Mr. Watkins attended the recent elected DA's conference in Austin. At that conference, prosecutors discussed how the state jail system needs to be rejuvenated. It needs to be restored to the programmatic place it was designed to be. Sounds like Mr. Watkins was listening. Let's give him our support as he takes on a very difficult job.

Watkins driven to be DA
New prosecutor set goals early on, silenced skeptics along the way
12:24 AM CST on Sunday, December 31, 2006

By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News
Tall and lanky, young Craig Watkins walked onto the basketball court at Adele Turner Elementary School and challenged stereotypes.

"He was the tallest guy but wanted to be the point guard," said Dwight Battle, a Houston investment banker and Mr. Watkins' childhood friend. "Even at that point, he wanted to be the leader."


Courtesy
Craig Watkins faces many challenges in his new role, not the least of which is Dallas' high crime rate.

Despite his awkward size, Mr. Watkins silenced skeptics and handled the ball for his team, even playing the center position when necessary.

"He didn't want to hear that a big man isn't supposed to handle the rock," Mr. Battle said. "He was breaking barriers even back then."

Mr. Watkins is now trying to prove himself on a different court.

On New Year's Day, he'll be sworn in as Dallas County's district attorney, a ceremony that friends and family knew would occur but one that critics dismissed as a pipe dream.

After what many called an improbable victory, Mr. Watkins must sell and then implement his "smart on crime" approach to an area besieged by a high crime rate. Pockets of poverty, drug addiction and other social ills exacerbate the criminal activity.

It could be tough. Mr. Watkins, a former defense lawyer, never worked in the Dallas County district attorney's office, and his prosecutorial experience is limited to an internship and misdemeanor cases from when he worked as a municipal prosecutor one year.

He's the first Democrat to hold the office since the legendary Henry Wade retired in 1986.

And perhaps more significantly, he's the first black district attorney elected in any county in Texas ? taking over a courthouse that has in the past been criticized for failing to put enough people of color on juries and for securing convictions for people later proved innocent.

Mr. Watkins says he's up to the challenge.

"I'm totally different than my opponents and predecessor," he said. "They look at the job as being a prosecutor. I don't look at it as simply being a prosecutor. Yeah, I'm going to put you in jail when you commit a crime, but at the same time I'm supposed to improve the quality of life for all the people of Dallas County."

Some say Mr. Watkins' life experiences and, perhaps, his ethnicity give him a different perspective than those who had the job before him.

In Baltimore, state's attorney Patricia Jessamy, who is black, said other big cities share Mr. Watkins' approach.

"There is going to be some change," Ms. Jessamy said. "Many may attribute the change to the color of his skin, but what's really happening is that it's probably time that the Dallas DA's office changes."


Early life

Unlike much of his political career, Mr. Watkins' birth into this world was unplanned. His parents were only 17 years old when he arrived.

"I was a surprise," Mr. Watkins said as he eased back into his favorite chair at his law office to talk about his journey from a middle-class home in the Red Bird area to the pinnacle of Dallas County politics.

Though his conception was unexpected, Mr. Watkins did not grow up in the underprivileged environment forced upon many children of teenage parents.

His parents went to college. They became teachers, with Mr. Watkins' father, Richard, dabbling in the semiconductor business and owning KFC franchises.

With Mr. Watkins' younger brother, his parents now operate a T-shirt company in the building Mr. Watkins owns adjacent to his South Dallas law office.

"They made it through college and did all right," he said. "I saw the struggles that my parents went through. They were in college when I was in elementary school."

Describing his family as upper-middle class, Mr. Watkins said he strived to build upon the foundation they laid.

"My whole thing and my daddy's whole thing is that you've got to do better than your parents," he said.

As a kid growing up in the Red Bird neighborhood, Mr. Watkins didn't know where his pursuit of betterment would take him. The signals were not always clear.

In his office, he keeps a worn Bible given to him when he was 8 years old by a religious man he met at a Christ for the Nations service.

