Montgomery Criticizes Goddard for Lack of Focus on Crime

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Montgomery Criticizes Goddard for Lacking Focus on Crime

September 26, 2005

Conservative candidate for Arizona attorney general Bill Montgomery today criticized Attorney General Terry Goddard for what he perceives as an error of omission. Montgomery said Goddard's absence from a ceremony recognizing crime victims underscores a lack of leadership.

Montgomery said, in a news release: "Underscoring, once again, his lack of leadership in addressing Arizona’s crime epidemic, Attorney General Terry Goddard failed to attend a ceremony last Friday, September 23, sponsored by Parents of Murdered Children in remembrance of murder victims in Arizona. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the National Day of Remembrance for victims of murder and their families on September 25th."

Montgomery is campaigning for the 2006 Republican primary in hopes of challenging Goddard in the general election next year. Goddard is serving his first term as attorney general.

“As our state’s chief law enforcement officer, Terry Goddard should have attended last Friday’s event,” Montgomery said. “Arizona currently has the fifth-highest murder rate in the country and Mr. Goddard’s absence is yet another indication of a lack of leadership in addressing our crime problem.”

While nationally violent crime has dropped from 2002 to 2003, Arizona's murder rate increased by 11 percent and the rate of forcible rape is up 13 percent, Montgomery said. The rates for incidents of murder, robbery and aggravated assault involving a firearm exceed the national average and each category has increased from 2002 to 2003.

“Arizonans deserve better than this from our attorney general,” Montgomery said. “These statistics show once again that fighting violent crime is not a top priority of Mr. Goddard. His opposition to mandatory prison sentences and his failure to make the eradication of violent crime a top priority show the citizens of our state that he has not taken the necessary steps to address this problem and bring it under control."

Montgomery said that if he is elected attorney general, he will make fighting crime and lowering the crime rate his "top focus by working with state and local law enforcement agencies to give them every necessary resource to address this serious problem. There is simply no reason why Arizonans should have to live in a state with the dubious distinction of having the highest crime rate in the nation.”

Montgomery is a former deputy Maricopa County attorney and a Gulf War Veteran with first hand experience in prosecuting violent criminals in his last Maricopa County assignment as a gang/repeat offender prosecutor.

Several Republican legislators have already endorsed Montgomery. Among them are: Senate President Ken Bennett, House Speaker Jim Weiers, Senator Jim Waring, Senator Ron Gould, Senator Thayer Verschoor, Senator Jack Harper, Representative Michelle Reagan, Representative Nancy McLain, Representative Trish Groe, Representative Pamela Gorman, Representative Rick Murphy, Representative Andy Biggs, Representative Russell Pearce and Representative Eddie Farnsworth.