REPUBLICAN. STAY TUNED. >> FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES
THE BROWARD STATE ATTORNEY HAD A
RECORD RUN BUT HE DECIDED TO
STEP DOWN.
>> THAT SET OFF A FIERCE
COMPETITION TO SUCCEED HIM, AND
IT HAS COME DOWN TO TWO CAN
DALD, MAR OLD PRYOR AND GREGG
ROSSMAN AN ASSISTANT BROWARD
ATTORNEY FOR 20 YEARS.
HE TRIED SERIOUS FELONY CASES
OPENED HIS OWN LAW FIRM SIX
YEARS AGO AND THERE HE IS RIGHT
NOW WITH US LIVE FROM HIS HOME
IN HOLLYWOOD.
GOOD MORNING AND FIRST QUESTION
TO YOU, WHY DID YOU LEAVE THAT
OFFICE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
GOOD MORNING, GLENNA, GOOD
MORNING, MICHAEL, THANKS FOR
HAVING ME ON.
WELL, THE GOAL WAS TO BE THERE
30, 35 YEARS AND RETIRE
ANONYMOUSLY HOPEFULLY HAVING
SERVED THE MEMBERS OF BROWARD
COUNTY HONORABLY.
AFTER 20 YEARS IN ITS OFFICE
THOUGH IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE.
I BELIEVE IT IS TIME FOR A
CHANGE BOTH IN ANY OFFICE AND
CERTAINLY I COULD NOT EFFECT
THAT IN THE ROLE OF WAY WAS IN.
SO DEFINITELY TIME FOR A CHAK
FOR ME.
I NEVER, NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE
MISSION AND THERE IS NO MISSION
THAN THAT OF BEING A PROSECUTOR
AND STANDING UP IN COURT ON
BEHALF OF THOSE WHO CAN’T SPEAK
FOR THEMSELVES.
BUT IT WAS TIME FOR SOME RENEWAL
>> MR. ROSSMAN YOU SAID IN THE
CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN YOUR
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE SUN
SENTINEL EDITORIAL BOARD THAT
THAT OFFICE IS SORT OF STAGNANT.
IT NEEDS TO BE SHAKEN UP.
IT NEEDS TO BE SORT OF
RECONFIGURED.
GIVE US SOME SPECIFIC IDEAS.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE
ELECTED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO THERE IS A BUNCH OF
SPECIALIZED UNITS IN THE STATE
ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.
AND SOME OF THOSE REFLECT
PRIORITIES FROM THE 70S AND 80S.
ONE THING THAT IS IN MY OPINION
WOEFULLY INADEQUATE IS THE FOCUS
ON ELDER ABUSE.
SO I WILL CREATE A UNIT WITH 3
OR 4 LAWYERS, PARALEGAL, WE WILL
CREATE TEMPLE ON HOW TO
PROSECUTE THOSE CASES AND TEACH
LAW ENFORCEMENT HOW TO
PROSECUTES TO CASES.
THAT IS ONE DIRECT EXAMPLE.
TO DO THAT WE WILL HAVE TO
CONSOLIDATE SOME OTHER
SPECIALIZED UNITS WHERE FOR
INSTANCE BACK IN THE 70S AND 80S
WE HAD A DRUG TRAFFICKING AGENT
THAT WAS REALLY BUSY.
THIS HE ARE BUSY NOW BUT NOT IN
THE WAYS THEY WERE IN THE 70S
AND 80S.
WE ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT
WE GOING TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE
TRAIN BOTH OUR PROSECUTORS AND
OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THERE IS A BIG, BIG GAP BETWEEN
THOSE TWO, NEVER REALLY
CONNECTED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT
IT PUTS DEMANDS ON LAW
ENFORCEMENT THAT THEY DELIVER
VERY, VERY SPECIFIC, TO BOTH THE
STATE ATTORNEY’S OFFICE AND TO
THE TAX PAY ARES OF BROWARD
COUNTY.
>> MR. ROSSMAN YOU ARE RUNNING
THIS WHOLE CAMPAIGN TAKES PLACE
IN A POST GEORGE FLOYD WORLD,
RIGHTFULLY SO, RACIAL INEQUITIES
AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM RIGHT THERE ON
THE FRONT BURNER.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE PEOPLE OF
BROWARD?
HOW WILL YOU TAKE THAT OFFICE
INTO THIS NEW WORLD AND CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM SPECIFICALLY TO
SOLVE RACIAL INEQUITIES IN THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND
POSSIBLY IN YOUR OWN OFFICE.
>> I WILL ABSOLUTELY TELL
EVERYBODY THAT THE PEOPLE WITH
WHO SUFFER THE MOST FROM THE
RACIAL INEQUITIES AND
DISPARITIES IN THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE VIC IMS.