The man, who was white, told Mr. Watkins that he was called by God to preach.

"For the longest time, I thought that I was supposed to be a preacher," Mr. Watkins said. "I didn't want to be a preacher. I said, 'Preachers don't make no money. I'm just not cut out to be a preacher.' "

Years later, Mr. Watkins would receive his true calling.

He began developing an interest in politics by watching Ronald Reagan, father of the modern conservative movement, as he took the presidency.

"I like Reagan. Not his policy, but I liked his personality and how he came across," he said.

But it was in 1986, when a brash young lawyer named Royce West made a historic run for district attorney, that Mr. Watkins found a religion of sorts.

Though Mr. West lost that race, memories of the campaign produced in Mr. Watkins his love for politics as well as a life-changing goal: He wanted to continue Mr. West's crusade and become district attorney.

"You had all of these black and gold signs in South Dallas," he said of Mr. West's campaign. "You've got to go to law school to get into politics. I thought I would go to law school and then come back to Dallas and run for DA."

He stuck to his plan through high school and college, even tapering off his love of sports in favor of academics.

Mr. Watkins played quarterback at Carter High School, although he didn't start on the talent-rich squad.

Dallas police Lt. Malik Aziz attended Carter High School with Mr. Watkins and remembers how he navigated the school's complex social waters.

"He had bigger ambitions than the rest of us," Lt. Aziz said. "When we were thinking about Saturday night, he was thinking about Saturday night in 2007."

After Carter High School, Mr. Watkins graduated from Prairie View A&M University and received his law degree at Texas Wesleyan University.

Classmates at Prairie View said he was noticeably focused on becoming a lawyer.

"He was like a businessman," said Michael Green, a Dallas doctor who went to college with Mr. Watkins. "He seemed to be straight-laced and knew what he wanted to do. He knew he wanted to go to law school, and he was always dedicated to the next level."

Mr. West, who later became a state senator and is head of the Watkins transition team, is pleased to have been key to Mr. Watkins' choice to make public service and the district attorney's office major objectives in his life.

"It makes me proud that I was able to touch him and influence what he's done," Mr. West said.


Interview at DA's office

Back in Dallas after law school, Mr. Watkins got a job in the city attorney's office. But he really wanted to work at the Dallas County district attorney's office.

He interviewed for a job, noticing that the office lacked diversity.

"I wanted to be a prosecutor," he said. "Unfortunately, they didn't hire me."

He later joined the Dallas County public defender's office, where he worked representing indigent defendants. After some time drawing a stable paycheck, he decided to go out on his own, first opening a title company and then a law practice.

With his wife, Tanya, serving as the "general of his one-woman army," Mr. Watkins started his business and law practice in the heart of South Dallas.

"It was scary," he said of the 1997 venture that came a year after his marriage. "But it was time for me to do my own thing."

Mr. Watkins located his operation in the "hood" with politics in mind.

Few big-time lawyers called South Dallas home. And even fewer aspired to be district attorney.

"It was easy to go downtown with everybody else and be a part of that group," he said. "If I came over here and did a good job, I would stand out. There weren't many African-American lawyers respected in the southern sector. I had to have a connection to the community, and politics was in the back of my mind."

Mr. Watkins' base would propel him in two primary races for district attorney, first against Peter Lesser in 2002 and then against Larry Jarrett and B.D. Howard in 2006.

In the 2002 general election, he was considered an underdog, but he came within 10,000 votes of victory over GOP incumbent Bill Hill.

Mr. Watkins figured he would win easily in 2006, though skeptics thought his campaign, made up mostly of family and friends, would not stand a chance against the powerful machine operated by Dallas County Republicans.

"It bothered me," he said. "They underestimated me in 2000. They did the same thing in 2006. They thought I was just some lawyer from South Dallas.

"I figured I didn't have anything to lose and everything to gain."

