I
FELT THAT THE PUBLIC FELT THAT
THERE WAS SOME OVERREACH BY THE
LAST D.A., AND THEY WANT THEIR
YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE
OPPORTUNITIES, NOT JUST
CONVICTIONS.
>> BUT THEY WANT YOUR OFFICE TO
BE TOUGH ON CRIME, DON'T THEY?
>> WELL, THEY WANT TO BE SAFE
AND THEY WANT OUR OFFICE TO BE
TOUGH ON CRIME FOR TOUGH
CRIMINALS, BUT PEOPLE CHARGED
WITH MISDEMEANOR AMOUNTS OF
MARIJUANA WHO ARE NONVIOLENT
ARE NOT SEEN BY THE GENERAL
PUBLIC AS A THREAT, AND IT'S MY
EXPERIENCE THAT THEY ARE NOT A
THREAT AND THAT'S WHAT THE
EVIDENCE AND THE RESEARCH SEEMS
TO SUPPORT AS WELL.
>> THERE WAS SOMETHING YOU
SAID, AND AS MY DIRECTOR IS
GOING TO GO NUTS BECAUSE IT'S
OUT OF ORDER WITH SOME OF THE
TAPES, BUT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE
MARIJUANA PART, AND AT THE
EARLIER -- WHEN YOU RAN BEFORE,
YOU BROUGHT THAT UP THE FIRST
TIME YOU RAN, AND IT ALMOST
BECAME A PART OF SOME RELAXING
OF SOME OF THE RULES IN THE
D.A.'S OFFICE.
>> IT DID.
I THINK THAT THE CAMPAIGNS
BROUGHT CHANGE THEMSELVES,
BECAUSE I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
TO RUN IN 2014 AFTER MIKE
ANDERSON PASSED AWAY AND DEVON
WAS APPOINTED, IT GAVE ME THE
OPPORTUNITY TO LAY OUT A REFORM
PLAN THAT WOULD PRIORITIZE OUR
SPENDING.
THE WAY WE SPEND MONEY IN THE
GOVERNMENT DICTATES AND SAYS,
REALLY, WHAT OUR BELIEFS, WHAT
OUR PLATFORMS ARE AND WHAT THE
PUBLIC IS GETTING.
SO THE PUBLIC DIDN'T WANT TO
WASTE $10 MILLION A YEAR ON
MISDEMEANOR NONVIOLENT
MARIJUANA--
>> WHAT ABOUT THE BAIL SYSTEM
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE MISDEMEANOR
CHARGES AND HAVE DIFFICULT WAYS
TO GET OUT.
>> IT'S TERRIBLE.
IT'S CAUSED NOT JUST
OVERCROWDING, BUT A REAL CRISIS
IN FAITH IN OUR SYSTEM BECAUSE
IT'S CLEAR THAT WE ARE KEEPING
PEOPLE IN JAIL SIMPLY BECAUSE
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY
TO BAIL OUT.
>> WHAT'S THAT LAWSUIT LOOK
LIKE NOW IN TERMS OF--
>> THERE'S MULTIPLE LAWSUITS,
AND BASICALLY HARRIS COUNTY,
THE SHERIFF'S DEPUTY AND THE
MAGISTRATES, THE JUDGES,
BECAUSE THIS IS A JUDICIAL
FUNCTION, BAIL IS, ARE BEING
SUED FOR THIS OPPRESSIVE BAIL
SYSTEM.
I AM OF THE BELIEF THAT THE
SYSTEM -- THE BAIL SYSTEM AND
THE SCHEDULE THAT THE JUDGES
ARE USING IS BEING
UNCONSTITUTIONALLY APPLIED, SO
WHILE I'M NOT A PARTY TO THE
LAWSUIT, I WILL HAVE AN
INFLUENCE, I HOPE, BECAUSE OUR
PROSECUTORS MAKE THE ORIGINAL
RECOMMENDATION FOR BAIL, AND
I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THAT THOSE
-- THAT THE SCHEDULE THAT THEY
USE IS NOT FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO
INCORPORATE EACH PERSON'S
INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE, AND
THAT'S WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES,
THAT BAIL IS THERE TO SECURE
PEOPLE'S REAPPEARANCE, YOU HAVE
TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO
MAKE BAIL TO DO THAT, YOU NEED
TO TAKE THEIR FINANCIAL
CIRCUMSTANCE INTO CONSIDERATION.
BUT THE D.A.'S JOB I THINK
EQUALLY IS TO ENSURE THE PUBLIC
SAFETY, AND SO IF THEY'RE A
RISK IN TERMS OF ENDANGERING
THE COMMUNITY, THEN WE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO ASK FOR A HIGHER
BOND THAN ON THE SCHEDULE.
>> WE HAVE 30 SECONDS LEFT.
YOU SAY YOU WANT TO BE
TRANSPARENT IN THIS OFFICE.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO
MAKE SURE YOUR D.A.'S OFFICE IS
GOING TO BE TRANSPARENT SO
EVERYONE CAN SEE YOU'RE DOING
THE THINGS YOU SAID YOU WOULD
DO.
>> WE'RE GOING TO INVITE THE
COMMUNITY IN TO PARTICIPATE IN
OUR TRANSITION COMMITTEES ON
LONG-RANGE ISSUES.
SUCH AS FORENSIC SCIENCE AND
THE HANDLING OF EVIDENCE, SUCH
AS POLICE SHOOTINGS AND THE WAY
WE HANDLE BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE,
FOR EXAMPLE.
TRANSPARENCY AT EVERY LEVEL.
PUBLIC CORRUPTION.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WAY FOR
THE PUBLIC TO REPORT IT AND
NOBODY'S GOING TO GET ANY
SPECIAL PASSES BECAUSE OF WHO
THEY ARE OR WHO THEIR LAWYER IS.
LIKEWISE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO
RUIN SOMEBODY'S REPUTATION JUST
BECAUSE THEY MADE A COMPLAINT,
SO YOU CAN EXPECT THOROUGHNESS
AND TRANSPARENCY.
>> WE MET 18 YEARS AGO WHEN I
FIRST GOT TO HOUSTON AND I'VE
WATCHED YOU THROUGH THAT PERIOD
OF TIME.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS LATEST
ASCENT.
I HOPE YOU'LL BE BACK ON THE
PROGRAM ONCE AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU FOR THIS