In this section you can ask Scott a question about the campaign, the current issues and challenges the circuit is facing, how the criminal justice system works, or whatever you like! Not every question asked can be answered fully on the website, and Scott is of course limited to what he can say about pending cases, but he will take the time to post his answers to as many of your questions as he can on this page. To ask a question please click on the "Add New Message" link. You can scroll down the page to see the answers that Scott has already posted.
Michael and Tamara Glass
Age: 28
Tyrone
Hey DA Ballard,
Our question is in regards to our jail system. Would you be in favor and support the Fayette Sheriff if he were to implement the techniques used by Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona? We feel that jails are to pleasant and criminals don't have the proper respect for it. Jails and prosecuting need to be tougher.
Thanks for your time,
The Glass's
Michael and Tamara:
Thank you for writing.
It is a bit galling that you and I have responsibilities and have to pay for our food, medical expenses, and entertainment while all of that is provided at our expense for inmates!
Unfortunately, federal courts have the final say in what treatment is permitted for people in jail and prison. I’m not sure how Sheriff Arpaio is able to do some of what he does, but I applaud the effort and will support our new sheriff in any reasonable and legal decision he makes along those lines.
On a similar note, I once suggested that certain juvenile offenders be required to dress in clown outfits and stand at the entrance gate at football games, but was told that would violate the rule that requires confidentiality in juvenile court matters.
Ernest Griffin
Age: 47
Peachtree City, Fayette County
Ernest asks:
I live at the corner of Windgate and Robinson Road. I have a large sign sitting at that corner for your re-election campaign. I admit I have been a little in the dark about your positions. I have been approached by my neighbors indicating that you are "Soft" on criminals. With this being said, I would like to put this into the context of recent events.
There was a murder in PTC within the last week. It appears that a group of people, 2 different races arguing outside a nite club. Words were exchanged, someone "Sucker Punched" another individual causing their death. All members of the attackers group fled the scene.
Are you going to pursue this fully? If the races were reversed, could this be considered a hate crime? Would all members of the attackers group be culpable to some extent?
Without providing specifics, assure us that these individual(s) will be prosecuted to the FULLEST extent of the law and not persecuted just based on their ethnicity. If the races were reversed, would you apply the same aggressive approach? To "Sucker Punch" someone is to "Intentionally cause maximum harm without the innate human avoidance response". While guilt by association is not a crime, individuals who pursued, antagonized and encouraged are culpable.
Assure us that PTC and all of Fayette County will be considered the “Worst” place to commit a crime “Period”. If we cannot change the way people act, we should at least be able to make them think twice on where to act.
Ernest,
Thank you for your question and for your support. Don’t worry about those who claim we are soft on criminals. In every contested judge of district attorney race that is always the claim of the challenger. If you talk with law enforcement, if you look at my record, I think you will be pleased with the way we pursue criminals in the courts.
I am limited in what I can say with regard to the pending case you reference. I can say that I met with several of the Peachtree City Police officers and have talked with them many other times regarding this case. There is much we still need to learn to know exactly how the case should be ultimately resolved; for now I have recommended that the person who hit and killed the victim be charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. He is now in custody.
Another suspect who gave false statements to police has been arrested and charged with that felony.
We’ll evaluate all of the facts as they come to us and will seek justice to its fullest extent.
Johnathan Watkins
Age: 23
Fayetteville, Fayette
Johnathan asks:
Mr. Ballard,
As a concerned young person living in Fayette county, I, along with many other young people, are receptive to your campaign message and look forward to voting for you in July. However, I've discovered that many people around my age group do not plan on voting simply because they don't know how or where to register and when and where to cast their vote. Including this information would greatly enhance your site. Thank you for your dedication and unwillingness to bend to pressure.
Johnathan,
The quickest way to register to vote is to click here print and fill out a voter registration application from the Secretary of State's office, then mail it in (no stamp required). You will need Adobe Reader to view and print out the form. You can click here to get a free copy of the program you will need. After your application is received and approved, the Secretary of State's office will notify you via snail mail where you need to go to vote on election day. Thanks for the suggestion, I have also posted this information on this page and hope that young people will find it useful and you're right, I think including it does enhance the site.
Sincerely,
Scott Ballard
www.GuardingWhatsOurs.org
Mark
Age: 44
Fayetteville
Mark asks:
Your web address is "Guarding What's Ours"
It seems like a curious phrase. What does it mean and why did you select this phrase to represent your site?
Thanks!
Mark:
I'm glad that you asked.
Our mission is to team up with others in the community to guard our children from those who would harm them. To guard our property from thieves. To guard our schools from gangs and other harmful influences.