After easily winning the primary, he faced off against Republican Toby Shook, a veteran of the district attorney's office and Mr. Hill's handpicked successor.

Mr. Shook had more money and resources than Mr. Watkins. And even some Democrats worried that he would not be able to handle the top of the local ticket.


Disdain for media

Mr. Watkins is still bothered by coverage of the 2006 campaign, which he said singled him out for criticism and gave his opponent a free ride.

He still talks with disdain about the media, particularly The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV (Channel 8), whom he blames for touting negative stories about his finances and law practice.

The media and Mr. Shook took aim at Mr. Watkins' r?sum?.

Mr. Watkins said the media overplayed his problems with the Internal Revenue Service: One IRS lien is still active, but Mr. Watkins does not describe it as an unpaid debt because it is "in dispute."

In response to questions leading up to the election, he said numerous lawsuits and threats of lawsuits filed against him over financial disputes with the city of Dallas and other businesses were all resolved. He said that being sued goes along with being a small-business owner and is not a reflection on how he will manage the office's $29 million budget.

"You can play all that stuff up like you want to, but let's look at the truth," he said. "If I got all this, I must be doing something right."

He also criticized the media for writing stories about his law practice Web site, which stated that he would defend clients "by any means necessary" and added: "I enjoy manipulating the Government; most times the cases they bring against my clients are weak and unsubstantiated."

Mr. Watkins said he thought the stories were a cheap shot.

"As an attorney, I have a responsibility to represent my clients," he said. "When Bill Hill ran for DA, you never questioned his experience, even though he had never prosecuted a case in over 20 years."

Mr. Watkins also bristles at the notion that Mr. Shook was a more qualified candidate, telling a reporter that he won every debate with the Republican.

"They put the white horse on Toby, and he was wearing the white hat and sending people to death row," he said. "What you all didn't understand is that it's more than just standing in the courtroom, prosecuting people and sending them to death row."

He said he has much respect for Mr. Shook, but he blasted the prosecutor's record at the district attorney's office. He pointed out Dallas' high crime rate and said innocent people were prosecuted for crimes they didn't commit.

"When he started at the DA's office, they didn't put blacks on juries because they were black," he said. "They didn't put Hispanics or women on juries. They didn't question that, but they questioned my qualifications."


In command

The rigors of the campaign trail are irrelevant now.

Mr. Watkins is now managing more than 230 prosecutors and is under more public scrutiny than ever.

He's sticking by his assertion that the district attorney should take a broader approach to fighting crime.

From his office on Martin Luther King Boulevard, he can see the hopelessness that he says often leads people to crime. Crackheads, prostitutes and drug dealers are part of the scenery. He thinks he can help without the aid of the big house.

"You've got to think outside the box and look at everything that causes people to commit crimes," he said.

That doesn't mean he's soft on crime, Mr. Watkins said.

"If you're out there raping somebody or robbing and shooting, then I'm sorry, you need to go to jail," he said.

Mr. Watkins said he plans to lobby Austin lawmakers to restore programs designed to help reform convicts who enter the state jail system.

State jails are designed to house low-level felons, as opposed to state prisons, which typically handle more violent convicts or repeat offenders.

Convicts who enter the state jail system serve between 180 days and two years and are not eligible for parole.

Mr. Watkins said that in the past, people who went through state jails were allowed to enter drug treatment or other programs, such as those where they can work on their GED. "The purpose was to get these people fixed," Mr. Watkins said.

But over time, he said, funding for such programs has eroded.

Ms. Jessamy, the state's attorney from Baltimore, said many big cities are looking at education, treatment and prevention as crime-fighting tools, often because of new leadership. She said Mr. Watkins brings added perspective.

"He may be someone who understands better the whole issue of justice" because he's black, she said. "As a result of that, he may be more progressive toward doing things that Dallas has come to see as associated with skin color, but it's something that's going on across the country. If you don't try to make things better, you're just engaging in a revolving door."

