Janice Steidley for DA

When I asked you to hire me as your District Attorney, I pledged to make the District Attorney’s Office more efficient and responsive. We work for you and are serious about our responsibility to use your money wisely while serving you better.

The last four months have been very challenging but also very rewarding. It’s nice to come to work every day knowing that we are making a difference in our communities.

We have trimmed the staff and eliminated unnecessary positions. I feel like I have the right people in the right jobs now. The people who are here are wonderful, dedicated, hard working people. I am proud and amazed at how they have kept the office running while I am dealing with budgets and restructuring the office.

We have improved financial accounting procedures, added checks and balances on job performance, improved our work flow and made procedures more efficient for you, the citizens. We have improved communication with local law enforcement.

My one frustration is that I have not had more time to get out and talk to people in the district. Most of my time in the first four months has gone to building a budget from scratch, trying to get a handle on unfinished projects and dealing with staffing and procedural issues. I hope to be able to spend more time talking to you, my bosses, in the coming months.

Janice Steidley
District Attorney

Staffing and Organization

We have made a number of staffing and organizational changes. Some of the staffing changes have been painful and difficult. However, I know that taxpayers expect me to make tough decisions in order to make every penny you pay in taxes provide a 110 percent return. We now have 32 employees in the three counties. I feel like I have the right people in the right job.

These were our goals as we reorganized the office:
• Get the right person in the right job.
• Simplify and clarify supervision and responsibility.
• Be more timely and cost-effective.
• Be flexible and respond to changing circumstances.

We downsized some departments and eliminated some supervisory positions where one person supervised a department of just two or three people.

In Rogers County, all of the non-attorney staff is now supervised by our new district manager, Misty Douglas. Tim Wantland is our chief prosecutor. David Iski is the civil attorney. John Cummings is the chief investigator.

In Mayes County, Chuck Ramsey, is our chief prosecutor and is in charge of the office. Chuck has the most prosecutorial experience within our district. Chuck lends his trial knowledge and talent to the other counties within our district.

In Craig County, Bryce Lair is in charge in charge of the office. While handling cases in Craig County, he will also assist me with public relations and policy/administration issues district wide.

We are cross training employees so that everyone has a backup to handle their duties when they are out of the office.

Overall, we have a great staff in the DA’s Office. They have great pride in our office and were a tremendous help during the transition. Everyone is a team player, and most of the best ideas for improvements have come from the staff.

Budget Challenges

I took office on Jan. 1 and immediately began building a budget from scratch. Some budget challenges carried over from the previous administration. Money was spent or committed in ways I would not have permitted given the current state of the economy.

I also inherited an unfunded liability for unused vacation and sick pay. State law allows employees to carry over vacation and sick leave hours from one year to the next. Several employees had accumulated quite a carryover. However, no funds had been set aside to cover that liability. When an employee leaves for any reason—retirement, resignation and even termination for cause—those unpaid vacation hours must be paid to the employee and, if the employee is eligible for retirement, the sick leave hours must be paid to the state retirement system. We’ve had to spend $250,000 out of this year’s budget paying those expenses for departing employees which had piled up over a period of many years.

The district is growing rapidly, both in population and caseload. However, our state funding continues to be cut. On a positive budget note, I discovered that defendants owed our office $200,000 in overdue probation fees. The staff is working aggressively to collect that money from defendants who were ordered to pay by the courts.

Improvements

Forfeiture

A transition audit revealed that the office had not been keeping the required records for forfeitures. We have improved our record-keeping procedures and centralized forfeitures for all counties in one office.

We are working to clean up pending forfeitures that carried forward from the previous administration.

We have established standard forfeiture criteria and educated law enforcement officers on the guidelines. We are filing forfeiture actions promptly and serving defendants during their court appearances. That avoids wasting time and money that otherwise would be needed to track them down later.

We are making common sense decisions about not pursuing forfeiture actions that cost more than the property is worth, but I also want drug dealers to know: “If you deal drugs out of your car, I’m going to take your car.”

Driving without Insurance and Under Suspension

Dealing with people who drive without insurance or under suspension takes up a great deal of court time. I believe in making people be more accountable. We are now using traffic probation to track them and make sure they keep their insurance and license. The new procedure helps everyone involved and better protects the public.

Bogus Checks

When I took office, we had 850 pending bogus check cases with warrants. That means that merchants aren’t getting the money that is rightfully owed to them, and we are aggressively pursuing collections.