So, we team up with law enforcement and root out the gang members and recruiters.
We team up with the schools to prosecute those who lie on affidavits to defraud officials into admitting non-residents.
We work with undercover agents to lock up and convict drug dealers and internet child predators.
Recognizing the high crime in adjacent areas, we work with all the citizens to guard our way of life and our right to live free from interference from criminals.
That's what we mean by our slogan, "Guarding What's Ours."
Thanks for asking.
Sincerely,
Scott Ballard
www.GuardingWhatsOurs.org
Pam
Age: 40
Thomaston, Upson
Pam asks:
Your site expresses very clearly your dedication to prosecuting indiviudals for crimes against others. Are you just as dedicated when the crime is committed by a law enforcement officer against a citizen, and, if so, what is the process for bringing such an instance to light?
Thank you for your time.
Pam:
That's a valid question. The answer is that I have prosecuted law enforcement officers when it was apparent that the evidence against them was sufficient to convince a jury to convict. That is the standard by which we judge any case.
Thanks for writing.
Sincerely,
Scott Ballard
Dorothy
Age: 38
Peachtree City, Fayette County
Dorothy asks:
More and more children are brining weapons to our local schools. What do you plan to do about this?
Hi, Dorothy:
Nothing is more important to all of us than the safety of our kids.
The schools feel that way. So do I.
When a child brings a weapon to school, we try to evaluate the level
of the threat. I don't like a blanket policy that unfairly lumps
together vastly different situations as if they were identical. For
example, it is technically a felony for an honor student with no
school violations to possess a pocketknife in the locked glove box of
his car that is parked on school property. It is a violation of the
same statute for a kid who has threatened a teacher to bring into the
school a loaded pistol. A "zero-tolerance" policy might punish each
student the same way. I would rather show some understanding to the
first kid and imprison the second. So, all instances where weapons
are found on school property are evaluated as to severity and the ones
that even remotely endanger students or school personnel are dealt
with severely.
On a related note, I am quite concerned about students who email or
text-message others expressing a desire to do violence at the school.
Right now there is far too little that I can do until, God forbid,
they actually carry out the threat. Later this month, Senator Ronnie
Chance and I are going to see Governor Perdue to see if the Governor's
office is interested in supporting legislation that would address that
short-coming in the law. Check with me in February and I'll let you
know what happened.
Thanks for writing.
- Scott Ballard
John Sheppard
Age: 45
Fayetteville, Fayette County
John asks:
As a parent I am very concerned about the gang-related stories that have been in the local papers lately. How does the DA's office plan to keep our schools and kids safe? Fayette is changing in some ways for the worse, what can we do to maintain the standard of living we've worked hard to obtain?
John:
Thank you for the opportunity to address this topic.
I grew up in Fayette County and am sickened at the prospect of losing
my hometown to criminals. I've become aware in the last three years
how seriously gangs are affecting counties that surround us. For
example, in Clayton County there are at least 44 active gangs (lately,
I'm hearing the figure 61).
Our office has developed a refreshing partnership with school
officials and law enforcement in Fayette. We meet regularly and
cooperate with each other to address common concerns. A major one is
a need to be proactive against gangs.
So, we have begun classes with teachers and administrators to
familiarize them with gangs—their colors, their hand signals, their
graffiti. We also are developing databases that tell us who may be in
gangs and we are cooperating with neighboring law enforcement agencies
to share that intelligence. We have joined with law enforcement
officers at training sessions designed to sharpen their skills in
investigating gang crimes and ours in prosecuting them. Beginning
next school year, the two Fayetteville Middle Schools and the
alternative school should begin G.R.E.A.T. classes—classes that seek
to discourage gang activity in a way similar to how D.A.R.E. classes
discourage drug use.
So the first answer to your question is that we are teaming up with
law enforcement and the schools to resist gangs. As far as the
District Attorney's Office is concerned, we have pledged to prosecute
gang cases to the fullest extent of the law. There are statutes that
permit us to allege crimes committed in furtherance of gangs in a way
that carry greatly enhanced penalties. For example, an adult (17 or
older) who gets into a fistfight or leaves graffiti on a parking lot
can get 15 years if we can prove that he/she was associated with a
gang when he/she did that.
I expect a lot of these cases will involve juveniles. If we can
prove the gang involvement, they can be locked up for 1-5 years. My
Fayette and Spalding juvenile prosecutor has years of experience
prosecuting for the DA in Chicago—he knows how to prosecute gang
members.
It is going to take all of us to preserve our way of life in Fayette;
the schools and law enforcement are prepared to do their part, we'll
be aggressive, and I can't wait to see what juries and our judges will
do.
- Scott Ballard