Duncan details Safer Nevada plan, responds to campaign commercials

Nevada needs to increase the number of psychiatric ERs and the penalty for some serious crimes, according to Republican attorney general candidate Wes. He also contends that voters should consider Democrat AG candidate Aaron Ford’s multiple arrests and past tax liens.

“We only have one psychiatric ERs in the entire state, and it’s in Carson City,” Duncan said while filming Nevada Politics Today. “We need a place when law enforcement has an interaction with someone who’s mentally ill, instead of taking them to the regular ER or the jail, take them to the psychiatric ER. That allows them to get the help and care they need. That takes the burden off of law enforcement so that they’re not having to deal with mental illness. It gets people who are suffering from mental illness better treatment.”

Duncan said those struggling with mental illness would stay at the facility until the person is “stabilized.” They would either be released or sent to a more comprehensive facility. Duncan said he was waiting to receive information on the cost of the Carson City facility.

“I think the AG’s office can use settlement funds and then also partner with for-profit, non-profit businesses,” Duncan said. “You can do public-private partnerships. You can partner with different health care partners throughout the state. I think it’s going to be an all-of-the-above approach. We do need psychiatric ERs in our state. It’s really important.”

While Duncan wants less jail time for those with mental illness, he supports increased penalties for some criminals. This includes those who use a firearm while committing violent felonies.

“You can commit a home invasion in Nevada and get probation,” he said. “I think if you invade the privacy of someone’s home and you’re going to enter the most sacred place, you should be doing jail time.”

He continued, “If you’re going to commit violent crimes with deadly weapons, we need to send a message that we’re going to go after you hard for those things.

Asked about eliminating cash bail for minor offenses, Duncan said he opposed “completely eliminating the discretion of our prosecutors.”

“As a former prosecutor you don’t want to take the discretion out of the hands of prosecutors,” he said. “Sometimes they know things about someone’s violent history that can’t be reflected on just a computer printout. They may be a target of a gang investigation, and they may need to try and hold someone.”

Ford has attacked Duncan for once touting the endorsement of Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct. Duncan said before he knew about the allegations, he worked to “get the endorsements broadly of law enforcement across the state.”

“As I became aware of his past and what he was accused of, we said that we’d no longer have his endorsement,” Duncan said. “We’re not going to campaign with him. Our campaign would not affiliate with him at all.”

Duncan said voters should look at Ford’s arrest record and recent IRS liens when considering who to vote for.

“Not only [does Ford] have an arrest history from the past, but not even three years ago, we have Sen. Ford who’s not paying his taxes,” Duncan said. “He had 185,000 [dollars] in IRS tax liens. Certainly, those things should come to light. I think the voters get to determine how much credibility they want to give to all those things.”

Duncan noted, “Most law enforcement agencies — based on an arrest record and based on financial mismanagement — likely wouldn’t even hire Sen. Ford on as a line officer, and he’s trying to be the state’s top law enforcement officer.”