Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 10, 2006 22:19:51 GMT -5
Kline makes Carr case an issue with attacks on Morrison
A man on death row for 4 killings in Wichita has become part of the
attorney general's race, as Republican incumbent Phill Kline continues to
portray Democratic challenger Paul Morrison as too soft on violent crime.
Morrison, the Johnson County district attorney, contends Kline is
misleading voters in linking Reginald Carr's crimes to a 2000 law that
Morrison supported. The law, an effort to deal with a growing inmate
population, shortened the time offenders are supervised after they're
released and dedicated $6.7 million for prison expansion projects.
Brothers Reginald and Jonathan Carr are facing a death sentence for 4
murders in December 2000, part of a spree that also claimed a 5th victim.
Reginald Carr previously had served time on drug, theft and aggravated
assault charges. After his release in March 2000, the state ended its
supervision of him prematurely, less than two weeks before the 1st
killing.
Morrison contends the crimes can't be linked to the 2000 law because the
Department of Corrections attributed Reginald Carr's early release from
state supervision to an error by 2 employees. The department said that
without the error, the state would have supervised Carr 6 months longer.
Mark Simpson, Morrison's campaign manager, said Kline is "demonstrably
wrong" in his statements about Carr.
"What does it say about him that he will continue to say something that's
not true?" Simpson said. "If you can't talk about what you've been
spending your time on as attorney general on, I guess you make stuff up."
Following a civic club Friday - in which he went through a list of
tough-on-crime legislation he advocated - Kline said he's not disputing
that employee error led to Carr's early release from supervision. But,
Kline noted, Carr was one of 2,800 offenders the Department of Corrections
has said were affected by the law.
The department also has reported that more than 1,500 offenders whose
supervision was shortened by the law had returned to prison by the end of
2005. However, for 2/3 of them, they already would have been released from
supervision when they committed new crimes, even if the 2000 law hadn't
passed.
In January 2001, then-Corrections Secretary Charles Simmons acknowledged
the 2000 law shaved a year off the time Carr was supposed to be under
supervision, so that it would end June 1, 2001. The employees' error set
the end date as Dec. 1, 2000.
"All we're saying is that he was one of those, of the 2,800, who had their
sentences reduced," Kline said. "And that's the truth."
A fundraising letter sent by Kline's campaign under his signature in
August described Carr as being "released early by Morrison's bill."
Kline also raised the 2000 law as an issue in 2002 during his successful
GOP primary race against then-Sen. David Adkins, a supporter of the law.
During that campaign, a Falls Church, Va., group, the Law Enforcement
Alliance of America, attacked Adkins with a TV ad linking the 2000 law to
Carr's release. After a day, stations in Topeka and Wichita pulled the ad,
and Gov. Bill Graves, with Morrison by his side, denounced it as "dragging
Kansas into the politics of personal destruction."
While Kline didn't take issue with the ad's linking Carr's release to the
2000 law, he said Friday that the commercial upset him because the Carr
brothers were still awaiting trial.
Kline has raised the 2000 law to undercut Morrison's claim that he is a
"real lawman" while describing Kline as a mere politician.
Kline also has pointed to endorsements from law enforcement groups, and on
Friday, the state lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police announced it was
backing his re-election.
Simpson dismissed the endorsement's importance.
"It's sort of an institutional endorsement and it went to the incumbent,"
Simpson said. "Regardless of whether he has bad priorities, he's still the
incumbent."
Kline campaign: www.klineforag.com
Morrison campaign: www.morrisonforag.com
Text of 2000 law:
www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-bills/showBill.do?id16235
(source: Associated Press)
A man on death row for 4 killings in Wichita has become part of the
attorney general's race, as Republican incumbent Phill Kline continues to
portray Democratic challenger Paul Morrison as too soft on violent crime.
Morrison, the Johnson County district attorney, contends Kline is
misleading voters in linking Reginald Carr's crimes to a 2000 law that
Morrison supported. The law, an effort to deal with a growing inmate
population, shortened the time offenders are supervised after they're
released and dedicated $6.7 million for prison expansion projects.
Brothers Reginald and Jonathan Carr are facing a death sentence for 4
murders in December 2000, part of a spree that also claimed a 5th victim.
Reginald Carr previously had served time on drug, theft and aggravated
assault charges. After his release in March 2000, the state ended its
supervision of him prematurely, less than two weeks before the 1st
killing.
Morrison contends the crimes can't be linked to the 2000 law because the
Department of Corrections attributed Reginald Carr's early release from
state supervision to an error by 2 employees. The department said that
without the error, the state would have supervised Carr 6 months longer.
Mark Simpson, Morrison's campaign manager, said Kline is "demonstrably
wrong" in his statements about Carr.
"What does it say about him that he will continue to say something that's
not true?" Simpson said. "If you can't talk about what you've been
spending your time on as attorney general on, I guess you make stuff up."
Following a civic club Friday - in which he went through a list of
tough-on-crime legislation he advocated - Kline said he's not disputing
that employee error led to Carr's early release from supervision. But,
Kline noted, Carr was one of 2,800 offenders the Department of Corrections
has said were affected by the law.
The department also has reported that more than 1,500 offenders whose
supervision was shortened by the law had returned to prison by the end of
2005. However, for 2/3 of them, they already would have been released from
supervision when they committed new crimes, even if the 2000 law hadn't
passed.
In January 2001, then-Corrections Secretary Charles Simmons acknowledged
the 2000 law shaved a year off the time Carr was supposed to be under
supervision, so that it would end June 1, 2001. The employees' error set
the end date as Dec. 1, 2000.
"All we're saying is that he was one of those, of the 2,800, who had their
sentences reduced," Kline said. "And that's the truth."
A fundraising letter sent by Kline's campaign under his signature in
August described Carr as being "released early by Morrison's bill."
Kline also raised the 2000 law as an issue in 2002 during his successful
GOP primary race against then-Sen. David Adkins, a supporter of the law.
During that campaign, a Falls Church, Va., group, the Law Enforcement
Alliance of America, attacked Adkins with a TV ad linking the 2000 law to
Carr's release. After a day, stations in Topeka and Wichita pulled the ad,
and Gov. Bill Graves, with Morrison by his side, denounced it as "dragging
Kansas into the politics of personal destruction."
While Kline didn't take issue with the ad's linking Carr's release to the
2000 law, he said Friday that the commercial upset him because the Carr
brothers were still awaiting trial.
Kline has raised the 2000 law to undercut Morrison's claim that he is a
"real lawman" while describing Kline as a mere politician.
Kline also has pointed to endorsements from law enforcement groups, and on
Friday, the state lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police announced it was
backing his re-election.
Simpson dismissed the endorsement's importance.
"It's sort of an institutional endorsement and it went to the incumbent,"
Simpson said. "Regardless of whether he has bad priorities, he's still the
incumbent."
Kline campaign: www.klineforag.com
Morrison campaign: www.morrisonforag.com
Text of 2000 law:
www.kslegislature.org/legsrv-bills/showBill.do?id16235
(source: Associated Press)