Q&A: District attorney talks crime, criminal justice system

Editor's note: This is one in a continuing series of state-of-the-entity interviews with local officials. Quentin Ray is the district attorney for the ninth judicial district. This interview was conducted before Jimmy Guillen was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Lubbock.

Q: How do you prioritize the cases that come across your desk?

A: There is a sense of, we have to narrow it down and focus on what can we accomplish. So we try to do that with the more serious crimes. We probably spend more energy on that. If there are people that were hurt, if there are people who lost money, victims that really are willing to work with us to cooperate in the prosecution. We're going to spend more time with that. We really try to look at each individual case -- the evidence in that case, the harm caused by it, the willingness of the victims to cooperate, the prosecution and then the individual that's accused of the crime. If somebody is dangerous, we spend more time trying to keep that person in jail and held accountable for the protection of the community as a whole.

Q: How do you work with law enforcement to ensure that cases are prosecuted successfully?

A: We're really blessed in this area. We have really good communication with the different agencies and law enforcement, and it really is about talking to them. I would say we're kind of a big family and a big team. They are really good at trying to help us work and build solid cases that we can be successful in. It's a tough time to be in law enforcement right now. Their pay is low, their hours are long and there's no respect. We try to work together, and I think it keeps them motivated. What they do really does matter.

Q: What do you think is the best way to prevent crime in our community?

A: I think there are two ways to reduce crime. One is vigilance. People need to be aware of their surroundings and what they're doing, because a lot of crime is a crime of opportunity. A couple of years ago we had a really bad auto burglaries problem where we never caught everybody that was doing it, but teenagers and different people were walking up and down the streets just checking if the cars were unlocked. If they were, they'd just pop in and steal stuff. So making sure your doors are locked is an example of staying vigilant. We have a lot of gun violence now, and that's probably the most concerning is the amount of violent interactions. Even if it's not juveniles, just young people in general. On a bigger scale, the idea of the morals and family structure. I don't know how you just hit a magic button and say, well, let's get back to the good old days when we were spending more time with our kids and spending more time teaching people right from wrong. But I don't think that would hurt.

Q: What would you say is the best way to rehabilitate offenders while ensuring they don't re-offend?

A: We have some really good people in our adult probation and parole. Sometimes they can be seen by offenders as the bad guy. They think that's the guy or lady that's always drug testing them or looking at their house and they think they're trying to catch them. I really think that's the wrong mentality. We would have a lot more success if we could get the person who's on probation or parole to see them as they're there to help. We have a lot of good resources and we have a lot of good programs around the state. We have people who care who are trying to rehabilitate. So, all you can do is give people the opportunity, and then just hold them accountable.

Q: How do you work with the community to build trust in the criminal justice system?

A: We do some activities in the community. I'm just trying to make sure people know what our presence is, what our job is and what we're trying to do. Since I've become the DA, the number one thing I've been told is, hey, we want to see more press releases showing us what you're doing. We really like seeing that you're actually doing something and letting us know, for example, these people are being held accountable. Everything goes back to time. In our office as prosecutors, we spend time with victims and spend time on the cases and really work hard.

Q: Regarding the Walmart fire and arson suspect Jimmy Guillen... From a prosecution standpoint and with the damage we now know has been done, what charges could Guillen face?

A: Arson is a second-degree felony because the damages are over $20,000. Arson goes in stages, whether it's a small fire, big fire, you know, and so it's a second-degree felony because of the amount of damage that was done. He's also charged with aggravated burglary, and that is the unlawful entry into Walmart with being armed. That's also a second-degree felony. And then he's also got a charge for possession of an explosive or incendiary device by a felon. There's a tampering with evidence charge. It's nine years for each second-degree felony and then three years for the possession of an explosive device. With those four charges, 24 years is the max exposure he's facing.

Q: What else do the cops need to arrest him? What are those parameters?

A: Law enforcement has issued an arrest warrant and so he's got an active arrest warrant now. They just have to find him.

Q: How do you go about finding someone with prior criminal charges, like Guillen?

A: I don't know how they plan on tracking him down but there is a national database that can search anything. It can run somebody's criminal record and it outlines what they've been arrested for ot what they've been convicted for. I will say the warrant that I approved is nationwide. So, if they catch him in Texas or if they catch him in New York City, we will go get him and bring him back. Chief (Roy) Rice is definitely working on anyone's (spotting him) or somebody that may have information. They're working out different agencies and if somebody saw him in Lubbock then they'll make sure and try to blast his picture to the Lubbock law enforcement, that kind of thing. It's a real tragedy. Especially when it doesn't appear that there's a good reason. Not that there's ever a good reason to commit a crime, but when there's no, "well I was mad, they fired me" or "I was mad at my girlfriend." Some reason behind these things. When it's no reason at all that you can see and tell. That's really scary because that's the kind of people that you don't know what they are capable of.

Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the criminal justice system today? How do you think it can be improved?

A: Right now, and I think this is at least across the state, if not across the country, is both for law enforcement and even in prosecution, finding people who want to do the job. Law enforcement numbers are down in the community. I am struggling mightily to recruit lawyers to be prosecutors in our area. The number of cases referred to us is lower than they've been, but they're on more of a violent crime trend. I think the reduction is in large part due to the reduction in our law enforcement, we simply do not have the manpower to go after everything. I've got six vacancies in the district attorney's office and I've had one application all year and we hired him. I think that right now, nobody wants to be a police officer. People as a society I think have lost a lot of respect they used to have for law enforcement.

- Compiled by Landry Sena, The Staff of the News