DA: Brad Smith

Please summarize your background.

Brad Smith has been leading others since his college years at The Citadel, where he served as a Cadet Second Lieutenant and Company Academic Officer. After graduating with honors from The Citadel, Brad attended one of the nation’s leading law schools at the University of Virginia, where he graduated in 1996. He began his legal career with the Piedmont Judicial Circuit as an assistant district attorney for Jackson County in January 1997. Within two years of hire, Brad was placed in charge of supervising the Jackson County office. For the next five years, he was directly responsible for the prosecution of every felony case in Jackson County. In August 2004, Brad moved to the Barrow County District Attorney’s Office as a senior assistant district attorney.
Highlights of Brad’s service include:
•Assistant district attorney in the Piedmont Judicial Circuit for over 10 years.
•Served as acting chief assistant for the Piedmont Circuit.
•Lead counsel on more murder cases than any other ADA in the circuit during his tenure.
•Experience with multiple death penalty cases.
•Has argued before the State Supreme Court.
•Past chairman of the Jackson County Child Abuse Protocol Committee and Child Fatality Review Committee.
•Created and chaired the District Attorney’s Gang Task Force.
•Assisted in the development of the criminal justice curriculum for Barrow County high schools.
•State Bar of Georgia Mentor for new ADAs.
•Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Georgia and the State Court of Appeals.
•Current Secretary / Treasurer of the Piedmont Bar Association.
Currently, Brad works at the Clarke County District Attorney’s Office.
Brad has been dedicated to serving the Piedmont Circuit community in his private life as well. He is a member of the board of directors of the Tree House Child Advocacy Center and serves as chairman of the center’s Fatherhood Committee and is a member of its Community Outreach, Board Development and Auction Committees. He and his family are also active supporters and fundraisers for Peace Place and Relay for Life. In addition, he is the voice of the Appalachee Wildcats serving as the announcer for high school’s home football games for the past seven years, a member of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, Barrow County Republican Party, and past president of his neighborhood homeowner’s association. Brad and his family attend Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit Church in Winder.
Brad’s experience and commitment to his community has earned him endorsements from district attorneys Ken Mauldin (Western Judicial Circuit) and Ken Hodges (Dougherty Judicial Circuit), as well as the Police Benevolent Association of Georgia.

How has your background prepared you for the seat you are seeking?

In my 11 years of service to the Piedmont Circuit, I have prosecuted every type of case from armed robberies and kidnappings, to domestic violence and drug trafficking. I have personally tried more murder cases than any other assistant district attorney in the circuit. I have experience with multiple death penalty cases, and have received national training in death penalty litigation. However, being district attorney is about more than prosecuting a case, it is about leading a staff of over 35 in the prosecution of thousands of cases. My roles within the Piedmont circuit as supervisor of the Jackson County office, senior assistant district attorney in Barrow County and acting chief assistant district attorney have given me significant experience leading, supervising and training other attorneys, investigators, secretaries, and victim assistance coordinators.

Why are you the most qualified person for this position?

I am the only candidate with significant experience both prosecuting cases and leading others in the prosecution of cases. In addition, the vast majority of my experience comes from serving Barrow, Banks, and Jackson counties. As a result, I am the most familiar with the issues and trends facing our community and have built the strong relationships with law enforcement, victim services agencies and county government leaders that are necessary to effectively manage the caseload of a rapidly growing judicial circuit and the large staff responsible for prosecuting that caseload.
What do you consider to be the key issues facing the campaign? If elected, what would be your plans on how to address these issues?
As Jackson, Barrow and Banks counties grow, crime rates are growing and the types of crimes are changing. The district attorney must be prepared to anticipate and stay ahead of these changing trends in crime. For example, criminal street gangs are beginning to infiltrate our counties. The DA’s office must establish a circuit-wide Gang Task Force, like the one I created and chaired when I worked in Barrow County, that gathers and shares information and intelligence and coordinates activities between all law enforcement agencies. Only by acting aggressively now can we get ahead of the problem and stop gangs at our door. Also, as our population ages, elder abuse, both physical and financial, is on the rise. The district attorney must take the lead in both prosecuting these cases and in educating the community to help prevent these crimes. Finally, internet predators are targeting both our children and financial identities. The district attorney must embrace technology and innovation to combat these cyber criminals.
In order to stay ahead of these trends, however, the district attorney must address a key challenge within the DA’s office – the high rate of attorney turnover. Since September 2007, seven attorneys have resigned from the Piedmont Circuit’s DA’s office. Such high turnover rates hinder the office’s ability to efficiently and effectively prosecute cases. In order to attract and retain the best and brightest attorneys and support staff into the district attorney’s office, I will protect all employees of the DA’s office by bringing them under the human resource policies of the counties that employ them. Currently, attorneys and staff are employed at the will of the district attorney and can be fired without cause or due process. Bringing them under the protection of established human resource policies will help eliminate an environment of fear and distrust. In addition, I will create formal training programs for all attorneys and staff within the district attorney’s office. Such training will enhance employees’ ability to do their jobs, promote greater job satisfaction for existing employees, and attract better qualified candidates for open positions.

What is the greatest challenge facing the person elected to this position and how would you address it?

Bringing innovation and expanded services during an economic downturn. Taxpayers are overburdened and cannot simply throw money at problems. The district attorney must use the resources that are already in place to be more efficient and productive. The district attorney must also work outside the courtroom to promote programs that prevent crime and break the cycle of victimization.

What course would you like to see the county take as it grows over the next decade?

I would like to see open communication and coordination between all of the various law enforcement agencies in the county. Since working with the district attorney’s office is something they all share, the district attorney is in a unique position to foster and promote this cooperation. With rapid growth but limited resources, law enforcement must work together and pool their various resources to stop our changing trends in crime before they take hold. The district attorney must take a leadership role in this.