During a forum in Old Colorado City on Oct. 19, the two candidates for vying to be the 4th Judicial District attorney offered two visions for the office ahead of the general election.

About 30 members of the public gathered at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 113 to ask the candidates questions ranging from approaches to prosecution and ethical matters to leadership qualities and community engagement.

The forum was hosted by League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region.

Incumbent Michael Allen, a Republican, touted the progress and success the office has made under his leadership over the past four years while challenger Jeremy Dowell, a Democrat, made his case for one that provides alternative paths to addressing the nature of crime in El Paso and Teller counties.

During his tenure, Allen pointed to the office’s use of data and formation of task forces to track and pursue crime trends as some of his accomplishments to date.

If reelected, he said he would work for legislation outlawing AI-generated child pornography and for limiting violent criminals’ access to firearms.

Allen also noted his 20-year prosecuting career as the experience necessary to effectively hold the position.

“To have the idea that somebody could come in and be the elected DA without that experience, would put us in a bad decision,” he said.

Dowell, whose experience to date includes working with at-risk juveniles as an attorney, said the current state of the DA’s Office relied too much on harsh sentences, resulting in excessive prison sentences and cases of individuals getting sent back to prison upon their release.

Recidivism programs, engaging with the community to break the cycle of crime and pursuing alternatives to traditional prosecution over “throwing the book” at defendants were among the different approaches he would take, if elected.

“I do believe that the position of elected DA is a position that requires vision and sometimes having experience … in this example, of being a prosecutor, as Mr. Allen says, for 20 years can lead to tunnel vision rather than a broader vision,” Dowell said.

“So, I think it’s important to have a broader vision for the DA’s Office could be instead of putting out fires over and over and over again, which is what it feels like we do.”

At one point, Allen stated that the current annual budget for the DA’s Office was about $21 million with 90%-95% of it going toward salaries.

“When we start talking about the idea of turning the DA’s Office into a social justice program, the budget for the DA’s Office is going to skyrocket and ultimately, that means that you all are going to have to pay higher taxes,” he said the attendees.

Questions asked by public attendees included how they would approach prosecuting certain legal cases like wage theft and internal cases, how they would work with community organizations and how they would address the student-to-prison pipeline.

Both candidates agreed that all legal matters should be handled to the extent of the law and their jurisdiction, that criminal records should be made available to the public and that personal politics should remain out of the decisions made by court officials.

Where they differed, however, is the DA’s presence in the courtroom — Allen said he represents the public by doing so while Dowell felt it affected their casework politically — and their views on Proposition 128.

Allen said he was in favor of the ballot measure, which would require violent criminals to serve 85% of their sentence before parole eligibility, saying it would provide “truth in sentencing” and be in service to the victims of the crimes

Dowell argued this would undermine rehabilitation efforts of the convicted and the efforts of those working with them while noting the expensive cost of prison time on taxpayers.

The forum in its entirety can be viewed on YouTube.