Candidate's letter a cheap shot at Birkett

Fence Post contributor Bob Mueller's Sept. 4 attack on DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett and his entire office "Election in order if Birkett steps down," is not only a slap in the face of the 86 dedicated assistant state's attorneys who work day and night to keep our streets safe, but is also erroneous and politically motivated.

Mr. Mueller, the Green Party Candidate for Illinois' 47th House District, begins his attack on the office with a fabricated quote he attributes to State's Attorney Birkett. According to Mr. Mueller, Mr. Birkett "fiddles" regarding gangs and feels that gang and drug activity in DuPage is "all coming from Cook County." To falsely attribute such an outrageous statement to the county's top law enforcement official is not only irresponsible but borders on slanderous.

Where did Mr. Mueller get this quote? Mr. Birkett has never said, nor does he believe, such a ridiculous statement. In fact, he is a two-time recipient of the National Gang Crime Research Center's Frederick Milton Thrasher Award for addressing public safety issues posed by street gangs.

Mr. Mueller then sets his sights on the professional men and women of the office stating that "we've seen a high conviction rate, but most of the cases are meaningless." Try telling that to the victims of crime who have had their lives turned upside down through no fault of their own. A high conviction rate speaks to the professionalism and competence of our staff and translates to safer communities for us all. Because of the work of the assistant state's attorneys, we enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in the country for a county of our size. The office has been innovative in combating crime, filing civil lawsuits against street gangs to further disrupt their criminal activities.

Paul Darrah

Director of Communications

DuPage County State's Attorney's Office