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LEAVITT: IMPROVEMENTS: TREAT VICTIMS AND ACCUSED WITH “FAIRNESS AND DIGNITY”
Leavitt’s second slide read, “We look forward to demonstrating the improvements that treat the victims and the accused with dignity and fairness." His second slide seems to indicate a plan to show the public what they’re doing to rebuff the criticisms of the former six.
“We are collecting the data, outlined a plan indicating that they are collecting data, balancing policies, and increasing training and demanding accountability throughout the criminal process.
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In fact, Leavitt’s spokesperson Hall Everett shared some insight via text message with 2News Investigates into what she said are changes on how they are prosecuting sexual assault cases.
VICTIMS: “DISILLUSIONED, VULNERABLE AND WITHOUT A SENSE OF JUSTICE”
The declaration also states that the implementation of screening policies and procedures have resulted in a backlog of well over 1,000 criminal cases waiting to be screened for charges. When asked about this Young said, “It's hard to even hear that's a true statistic, and I know it is.” This backlog, the letter says, renders victims of criminal offenses “disillusioned, vulnerable, and without a sense of justice for many months, or perhaps even for a full year, and leaving potentially dangerous individuals out on your streets without any accountability.”
“He has let cases languish that long is actually hard to hear as a prosecutor, I know that real people's lives have been languishing for that long, victims aren't getting answers, defendants are continuing to think there's no accountability,” said Young.
ALIENATING LAW ENFORCEMENT?
The declaration from the former prosecutors also said Leavitt’s policies have resulted in the “alienation” of law enforcement officers in the county. ‘Due to mistrust in him, your County Attorney’s Office was removed as the primary investigating agency from the county’s officer-involved-critical incident protocol.”
LEAVITT RESPONDS
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To which Leavitt wrote on slide number 3, “Fundamentally, we believe that government should prove the allegations we make instead of charging on a probable cause statement and a call from the arresting officer.”
NO LONGER AFRAID
We asked Young if she ever reached a point where she had to apologize or felt compelled to apologize to the victims. This was her response: “Yes. Yes, Yes, to everybody to law enforcement to victims to society members. I was always constantly apologizing for David Leavitt and saying look that doesn't reflect the actual thoughts and feelings of the actual office that's one person.”
“I'm not afraid to stand up against him because I see the community and society are also recognizing and finally starting to take notice of what Leavitt is doing and that everyday gives me more courage to sit here quite frankly very proud to be speaking out against Leavitt and doing anything I can to try to stop what's happening in Utah County,” Young said.
FORMER 6 ISSUE REBUTTAL TO LEAVITT’S STATEMENTS
"Mr. Leavitt's response to our declaration of no confidence in him is solely political rhetoric and devoid of any evidence to support it. In contrast, our letter cited to specific statistics, data, and his provably failed policies. If Mr. Leavitt has any evidence to support his statement, we invite him to present it."
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE SCATHING REBUKE
This isn’t the first time Leavitt’s faced a scathing rebuke. On February 3, 2022, the Utah County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #31 issued the following no confidence letter denouncing Leavitt and encouraging the public not to re-elect him.