ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 18, 1997 TAG: 9704180087
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK THE ROANOKE TIMES
The former federal prosecutor also wants to deny bond to those charged with violent crimes.
Jerry Kilgore, one of four Republican contenders for attorney general this year, unveiled a crime-fighting package Thursday modeled from his days as a federal prosecutor in Roanoke.
Among Kilgore's proposals: Denying bond for anyone charged with a violent felony; creating a state conspiracy law similar to the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization statute; increasing the punishment for drug users who refuse to identify their suppliers; and expanding the state's crime lab and witness protection program.
Speaking from the steps of the Roanoke Courthouse, Kilgore said his plan would mean that state police and prosecutors no longer would have to ask that their cases be transferred to federal court to obtain tough sentencing.
Kilgore, who once worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Roanoke, recalled local law enforcement officers "lining up outside my office" to ask that their cases be prosecuted in U.S. District Court.
Perhaps the most sweeping of Kilgore's proposals was his plan to deny bond for people charged with violent felonies and gang-related activities. Current state law generally presumes someone is entitled to be free pending trial unless prosecutors can show the defendant is a danger to society or a flight risk.
Kilgore wants to reverse that philosophy, creating a presumption that someone charged with a violent felony is not entitled to bond unless he or she can convince a judge otherwise. Such a law would not violate a defendant's constitutional rights, Kilgore said, because he or she would still have an opportunity to appear before a judge and seek bond.
As for the extra jail space such a proposal would likely require, Kilgore said local jails can accommodate more inmates now that the state Department of Corrections has removed the backlog of state prisoners waiting to be transferred from jails to prison.
But that's not the case in Roanoke, according to Sheriff Alvin Hudson. At the time Kilgore spoke, the Roanoke City Jail was holding 341 state-responsible inmates. Hudson, whose jail houses more than 700 inmates on most weekends, said Kilgore "needs to check his figures."
Kilgore, of Gate City, served as both a state and federal prosecutor before becoming secretary of public safety for Gov. George Allen nearly four years ago.
He is competing against three other candidates - Northern Virginia lawyer Gil Davis, Sen. Mark Earley of Chesapeake and Sen. Kenneth Stolle of Virginia Beach - for the Republican nomination for attorney general. The winner of a June10 primary probably will face Arlington lawyer Bill Dolan, the only Democratic candidate.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS ATTORNEY GENERALby CNB