To make the office more accessible to working people, the bogus check, community service and DA supervision offices are now open over the lunch hour.

Communication with Law Enforcement

We have implemented an open door policy for law enforcement. Officers are welcome to come to the office at any time and we try to take care of their questions or other requests right then and there. In addition, we have given them our cell phone numbers and email so that we can answer questions promptly.

We have also set a specific day and time each week when officers can bring their case files in and visit with a staff attorney about filing the cases.

We have received excellent cooperation from law enforcement officers and value the strong relationship we are building.

Victim/Witness Program

Nan Pope, victim/witness coordinator, has begun a new program to help crime victims deal with their ordeal and rebuild their self-esteem. Our support group meets once a month for breakfast, a speaker and other activities. We have applied for a VOCA grant to fund this program. Victims of violent crime can also receive assistance with their medical expenses through the Victims Compensation Board, funded by restitution paid by the defendants.

Conclusion

My motto is “Get it done now or it will never get done.” We’re working smarter to get the job done for you.

Our business is serving the people. Our goal is to have an office that is streamlined, efficient and takes a businesslike approach to the job. We take seriously our obligation to the citizens and taxpayers.

I am a hands-on manager. I have been in the courtroom when our staff attorneys needed an extra set of hands.

I look forward to the opportunity to get out of the office and meet with citizens in the coming months. Please bear with us as we fine tune the office. When this office last had a set of fresh eyes, there were no cell phones and the paperwork was all done by hand or on a typewriter. We’ve made huge progress in the past few months and we won’t stop until you have a DA’s office that makes you proud.

The primary election for district attorney is just a few days away.  As the campaign closes, Janice Steidley has focused on the issues.

“I entered this race because we need a positive change in the DA’s office,” Janice said. “I am so humbled that so many people have recognized the same problems that I’ve seen and are supporting my bid for positive change.”

Janice Steidley has earned the endorsement of law enforcement organizations in all three counties of the 12th District with her focus on solutions.

Here are some of the issues that have caused so many individuals to support Janice Steidley for District Attorney:

Problems in the DA’s office could cost you millions of dollars-or even your life!

We need to revamp the District Attorney’s office from top to bottom. We need a DA who gets results instead of making excuses. Backed up cases mean victims wait for justice, the accused face delayed court dates, and jails are overcrowded. All that costs taxpayers big bucks.

But there’s so much more:

• A decade of inattention and incompetence by the DA’s office allowed a court judgment against Rogers County that could cost residents up to $25 million in higher property taxes. That’s hundreds of dollars each for average homeowners.

And who’s handling the last-ditch appeal? The same crew that has already lost twice at the appellate level!

The initial verdict against the county was $12.5 million. Just a few weeks ago the plaintiffs put taxpayers on the hook for another $10.67 million in attorney fees, interest and expenses. The case has tied up court personnel and resources in Rogers, Mayes and Craig counties for 10 years. (Rogers County Case #CJ-2004-234).

Do you want to pay for government incompetence? Janice Steidley believes taxpayers deserve the best defense.

• In Craig County, a 210-pound man bounced and shook his two-month-old son until he turned blue and his brain began bleeding. The man confessed, saying that he knew he needed help and realized he could have killed the baby.

He was jailed on $100,000 bond but released in a few days after the DA’s office agreed to lower the bond to $15,000. He could have received a life sentence. Instead, he cut a deal with the DA for a five-year deferred sentence—meaning he’ll emerge with a clean record. (Case #CF-09-227).

The child’s grandfather, retired Vinita police officer Mike Langley, says, “You just don’t handle things like that easily.” Because the abuser will not have a felony record after five years, “This guy could own a daycare and there’s nothing you, me or anyone else could do about it,” Langley adds.

Are you outraged? Janice Steidley is. She’ll fight for defenseless children.

• Emergency dispatching errors are mushrooming, jeopardizing the lives of Rogers County citizens who need law enforcement, an ambulance or the fire department.

Voters approved a state-of-the-art centralized dispatching center before Christmas to solve the problems. But here it is late July and no real progress has been made to hire a director or break ground. That’s because the DA’s office has taken weeks to do legal work that should take hours.

There have been some very close calls, but nobody has died—yet. Emergency officials know it’s only a matter of time before someone does. But the 911 Center is still held up because of the DA’s office.

Janice Steidley recognizes that the DA’s office must handle a wide variety of critical tasks effectively and efficiently.

