True or false? TV ad ripping Ritter on his record as DA
Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News
Published September 2, 2006 at midnight
Race: Governor
Sponsor: Trailhead Group, a 527 committee that supports conservative causes.
Name of Spot: "Brags4"
Summary: The TV spot says that Bill Ritter brags about his record of fighting crime as Denver district attorney, but a "closer look" reveals that he plea-bargained 97 percent of all cases.
"Ritter even plea-bargained with murderers and convicted sex offenders," says the ad. "And Ritter avoided enforcing the death penalty for capital crimes. So, while crime rates across the country declined while Ritter was DA . . . Denver's murder rate increased. Ritter on crime: Nothing to brag about."
What's true: Ritter did plea-bargain 97 percent of all cases, a figure that is in line with the national average of 95 percent.
What's false: Ritter, in fact, asked for the death penalty against seven different murderers. Denver's murder rate fluctuated during Ritter's tenure, including several years in which the rate declined.
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