Brenda Ingram has thrown her hat in the ring to challenge incumbent Judge Ben Trotter for a six-year term serving as Justice of the Peace.
Ingram is a native Nevadan, born and raised in Yerington, and has lived in Fallon and worked for Churchill County for the past 34 years, making her the most senior employee of the county. She worked for the Justice Court for 18 years, serving as the Chief Court Clerk and, for the past 15 years, serving as the Director of Court Services.
“During my 18 years in the Justice Court, I worked diligently in every capacity, from Civil Clerk to Misdemeanor Clerk, Felony Clerk, and ultimately as the Chief Court Clerk for 14 years. In this leadership role, I successfully managed the daily operations of the court, overseeing budget preparation and management, grant writing and administration, as well as formulating policies and procedures. My responsibilities also included the supervision of staff, ensuring a well-functioning and efficient court,” she said.
Appointed as the Director of Court Services in 2009, Ingram took the helm of the new department established to address jail overcrowding and improve the criminal justice system's overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
“Within just 15 months, my department received national recognition from the National Association of Counties for its effectiveness and innovation, reflecting our success in enhancing county government and the court system.”
The Churchill County Board of Commissioners appointed Ingram to represent Churchill County on the Nevada Local Justice Reinvestment Coordinating Council. This council, comprised of one representative from each county in Nevada, was created to make recommendations to the Nevada Sentencing Commission. She has also achieved certification as a Pretrial Services Professional with Honors from the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies.
“I believe I am the best candidate because I think the community and our justice system deserves a judge that is far more selective about who they are letting out of jail on their own recognizance than the current Justice of the Peace is. I will be more focused on community safety when it comes to releasing arrestees. Our local Law Enforcement does a great job solving crimes and making arrests, but those arrested are getting released from jail before the ink is dry on the officer’s report, even when they are a high risk to our community. It’s not right, it’s not safe, and no one in Fallon wants that nationwide trend happening here,” Ingram said.
Explaining the evidence-based risk assessment tool that the Nevada Supreme Court has mandated, Ingram said it is an accurate predictor of whether a defendant will re-offend or fail to appear for court if released.
“My department interviews inmates to get pertinent information, runs their criminal histories, verifies their information through references, and then completes the risk assessment. This risk assessment is then provided to the Justice of the Peace. At their initial hearing, high-risk arrestees are often released shortly after their arrest. They then must be supervised and monitored with most of them violating the terms of their release, and re-arrested, only to go back in front of the current Justice of the Peace, often to be released yet again. It is absolutely a revolving door.”
Ingram is passionate about bringing her knowledge and experience of the criminal justice field back to the Justice Court.
“Over the years I have developed excellent working relationships with other department heads within the county, as well as a vast network of colleagues throughout the state. If elected as your Justice of the Peace, I pledge to bring a fresh, well-rounded, open-minded, and fair approach to the position. I believe that my track record demonstrates my commitment to our community and my ability to make a positive impact on the justice system.”
Ingram has a website where voters can get more in-depth information brandingramforjp.com and she can be contacted at [email protected], she faces current Justice of the Peace Judge Ben Trotter and Dr. Stuart Richardson in the Primary election on June 11.
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