The truth about the York County District Attorney and why a change is needed:

On May 21, 2013, York County voters will choose who serves the next four years as our District Attorney. The White Rose Fraternal Order of Police Lodge # 15 wants every resident to know that in this extremely important election, there is a clear distinction between the two candidates for the job. We realize that many voters may not know the significance of this elected position unless they know someone who works in the criminal justice system or if they have been involved in a criminal case. And thus there are many factors we want to bring to the attention of the voting public as they choose our next District Attorney. In the more than three years that Tom Kearney has served in this role, we have seen detrimental changes within his office. Staff turnover has been high. Numerous qualified attorneys have either left or been forced out of his office. Countless times, persons charged with serious crimes such as rape and other assaultive offenses have been released from prison with nominal bail because Mr. Kearneys office has failed to bring these people to trial in a timely fashion. He has made statements blaming officers, court schedules and a variety of other excuses, yet these "mistakes" continue to occur. Mr. Kearney is running a re-election campaign based on "efficient justice," but we question how victims feel when they see suspects charged with serious crimes released on nominal bail. Is this what Mr. Kearney believes is "efficient justice"? We have serious concerns about Mr. Kearneys leadership based on his work with the York County Drug Task Force. Prior to Mr. Kearney taking office, the task force was a well-run, cooperative effort designed to tackle crimes across municipal lines. Officers from numerous departments, including York City, York County, State Police, and federal law enforcement, worked together to combat illegal drugs, guns, fugitives, gangs, and other issues facing our communities. Sadly, Mr. Kearney appears to have made it his mission to dismantle this cooperative effort as evidenced by the fact that there is now a York City Drug Task force, in addition to the York County Drug Task Force. Isnt this a step in the wrong direction when officers with similar missions now work separately within the same county? We believe regionalization and information sharing is key in taking down larger criminal enterprises. He has undermined those efforts by dismantling the drug task force, when better funding and support of our county-wide task force is what we most need. Is this another example of his "efficient justice"? Mr. Kearney did not approach our Lodge seeking an endorsement as he did when he first ran for District Attorney. He has been quoted on several occasions in the

news saying that the DA's office and police should be separate entities and that he, as the sitting DA, should not seek police endorsement because he "may have to rule against police officers from time to time as part of his duties." All police officers expect that any use of force decision will be scrutinized by his or her own department, the public, and potentially the county DA. No officer expects special treatment in this area, and every citizen should demand a fair and impartial investigation into an officers actions. But it is imperative that the DA's office and police work together from the time a crime is reported until a case concludes its journey through the courts. Because of these reasons and the fact that he believes that law enforcement and prosecutors should remain independent from one another, our Lodge cannot endorse Mr. Kearney as DA, because we believe he is advocating for a fractured relationship between police and the DA's office. Local attorney Korey Leslie has ten years of courtroom experience in York County. In his private practice, he has witnessed first-hand the inefficient operation of the DA's office under Mr. Kearneys watch. When Mr. Leslie contacted our Lodge seeking endorsement, he offered a plan for rebuilding the DA's office, including hiring and retaining the best attorneys, reconstructing the York County Drug Task force, making sure all cases are brought before the court in a timely manner, and most importantly, trying to repair and rebuild the fractured working relationship that currently exists between police and the DA's office. The White Rose FOP Lodge # 15 announced our support of Mr. Leslie very early in the primary season. This fact should speak volumes of our no confidence stance with Mr. Kearneys job performance and our strong belief that a change is needed. We ask every voter to look at both candidates closely and be informed about exactly who will serve as the District Attorney inYork County for the next four years. The White Rose Fraternal Order of Police Lodge # 15 supports and endorses attorney Korey Leslie to be the next District Attorney for York County. Christopher J. Perry White Rose FOP Lodge # 15 PAC Chairman