George Brauchler is a resident of Highlands Ranch and has lived in Colorado for more than 40 years. He and his wife, Marcia, have four young children.
Brauchler, the Republican candidate for the 18th Judicial District Attorney's office, has degrees in law, economics and political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is an adjunct professor at CU Boulder and the University of Denver College of Law.
His background includes 18 years in criminal justice, including service as a deputy district attorney in Jefferson County, an Army prosecutor, a special assistant U.S. attorney, and the chief of military justice for Fort Carson, the 4th Infantry Division and the U.S. Division-North in Iraq. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.
Colorado Community Media asked the following questions of the candidates for DA. Below are Brauchler's answers.
What makes you the best candidate for this office?
Leadership and experience. It has been more than 40 years since we elected someone outside of Arapahoe County government to lead our district attorney's office. I'm the candidate who can end the musical chairs in government and return this office to the people, to us.
As the only candidate who has led and trained prosecutors and prosecuted homicide cases within the past 20 years, I bring an energy and cutting-edge experience in making great prosecutors and leading them to seek and get justice for victims and for our community. We deserve the best district attorney's office in Colorado.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the district and what would you do to meet that challenge?
Rebuilding and reinvigorating the district attorney's office. I will refocus our office on the fundamentals of effective criminal justice: ending the exodus of good prosecutors, recruiting, training, and retaining gutsy and skilled prosecutors who can — and will — win in the courtroom, and rebuilding our strained relationships with police and sheriffs.
I am honored that my vision for our district attorney's office has the support of so many law enforcement officers in our community, including Attorney General John Suthers, Sheriffs Dave Weaver, Shayne Heap and Tom Nestor, former U.S. Attorney Troy Eid, and community leaders, including mayors from Aurora, Glendale and Lone Tree.
What is your stance on the death penalty?
I have supported the death penalty as a discretionary tool for elected prosecutors for my entire professional career. There is no more serious an act by any government than to seek the death of a citizen. As a military prosecutor, I sought death penalty charges in a case involving a heinous act of premeditated murder.
I do not believe we will be safer as a community if we draw a line in the sand that says “no matter what someone does to us — or many of us — in whatever horrific way, they never have to worry about forfeiting their life.”
Maggie posted at 8:12 pm on Mon, Oct 15, 2012.
Brauchler has not worked as a state prosecutor since 2006, and much has changed since then. His last big breakthrough was introducing power point in court. One may feel foolish even stating that to an audience, however Brauchler does so, and power point is just so elementary. Although he has stated his military legal experience, truly, he only does a weekend a month, 2 weeks a year. That is far different than the active Judge Advocate General (JAG) who does this work everyday. Add to that Dave Thomas (his former civilian boss) endorsed his opponent, Mr. Feldman, as have many, many prominent Republicans. The use of military uniform submitted by Brauchler for use in local media is I believe a violation of the Hatch Act. I only promise to find out and will post the results here.
Beth posted at 5:22 pm on Mon, Oct 15, 2012.
I read this is The Colorado Statesmen, another local publication. It was published on June 22, 2012, in VOL113, No 25 under Letters: "Brauchler's rogue prosecution in the past shows he's unfit to prosecute now"
“Editor,
As a parent, you will behorrified to hear what George Brauchler, candidate for the GOP primary for the 18th Judicial District Attorney, did to a straight-A, all around student in Jefferson County. This high school senior was the President of Key Club, the largest high school service organization in the country and had been offered
the Boettcher Scholarship and was heavily involved in the community. Brauchler nearly destroyed this hardworking student's reputation and dreams by recklessly pursuing a wrongful vandalism charge against the kid.
Passed polygraph tests and irrefutable proof of the students innocence did not stop the rogue prosecutors’pursuit of a conviction. On the contrary, the student's pleas for Brauchler to consider the plain evidence and the impact on the students’ future were met with a chilling and revealing response "All that's important to me,"Brauchler told the student at one point, "is what I can convince a jury."
I was that student. After agonizing months and thousands of dollars of an attorney's fees, the charges were completely dismissed but my experience convinced me that George Brauchler is every bit as dangerous Mike Nifong of the Duke Lacrosse scandal. I went on to graduate from Harvard but never forgot my run-in with the man now asking to be the GOP candidate for District Attorney in Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties.
No parent should have to fear for their child’s future as a result of George Brauchler's shameless ambition. We deserve good judgment from our District Attorney and George Brauchler showed me just doesn't have it.
Teo Nicolais
Lakewood"
I have shared this piece with many Republicans. Brauchler's abuse of power may be why he has not been hired by any of the county DA’s office to prosecute. It is the opinion of many that Brauchler is a liability to the state.