Candidate Profile: John Kellner, 18th Judicial District Attorney

The 2020 election is heating up in Colorado and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate and judicial seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

John Kellner is running for 18th Judicial District Attorney.

Age: 39
Party affiliation: Republican Party
Family: I'm married to an amazing woman, Sarah, and we have two young children.
Occupation: I am currently Chief Deputy District Attorney of the 18th Judicial District. I have served this community for the last 8 years, as a Chief Deputy in Arapahoe and now supervising our offices in Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. I have been a Colorado criminal prosecutor for the last ten years and before that I served on active duty in the Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate and prosecutor for five years. I continue to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Previous elected experience: This is my first time running for public office. My career has been in service to our country as a Marine Corps officer and now our community (Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties) for the last 8 years.
Family members in government: Not as an elected official. My father served nearly 3 decades in the Marine Corps and my brother also serves on active duty in the Marines.

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Violent crime has been rising across the entire state for the last five years and it has accelerated even more the last few months in our community. My top priority will always be public safety. I am the only candidate who, as a prosecutor, has dismantled gangs and drug trafficking organizations, and I will bring that experience to bear on the problem of rising gun violence. As Chief Deputy DA, I enacted real criminal justice reform by helping to found the Veterans Treatment Court, a specialty court that helps treat underlying issues like PTSD and substance abuse that lead to crime. I also serve on the policy board for our Drug, Mental Health, and DUI Treatment courts and am committed to expanding access to these programs. We still have an opioid epidemic in this country and these treatment courts will help eliminate addiction and get people out of the justice system.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Experience as a criminal prosecutor matters because the #1 responsibility of the DA is public safety. I am the only candidate who has won felony and violent crime trials. This job is about judgment. It’s about making difficult decisions in the most important cases for our community, and it takes experience to make the right calls. It is impossible to make those judgment calls if you’ve never stood before a jury with a murder victim’s widow sitting behind you in the gallery as you present the case. And it is impossible to run an office of people who face that burden every day when you’ve never been in their shoes. I have tried a dozen murder trials, and prosecuted many more murder cases that did not go to trial.

I have also implemented meaningful criminal justice reform. I helped found the Veterans Treatment Court, a "problem-solving court" focused on addressing the root causes of criminal behavior. I serve as the DA representative on the policy board for our drug treatment court, mental health treatment court, and DUI treatment court, because I am committed to rehabilitative options that break the cycle of recidivism.

I am the only candidate that has worked with members of our legislature, both Democrats and Republicans, to enact laws that reform our justice system and advance the truth-seeking process. Just this year I worked with Sen. Fields (D), Rep. Roberts (D), and Rep. Soper (R) to draft a bill to prevent witness intimidation. I testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees and the bill passed nearly unanimously and was signed into law by Gov. Polis. My experience as a criminal prosecutor helps me understand the gaps in our justice system and work with stakeholders to solve problems.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I started the Cold Case Unit in the 18th Judicial District to help bring justice to those who thought it was lost. One of those cases involved a Sudanese refugee who fled religious persecution in his home county and came to Aurora to raise his family. He was gunned down outside his home, leaving behind a widow and five children. The case went cold for years. I reopened this case, found new evidence and ultimately convicted three gang members of murder. They had tragically killed the victim in a case of mistaken identiy. For this and other cold cases I was recognized as Prosecutor of the Year for the entire state of Colorado. You can learn more about my work seeking justice for victims at www.johnkellner.com.

As the Chief Deputy in charge of the largest felony prosecution team in Arapahoe county, I learned about the unique crime issues affecting our diverse communities. Now, as the Chief Deputy in charge of the Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln county offices I have supervised all of the prosecutors serving nearly 400,000 residents. I have worked closely with the courts, defense attorneys and law enforcement to safely reopen our courts after the COVID shutdowns. The relationships I have with these stakeholders will be invaluable for the next District Attorney as our prosecutors work through a massive backlog of cases.

I am also the only candidate endorsed by law enforcement across the district. I am supported by the former Arapahoe county sheriff, and current Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln county sheriffs, in addition to every local law enforcement Fraternal Order of Police in the district. I gained these endorsements because these officers believe in my commitment to justice and doing the right thing.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

Safe communities lead to economic success. In my role as District Attorney I have to be focused on ensuring public safety because that will help the economy and local businesses rebound from the pandemic. I will do that by aggressively prosecuting violent crime and holding rioters and looters accountable. My experience over the last 8 years in the current DA's office has led to great relationships with local law enforcement. I've worked hand in hand with local law enforcement to solve crimes and hold offenders accountable, and that is exactly what I will do as the next District Attorney.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

The most important thing we can do as prosecutors is build relationships and trust in the communities we serve, including working with historically underserved communities. No policy pronouncement is going to have any lasting impact if it’s made from the courthouse and doesn’t involve meaningful community engagement. My focus is not on generating a catchy headline with some policy announcement that isn’t going to have a lasting impact. I want to engage the community, the great organizations we have within our 18th Judicial District, like the Second Chance Center, and our local law enforcement to have tough conversations and create meaningful change in how we investigate and prosecute cases.

Our office has led the way in Colorado by developing a protocol for investigating officer involved shootings with an independent law enforcement agency, rather than having officers investigate their own coworkers. We perform an independent review of each incident, and we post the results of that review publicly on our website. We do this for every police shooting – regardless of who is shot, whether they are wounded or killed, and regardless of whether there is widespread community interest. However, in my view, this isn’t enough.

Not all police use of force involves a gun. As we’ve seen in far too many tragic and high-profile examples around the country, and sadly in tragic cases in our communities as well, of our friends and neighbors being seriously injured or even killed by police without being shot. That’s why I will work to expand this independent review to every use of force by an officer that results in any serious bodily injury. The public has a right to know when someone is seriously injured at the hands of law enforcement, and to understand the circumstances around that use of force. And if anyone broke the law, I would hold that person accountable.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Community engagement: The 18th Judicial District is home to over 20 separate law enforcement agencies serving the unique needs of their respective communities across Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties. These law enforcement agencies work hard to build relationships and trust with the people they serve. The same should be true of the District Attorney’s Office – we must build strong relationships with citizens and work to understand the different needs of the various communities within it to increase public confidence in our work and decisions. This means prosecutors attending local neighborhood meetings, religious groups, school assemblies, civic associations, and other public events with the goal of fostering relationships and learning about citizen concerns while promoting practices to keep each community safe. By involving the community in identifying public safety issues we can work together to solve them.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions

I’ve been serving this state as a prosecutor since I left active duty in the Marine Corps 10 years ago. And unlike my opponent, who moved into the district just weeks before announcing her campaign, I’ve lived here for the last 8 years. My wife grew up in Arapahoe County, and we’ve returned here to raise our kids, who both go to public school here. I am running for District Attorney because I want to serve the community my family calls home, and I have ideas to improve our office and make lasting change that will serve all members of our community. To me, this job is about service and doing the right thing, regardless of politics. I will not use your district attorney’s office as a political stepping stone. Safety, fairness and justice is what guides me – not politics.

This article originally appeared on the Littleton Patch