No impeachment, but Krasner must do better

District Attorney Larry Krasner has a mixed record.

He should be applauded for many of his criminal justice reform efforts including exonerating unjustly convicted inmates and efforts to hold police officers accountable for misconduct.

Those efforts are some of the reasons why Krasner was easily reelected to a second four-year term last year and why this paper endorsed him in last year’s primary and in two general elections.

But both partisan politics and the perception that Krasner has failed to do enough to keep the public safe have prompted a move by some Pennsylvania lawmakers to study Philadelphia’s growing gun violence problem by establishing a panel that could eventually recommend impeachment against him.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted Wednesday to establish the five-member Select Committee on Restoring Law and Order. Among other things, it could judge Krasner’s job performance and make “recommendations for removal from office or other appropriate discipline, including impeachment.” The GOP-sponsored proposal drew four Democratic votes. Only one Republican voted against it.

If the committee recommends impeachment against Krasner, the full House would then take it up. Impeachment requires a vote by the House and then trial in the Senate.

But Republicans hurt their credibility when they have not taken similar action against Republican district attorneys with recent criminal charges or convictions.

Also, Democratic efforts to address gun violence have been repeatedly blocked in the Republican-majority General Assembly.

“To think that in this moment, when we do actually have a gun violence crisis across the commonwealth, that we would come here and play these types of political games is really frustrating, and it’s an affront to folks in communities across Philadelphia who are desperate for solutions,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia.

Targeting Krasner would not be an appropriate use of impeachment power. There is a reason why impeachment is a very rare occurrence.

It was most recently deployed successfully against Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen nearly three decades ago. The House voted to impeach, and the Senate convicted Larsen, a Pittsburgh Democrat, of one impeachment article in 1994, for having an improper discussion with a lawyer about court matters. He was permanently removed from the court and barred from holding public office in the state.

State Republican lawmakers have misused the threat of impeachment.

A year ago, House Republicans threatened impeachment against two Democratic elections officials in Philadelphia for counting mail-in ballots that had not been dated by hand. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled the dates are not mandatory.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican from Butler County, introduced impeachment resolutions targeting Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf over his COVID-19 policies.

Republicans have also sought to impeach Democratic Justice David Wecht, mostly over congressional and state redistricting.

Fortunately these impeachment efforts did not gain traction. Neither should threats to impeach Krasner.

But it would be wrong to portray all criticism against Krasner as support of a Republican agenda or support for policies that would bring about the return of mass incarceration.

Former Mayor Michael Nutter, former District Attorney Seth Williams, and even current Mayor Jim Kenney, all Democrats, have been publicly critical of Krasner. Former prosecutors, some of whom have left the DA’s office under Krasner, and family members of the victims of gun violence have also been critical of some of Krasner’s counterproductive and misguided policies, which have been too lenient toward repeat violent criminal offenders.

While the pandemic, the proliferation of guns and Philadelphia’s high poverty rate are factors in the city’s gun violence epidemic, local policies and practices also play a role in the city’s record high gun violence epidemic.

Since Krasner took office, the number of gun crime arrests has increased, but the conviction rates have dramatically declined. Under Krasner, a low percentage of shootings have led to criminal charges and convictions.

Krasner’s office’s emphasis on decarceration and the failure to more aggressively prosecute gun cases has helped fuel a sense of lawlessness.

While we oppose impeachment efforts against Krasner, which would essentially nullify the votes of Philadelphians, Krasner needs to change course and embrace a more effective approach in reducing violent crime.

We can have both criminal justice reforms and public safety.