I WITHS THERE FOR 20 KREERS.
I PROSECUTED HUNDREDS OF CASE, I
TRIED OF 5, ABOUT 85 PERCENT OF
THE VICTIMS IN THOSE CASES WERE
PEOPLE OF COLOR, BLACK AND
BROWN.
SO THEY SUFFER THE MOST WITH
WHEN THE SYSTEM FAILS.
SO IT IS NOT JUST THE
DISPARITIES.
HAT I HEARD ON THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL FROM THE OTHER SIDE WERE
ALL THE DISPARITIES IN REFERENCE
TO PUNISHMENT AND SENTENCING.
NOBODY SPOKE ABOUT THE DISPARITY
OF CRIME AS IT IS IMPACTING
THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND IT DISPARAGING PACT ON THOSE
IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
IF WE PULL BACK POLICING, THEY
DON’T PULL BACK THEY PULL BACK
OF ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGED AREAS.
SO I WILL FOCUS ALL OF OUR OF
THES ON PRODUCES CUTING CAREER
CRIMINALS IN SERIOUS CRIMES NO
MATTER WHAT YOUR RACE IS, YOUR
ETHNICITY IS, NO MATTER WHAT
YOUR GENDER IS, NO MATTER HOW
YOU IDENTIFY.
WE WILL FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON
THOSE SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT
COMMIT A LARGE NUMBER OF
CRIMESES.
AND WE CAN’T JUST LOOK FOR SUMP
EL ANSWERS.
WE CANNOT PULL OUT ONE
STATISTIC, SOMEBODY’S GENDER OR
RACE, LOOK AT THE POPULATION AND
SAY THEREFORE THAT GIVES US A
FORMULA.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT DATA MUCH,
MUCH DEEPER AND RELY ON THAT
DATA, AND FOLLOW WHAT THEY TELL
US ARE GOOD SOLUTIONS.
>> MR. ROSSMAN, BEFORE WE LEAVE
YOU HERE, I’M SORRY WE DON’T
HAVE MORE TIME, YOU ARE A
REPUBLICAN IN A PREDOMINANTLY
DEMOCRATIC COUNTY.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE AND
MAYBE GLENNA AND I ARE AMONG
THEM WHO BELIEVE THE STATE
ATTORNEY SHOULD BE A NONPARTISAN
OFFICE, NEVER THE LESS.
IT CERTAINLY IS, IF ELECTED
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS.
DO YOU THINK THAT DEMOCRATIC
VOTERS IN BROWARD, THE FAIR
MINDED PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ELECT
A REPUBLICAN?
>> I DO.
THANK YOU MICHAEL FOR ASKING
THAT QUESTION BECAUSE YOU HIT IT
ON THE HEAD.
FAIR MINDED PEOPLE.
LEAVING LABEL AS SIDE.
ALL OF US WANT THE SAME THING,
CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, SAFE
STREETS.
ALL OF US, DEMOCRATS,
REPUBLICANS, INDEPENDENTS,
WHATEVER YOUR FEATER A
PILL-- PARTY AFFILIATION.
AND I HAVE STRONG GROUND SUPPORT
FROM DEMOCRATS OORM’S BORN AND
RAISED HERE, SECOND GENERATION
MIAMIAN, EVERYWHERE I HAVE BEEN
INVOLVED IN BROWARD COULDN’TEE
MY ENTIRE LIFE, THEY KNOW ME AS
SOMETHING OTHER THAN THAN A
PROSECUTOR, I’M A HUSBAND,
FATHER, LITTLE LEAGUE COACH,
SOFTBALL COACH.
AND IN ALL OF THOSE OTHER AREAS,
THOSE PEOPLE KNOW ME, THEY KNOW
ME FOR WHO I AM AND THEY WANT
SOMEBODY WHO IS QUALIFIED TO DO
THE JOB.
AND I’M QUALIFIED BECAUSE I HAVE
BE DO THE JOB.
I KNOW THE JOB.
AND I DON’T THINK SOMEBODY WHO
IS NOW GOING TO BE ON THE
7th JOB IN SEVEN YEARS, NO
DISRESPECT TO MR. PRIOR, IF YOU
WERE TRYING TO HIRE HIM AND YOU
WERE HIS 7th EMPLOYER, I
THINK YOU WOULD TAKE PAUSE TO
HIRE HIM.
THIS IS A JOB INTERVIEW, TO
DECIDE WHICH PERSON YOU THINK IS
THE MOST QUALIFIED, LEAVING A
SIDE PARTY AFFILIATION, JUST
LOOK AT THE QUALIFICATIONS AND
AS YOU SAID BE FAIR MINDED.
>> GREGG ROSSMAN, GREAT TO MEET
YOU VIRTUALLY AND THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME TODAY, GREAT TO HAVE