We need a DA who gets the job done right instead of making excuses. We need better management. We need someone with a broad range of experience. We need Janice Steidley. Please vote July 27.

Janice Steidley, candidate for District Attorney, has earned the endorsement of the Pryor Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 116 Bargaining Unit.
Click here to read the Pryor Endorsement.

Voters are invited to learn more about Janice at two Meet and Greet events.

Friday, July 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, voters are invited to visit with Janice at the Law Office of Kimberly Appelman and Brandy O’Brian at 2170 N. Old Hwy 66, Catoosa (caddy corner from Reasors). Janice will speak at 5:30 pm.

Vinita supporters will host a Meet and Greet from 10 a.m. to Noon on Tuesday, July 13 at Clantons Cafe.

Janice Steidley has received endorsements from the Claremore Fraternal Order of Police and the Vinita Fraternal Order of Police.

In the Claremore FOP endorsement letter, Milburn Litterell wrote, “It is our belief that you best represent the needs of law enforcement in Rogers County and that you embody the character, experience and professionalism needed to lead the District Attorney’s Office.”

In the Vinita Fraternal Order of Police endorsement, Heath Winfrey wrote, “After hearing and assessing both candidates’ positions, the Lodge 110 members decided to give our endorsement to you. We believe your campaign not only represents the needs of law enforcement in Craig County, we strongly believe it best represents the needs of the 12th District that most of the Lodge 110 members reside in. You have show us that you possess the character, work ethic, and professionalism needed to be the next District Attorney, making our decision to endorse you an easy one.”

Janice Steidley has a broad range of experience as a prosecutor, drug court coordinator, attorney in private practice, college teacher, mother of three and school volunteer. Her proven management and organizational abilities have earned the endorsement of law enforcement officials and other citizens.

“I’m humbled by all the support I have received,” Janice said. “It shows that there really is a need for a positive change in the District Attorney’s office.”

See the endorsement page for the complete text of both endorsements and other people who have endorsed Janice Steidley.

Janice Steidley is seeking the Democratic nomination for District Attorney in the 12th Judicial District, saying the office must provide better and more efficient service to the people of Rogers, Mayes and Craig counties.

Janice has experience as a prosecutor, drug court coordinator, attorney in private practice, college teacher, mother of three and school volunteer. The Steidley family’s roots go back four generations in Rogers County.

“It is time for a positive change,” Janice said in announcing her candidacy. “Solving the problems means breaking with the past.”

Janice says she will be a working prosecutor with her own docket of court cases, automatically adding a prosecutor to the District Attorney’s office. That will allow cases to be handled more promptly.

“My motto is, ‘Get it done’,” she said.

As District Attorney Janice says she will:

* Improve relationships between the DA’s office and the law enforcement agencies serving the counties, cities and towns in the 12th Judicial District.

* Spend time in the communities of the district so citizens can share their ideas and concerns.

* More aggressively pursue forfeitures allowed in certain criminal cases to provide additional funds for the District Attorney and law enforcement agencies.

* Ensure that the office makes prompt decisions on whether to prosecute, decline or seek further information on cases presented by sheriffs’ and police departments.

* Put the right people in the right positions in all three counties so cases are handled promptly, jails are not overcrowded and all citizens are protected.

Janice, 39, is a cum laude graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, where she met her husband Larry during her first year.

They returned to his home town of Claremore, where she joined the District Attorney’s office in 1999, handling misdemeanors, felonies and juvenile cases in Rogers County,

In April 2003, she and her husband formed the Steidley Law Firm in Claremore, where she handles criminal defense, deprived and delinquent juvenile cases and guardian ad litem appointments to domestic and guardianship cases.

She has been Drug Court Coordinator for Mayes and Craig counties since 2003. The court works to rehabilitate certain offenders through intense treatment and supervision.

She also has served as a part-time adjunct professor at both Rogers State University and Northeastern State University, teaching courses in Torts and Litigation, Criminal Law II and Criminal Evidence.

The Steidley family includes children Nathaniel, 10; Matthew, 6, and Emily, 4. They reside in Verdigris and the children attend Verdigris Schools, where she is an active volunteer. She is a member of St. Cecilia Catholic Church.

 “As a mother and a property owner, I want safe neighborhoods and effective use of our tax dollars. As your District Attorney, I will get the job done right,” she said.

Janice wants to hear from the residents of the district. They can contact her by calling 918-343-2060 or emailing Janice@SteidleyLaw.com.