Shannon Locke is a defense attorney who previously worked in the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office prosecuting financial crimes in the White Collar Crime Unit. He received his law degree from University of Arizona.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
I am 52 years old. I live in Bexar County, Texas at Wilderness Oak and 281. I am the only candidate board certified in criminal law. I have been board certified for approximately 15 years.
After college I was an executive at a Fortune 500 company before attending law school at the University of Arizona. During my professional career, I have managed hundreds of people and have learned how to develop talent, how to get rid of people who drain resources, and how to build teams to maximize efficiency.
I have founded and grown two law firms. My legal career in State and Federal court has spanned Western and Southern Texas, exposing me to the different policies and procedures throughout the State of Texas. If elected, I will bring these policies to Bexar County so that we can benefit from a state-of-the-art criminal justice system.
2. Tell us about how long you’ve been practicing law, areas of expertise and prosecutorial experience, if any.
I am board certified in criminal law and have been practicing law for approximately 24 years. I was a prosecutor in Arizona and in Bexar County under Susan Reed. I have tried approximately 200 cases to a jury, and I have been practicing criminal law every day for nearly a quarter-century. I have started and grown two law firms.
I am licensed to practice in Federal and State court and I have firsthand experience with all of the criminal court judges that make decisions in Bexar County, Texas. This firsthand experience will give the citizens of Bexar County an advantage as we implement polices to enhance public safety.
3. This office has been under stress in many ways, in terms of understaffing, case backlog and crimes committed by repeat offenders. Talk about your plans to make change in the first 100 days.
The office currently suffers from a lack of strategic vision, which has led to a case-backlog and repeat-offending. I will provide that vision on day one. Every case must be resolved with single purpose in mind: strengthening the community; crime is a harm to the community— prosecuting that crime must address the harm caused. For too long, outcomes have hinged more on the resources of the accused (their ability to pay bond-fees or hire an attorney), than the community’s best interest. That must change.
In my first 100 days, I will implement policies that accelerate resolutions and prioritize community safety. Routine, non-violent cases should not languish for months (or years) while victims and defendants suffer. I will change this by expanding pre-trial diversion programs that address the causes of the crime—such as substance abuse—and provide accountability (eg. daily monitoring). This will reduce backlog, allowing prosecutors to focus on serious cases.
At the same time, violent offenders should not receive automatic bond (as they do currently). Individuals who pose a clear risk should be held until the danger has been sufficiently addressed. My policies will restore faith in the system, be more equitable, and keep our communities safe.
4. Talk about your philosophical approach to balancing the public’s desire to see all types of crimes prosecuted with the rehabilitative justice policies that provide a path forward for some offenders?
Every criminal case is an opportunity to improve the community, and we need to ask what the community’s interest is in every criminal accusation.
DWI’s? To stop drunk driving. Install an alcohol monitor in the vehicle and have the person use it three times a day for three to six months to earn a dismissal. Domestic violence? To determine if the victim is being exploited and abused. Violent offenses? The community must be protected, and the offender must be incarcerated so that more people aren’t hurt.
Every crime and category of criminal offense must be analyzed to determine the
community’s interest, and prosecutors must work toward achieving that interest. This is the balance that must be struck, and the balance that will be struck if I am elected District Attorney.
5. In a crowded field of candidates, what differentiates you from the others running?
Not only am I the only candidate who is board certified in criminal law, and the only candidate calling for Grand Jury investigations into ICE raids, I am also the only candidate who is not looking for a job or a promotion. I am running because I know where the system is broken and I know how to fix it.
My firsthand experience gives me the opportunity to fix the broken system. I see it as my moral obligation to take advantage of this opportunity and provide justice for all of Bexar County.
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