Progressive Prosecutors Navigate Wary Cops, Anxious Communities

Progressive district attorneys swept into office in Democrats’ 2020 wave marked a break from law and order predecessors who campaigned on conviction numbers and the length of sentences won.

Bolstered by widespread outcry over racial policing policies, the newly installed prosecutors vowed to shrink the criminal justice system. Six months in, the district and state attorneys must navigate a tightrope between supporters impatient to see changes they have demanded for years and police unions willing to point to any crime spike as proof that progressive approaches to violence are destined to fail.

Proving alternatives to harsh sentences and strict policing ...