Pat Condon, who has served as Lancaster County attorney since he was appointed in 2018, announced Thursday he will seek his second full term in the office.Ìý
Standing behind a lectern at the Embassy Suites in downtown Lincoln and in front of a campaign sign with his name on it, the Republican announced his reelection bid while noting law enforcement across the country is "at a crossroads"Ìý— one that Condon himself is attempting to navigate.Ìý
Reading from prepared remarks, the longtime trial lawyer lamented soft-on-crime states and municipalities, but pitchedÌýhimself as both a hardline law-and-order prosecutor and a compassionate steward of state statute.Ìý
Condon said some county attorneys across the United States are declining to charge criminals who steal less than $1,000 worth of merchandise and banning the use of cash bail.
But in the same speech, Condon touted diversion programs that he has worked to create and expand, offering rehabilitative programs for defendants who are veterans, struggling with mental health issues, facing DUI charges or charged with certain drug crimes.
And Condon said he hopes to introduce more diversion programs if reelected.Ìý
Condon, a 1988 graduate of Creighton Law School, was the deputy county attorney for 27 years before he was appointed to replaceÌýJoe Kelly, who left to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Nebraska. Condon ran unopposed in the November 2018 election.
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To begin his 2022 bid, an anticipated showdown with Democratic Sen. Adam Morfeld, Condon is armed with the endorsements of Sheriff Terry Wagner, former Lincoln Police chiefs Jeff Bliemeister and Jim Peschong, and Lynn Ayers, who founded the Lincoln-Lancaster County Advocacy Center.
An Iowa native from near Fort Dodge — one of seven kids growing up during the 1980s farm crisis — Condon has used vacation time to go back to the farm to help out with the harvest and decompress, he told the Journal Star in 2018.Ìý
As a law school graduate in the '80s, Condon first thought he'd be a defense attorney, he said in 2018. But more than anything, he wanted to be in the courtroom.Ìý
The job description of a prosecutorÌýhasn't changed much since then, but the world around Condon has.
In his campaign announcement, Condon noted that law enforcementÌýis "under attack" by way of calls for defunding police departments.
But the biggest challenge he would face in a second term, Condon said, is the continued dominating presence of social media, where the court of public opinion can often put prosecutors in an unenviableÌýposition.
"There is such a rush, sometimes, to judge people on social media," Condon said. "The thing is, until we look at all the factsÌý— we get the reports, we review everythingÌý— we can't make any … charging decisions until that time, and ethically, I can't make any comments."Ìý
Condon didn't point to any specific examples as he described his frustration with the trial-by-Twitter era, but the recent protests and calls for immediateÌýjustice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln would seem to fit the bill.Ìý