Philadelphia's 2025 District Attorney campaign is picking up steam as former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan officially announced his intention to run for the city's chief prosecutor role. According to NBC Philadelphia, Dugan, positioning himself as the antithesis of current DA Larry Krasner's policies, is vowing to tackle crime and improve public safety more aggressively. Krasner, known for his progressive stance on criminal justice reform, has not yet stated whether he will seek a third term, but he is expected to make his intentions clear within the next month.
Dugan's declaration, made in Northeast Philadelphia with backing from the Building Trades union, seems to commit him to the ring fully. Despite a notable decrease in Philadelphia's violent crime rates, including the largest decline in homicides in at least fifty years, Dugan told NBC Philadelphia, "I don't see how his policies have had anything to contribute to any downward spiral in the crime rate."
In alignment with his tough stance, Dugan is promising a crackdown on lower-level crimes, citing unchecked thefts as a factor in local business closures, referencing the recent decision by Wawa and Macy's to close stores in Center City. According to a report by WHYY, he indicated that these incidents are symptomatic of policy failures under Krasner's tenure. Dugan also referenced that retail theft had a significant uptick in the city this past year, as reported by city statistics.
While Dugan seems to pinpoint Krasner's policies as a lax approach to crime, he does express a willingness to embrace reformist approaches in certain circumstances. "If it’s a good person having a bad day, we want to do the empathetic, holistic type of approach to justice," Dugan said, as reported by WHYY. However, his criticism extends to the handling of more serious offenses, highlighting a case where he believes the current DA's office has been too lenient on violent offenders.
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