I offer the following comments in response to the article in Thursday’s Northern Star. I have been responsible either directly or administratively for the prosecution of thousands of cases since I became a prosecutor nearly 17 years ago. It is my opponent as a defense attorney who has never prosecuted a case.

The article indicated that I campaigned by knocking on 2,000 doors last year. That is not accurate. When I successfully ran for state’s attorney in 2000, I campaigned door-to-door and knocked on more than 12,000 doors, and I expect to exceed that number this election.

I have agreed to two debates, the same number and type of debates that were in place in 1996 and 2000. The first debate will be at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau on Oct. 19; a debate at the law school will take place at a date still to be determined.

Most importantly, my opponent is quoted as saying that traffic and criminal court is easy and that he would replace a licensed prosecuting attorney with a law student. I can imagine my opponent as a defense attorney would rather face a law student handling a case than a licensed prosecuting attorney. Cavalierly announcing the firing of one of the attorneys in this office before the election does a disservice to the hard working men and women of the state’s attorney’s office. We use law students to assist and to allow them an opportunity to learn skills needed when they become an attorney; not as a substitute for a trained experience licensed attorney. As a matter of law, a law student cannot handle a case that involves the possibility of jail without a licensed attorney being in the courtroom.

The types of cases that my opponent characterizes as “easy” include criminal sexual abuse; driving under the influence charges; drug possession; battery; assault; domestic battery; theft; retail theft; criminal damage to property; telephone harassment; aggravated assault; driving while revoked; criminal trespass to land; deceptive practices and others. These charges carry penalties that could send a person to jail and pay fines of up to $2,500. I doubt our citizens or police officers believe drunk drivers are “easy” cases that should be handled by a law student. I doubt the victim of a battery or the person being harassed believes his or her case to be “easy” and should not merit a licensed attorney prosecuting the case. I know the victim and the parents of victims in criminal sexual abuse cases would rather have a licensed attorney than a law student handling their case. And I know that a law student cannot commit the more than 50 hours per week to the job that our attorneys assigned to the “easy” courtroom put in.

My opponent’s suggestions do a disservice to victims, the police and ordinary citizens. While my opponent’s suggestions may be helpful to his fellow defense attorneys, they would do nothing to advance public safety for our citizens or to hold offenders accountable.

Ron Matekaitis DeKalb County state’s attorney