Questionnaire: Forrest Freedman, Republican candidate for Palm Beach County State Attorney (2024)

The Palm Beach Post| Palm Beach Post

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Elaborate on the courtroom experience that you feel has prepared you to lead the State Attorney's Office.

As a former assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, Boston, Massachusetts, for over 4 ½ years , I worked in every district court, as well as the BMC jury unit and major offenders unit. I have successfully prosecuted hundreds of bench and jury trials for both misdemeanor and felony crimes, including but not limited to prosecuting major sex crimes and second-seating several murder cases

I also help to run and organize the administrative duties in the office, where I learned that being district attorney is equivalent to being CEO of a major corporation. I am able to get the best out of people by treating everyone with the respect that they deserve. It's not one’s political label that counts but rather how we all work together to serve and protect the people’s interests. Having worked for Democrats Mario Merola in the Bronx DA’s Office as well as Newman Flanagan in the Suffolk County District Attorney Office, both Democrats, as a chief prosecutor, I worked with everyone, at every level, so that criminals ended up behind bars and that victims of crime received just and adequate restitution.

Why should voters choose you for this position?

I have over 38 years of legal experience and have worked in both the public and private sectors. I know how to run a business profitably, efficiently, and within a real budget.

I have worked with Democrats, Republicans, Independents and those without any party affiliation, and can get everyone to put aside what divides us in favor of what unites US and what works best for the company and our customers. It’s about merit over identity politics. We will find the best people based on merit to work at the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office and those workers will be hired from all over the county, so that our office will resemble the people who live in Palm Beach with the singular goal of keeping the residents of Palm Beach County safe from repeat offenders.

State Attorney David Aronberg has done a good job over the last 12 years and we seek to build upon his successes and correct and fix the weaknesses and failures that we inherit with a new set of eyes.I have spoken with lots of voters, Democrats and Republicans, who have shared their ideas, compliments and criticisms of the current administration, and I believe that their insight will be my guide to improving the State Attorney Office for everyone.

I believe in compassion and diversion for first-time offenders with the hope of getting them out of the system and real consequences and punishment with bail and jail forrepeat and violent offenders, gang members and migrant criminals who prey on our citizens.

Briefly highlight your key priorities.

My goal is to forge an improved alliance and cooperation between the State Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office and the residents of Palm Beach County to create a new era of cooperation.

We will not plead out the tough or high profile cases because we are afraid to lose. Rather we will prosecute everyone, and be fair and square. It will not matter if you are rich, poor, Republican, Democrat, Independent, male, female, transgender, Jew, Christian, Muslim or whatever your faith — every resident of Palm Beach County will be entitled to one fair and just criminal justice system for all.

I will vigorously prosecute the laws that have been passed by the legislature and signed into law. We will prosecute hate crimes and especially prosecute criminals who prey upon our elderly and most vulnerable to the full extent of the law.

Gov. DeSantis has recently signed new laws to protect the elderly and those who are victims of identity theft and they will be prosecuted.

Those who engage in illegal trespass and protest or violently riot, inhibit and infringe on all of our citizen’s rights will be prosecuted. If you form a human chain to prevent passage by citizens on our highways, colleges or cities, you will be arrested and prosecuted.

First Amendment rights to assembly and protest are subject to valid time, place and manner restrictions and such restrictions will be enforced and violators will be prosecuted.

Those illegal migrants who have violated U.S. immigration laws, and have the audacity to come to Palm Beach County to commit crimes will be held without bail and prosecuted. If convicted, or not, they will be turned over to Immigration and Naturalization, which is the law and legal process for dealing with illegal migrants who commit crime here.

What changes in personnel and policies would you make to the office?

Ibelieve that identity crimes including title and credit card theft as well as retail and auto theft must be vigorously prosecuted. Simply put, the anti-enforcement, anti-prosecution policies implemented by progressive state and district attorneys elsewhere have been a complete and utter failure and have allowed the criminals to run rampant at the expense of our citizens. When retail theft, trespass, domestic violence and misdemeanors are not prosecuted, we have seen that the numbers of these crimes committed elsewhere increase exponentially.

I believe in enforcing our bail statutes and that fair bail must be set for repeat and violent offenders and that fair jail sentences, based upon truth in sentencing, must be imposed on convicted criminals.

I promise that will not happen here if I am elected, there will be real consequences for repeat and violent offenders and compassion for first-time offenders with the hope of permanently diverting said offenders out of the criminal justice system.

What are your views on diversion programs?

New and enhanced diversion programs and drug-treatment programs should be available for first-time offenders.The current programs and diversion programs don’t have the required “teeth” to fully succeed.

Are you satisfied with the office's conviction rate? Why or why not?

I believe that there is room for improvement. However, it's not the conviction rate that counts. Rather it is the responsibility of the Palm Beach County state attorney to keep our residents safe from violent and repeat offenders. Bail and jail where appropriate and compassion and diversion for first-time and youthful offenders to try to permanently dissuade and keep them out of the criminal justice system.

What opportunities do you see for greater collaboration between the office, the Public Defender's Office and law enforcement?

I fully intend to work with the Sherriff’s Office and Public Defenders office to beef up our diversion, drug treatment and mental health programs to benefit those in need of same in Palm Beach County, Florida.I also believe that we must implement new programs in our schools and afterschool programs to give students a better way to advance and succeed instead of choosing crime or joining gangs.

How would you build trust with the public and make the office more transparent?

I will work with my communications director to reach out to the press and community officials in good times and in times of crisis, including those times when our policies are challenged or questioned.

What distinguishes you from your opponents?

I have never been fired or forced out of any job in my entire professional career.

I have done an exemplary job as a prosecutor, special public defender, private attorney, business entrepreneur and community leader, and have been recognized as such.

Thatcannot be said about my Republican primary opponent. According to the New Jersey media, he was forced out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office because he was unqualified and because his father’s political connections and money donations to former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie. As for being a member of the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, my Democratic opponents have told me that he was “despised” during his short tenure and Mr. David Aronberg told my wife, Jamie Freedman, that he was hated and could not work with anyone.

I will work with everyone, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, to run the best State Attorney’s Office in the State of Florida.If elected, I will work with the current staff of the State Attoney’s Office as well as my Democratic opponents who I will invite to stay on and help me to improve this office for everyone. I believe that Mr. Craig Williams is extremely well-liked and competent. However, I chose to run in case he did not win the Democrat primary for this office. We cannot elect any person to the State Attorney’s Office that will bring the failed, progressive, anti-law enforcement and anti-prosecution policies to Palm Beach County.

What experiences from your community, life or workplace activities have best prepared you for this position?

I started my career in public service and am returning to public service at the end of my career to share what I have learned along the way to make the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office run more efficiently, transparently and competently to better serve all of the residents of Palm Beach County. The only group of people I will not serve are the criminals, as that is left up to the Public Defender’s Office.

I promise that I do not intend to serve 12 years like my predecessor. Instead. like John Adams, I only intend to serve until I get the job done and then hand the office over to my successor in better shape that was received.

As both a public servant and a private law firm and business owner, I believe my ability to competently run, organize and economically administer these vast and different organizations will help me assemble the right team to run improve upon the current successes of David Aronberg’s office while fixing what needs to be fixed.

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