Candidate Profile: Matthew Durkin, 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.

Matthew Durkin is running for 1st Judicial District Attorney.

Age: 49
Party affiliation: Republican Party
Family: My wife and I are proud to be raising our family in the same community in which I was raised.
Occupation: Chief Deputy District Attorney (nearly 25 years)
Previous elected experience: Chief Deputy District Attorney
Family members in government: No

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

A crime wave fueled by a drug addiction crisis. In Colorado, we have one of the worst recidivism rates in the country at nearly 50%. That means that those who are released from prison, return to prison on new charges within 3 years. At the same time, we have a drug addiction crisis that is fueling a crime wave. In 2019, Colorado set a record for overdose deaths at 1,062. Typically, an offender will do 2 years on probation, or may do an average of around 3 years in prison. As a community, let's use the opportunity we have with offenders in the system to impose meaningful drug addiction treatment, based upon accountability and responsibility, to help offenders heal, so that they do not return to crime and further victimize the community.

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

Experience. I am the only candidate who has tried a homicide, having successfully tried many homicides in Jefferson County and across Colorado. As the former Deputy Attorney General and current Chief Deputy District Attorney, I am the only candidate with meaningful leadership experience. And, I have experience working with Democrats and Republicans to accomplish meaningful criminal justice reform.

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

As Deputy Attorney General, I led the Criminal Justice Section of the Colorado Attorney General's Office, where I managed a $10 million budget, 70 employees and worked with Democrat and Republicans at the forefront of criminal justice reform. I am the only candidate to try a murder case, successfully convicting murders all over Jefferson County and Colorado. Finally, I drafted and passed several bills with the support of Democrat and Republican legislators, as well as prosecutors, law enforcement and the criminal defense bar. They include the Wrongful Conviction Compensation bill, mandatory in-service POST training for all law enforcement, and as the Chair of the E-Discovery Task Force created the first paperless discovery system in the country.

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

Protecting public safety is critical to allow business to recover and thrive without being further set back by crime.

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

Through the creation of a District Attorney's Citizens' Advisory Committee, we will increase our transparency and communication with our community. The Citizens' Advisory Committee will research and report on crime data and the background of that information in an effort to identify and address issues that may exist. The Citizens' Advisory Committee will also receive reports on major cases, including officer involved incidents including those investigated by the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT).

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

In this time of difficult budget issues, we will need to prioritize public safety in our local budgets.

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

For nearly 25 years, I have placed public safety over politics to seek justice in each and every case. It is more important now than ever that we continue to put public safety over politics to ensure that there is justice for all.