Mr. Watkins' supporters say it's important for him to develop a strong inner circle. Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said Mr. Watkins should do his homework and listen.

"I hope that inexperience doesn't get the best of him," Mr. Price said. "I really hope he puts a good team around him. That's going to be his salvation."

Ron Kirk, Dallas' first black mayor, said he is impressed by Mr. Watkins' tenacity.

"He's one of my heroes," Mr. Kirk said. "I was really impressed by his energy and honesty and the devotion of he and his wife to one another and their cause. This is a kid who grew up and really wanted to be DA. He's inexperienced, but I think if the public is as patient with him as they have been with others, everything will work out."

In the meantime, Mr. Watkins is fast becoming a neighborhood icon.

Tommy Singleton, a retired nurse living on a fixed income, sent Mr. Watkins $25 for his campaign. Along with Mr. Watkins, she feels like she won.

"I believe he'll be very effective in that position," she said.

Despite the accolades, family and friends say Mr. Watkins remains grounded.

"There are a lot of attorneys who get the big head," Ms. Watkins said. "He's not like that. He's a very humble person."

Ms. Watkins said she knew her husband was bound for something big.

She first met him at an alumni picnic in Dallas.

"I always knew that this truly is his calling," she said. "When I met him, I told him that he was destined for greatness. He's the man."

Staff writer Robert Tharp contributed to this report.


E-mail gjeffers@dallasnews.com


Craig Watkins

Age: 39

Professional background: Defense attorney and owner of Fair Park Bail Bonds. He worked as a municipal prosecutor and Dallas County public defender before starting his private law practice. He also owns a real estate title company.

Party: Democrat

Hometown: Graduate of Carter High School in Dallas. He lives in DeSoto.

Academic: Bachelor's degree, Prairie View A&M University, 1990; law degree, Texas Wesleyan University, 1994

Family: Wife, Tanya, two sons and a daughter


On the Agenda

Reforming criminals

Citing statistics that show most Texas prisoners are not high school graduates, Mr. Watkins says he will lobby the Legislature to boost funding for public education and rehabilitation programs.

He also says he will lobby lawmakers to restore funding for programs designed to help convicts who enter the state jail system for low-level crimes, such as drug rehabilitation and GED programs.

"Our role is more than just prosecuting criminals," he has said. "Our role should also be prevention and addressing why people commit crime. I will not just sit back and wait for someone to commit a crime."



Reforming the system

While promising to be tough on crime and saying he supports the death penalty, Mr. Watkins also has indicated that he plans to hold the district attorney's office to high standards to ensure that justice is dispensed fairly and with respect.

Key among his plans is a pledge to have prosecutors make more reasonable plea bargain offers, which would allow cases to move through the court system faster.

He also wants to make sure innocent people are not prosecuted. At least 10 Dallas County men have been exonerated by DNA testing in the last five years ? although most of their alleged crimes took place before 1990.

Mr. Watkins has said he would make sure that young prosecutors are adequately trained so they value diversity when selecting juries.

He also plans to implement a broader open-file policy similar to one already in place in Tarrant County that allows defense attorneys to view the contents of case files. Under the existing policy in Dallas County, defense attorneys may view a case file in the presence of a prosecutor and take notes, but they are not allowed to make copies.



Developing his staff

Although he initially said he didn't plan to clean house, Mr. Watkins has fired at least nine top prosecutors in the office of more than 230 prosecutors, while at least nine other prosecutors have left on their own.

Mr. Watkins' decision to tap Fort Worth lawyer Terri Moore as his first assistant was widely praised. Ms. Moore, who twice ran unsuccessfully for district attorney in Tarrant County, has been a respected defense attorney in private practice since 2001 and was a Tarrant County prosecutor and federal prosecutor before that.

Watkins fills supervisory roles
Dallas: DA taps defense attorneys, GOP judges for administration
12:00 AM CST on Thursday, January 4, 2007

By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
District Attorney Craig Watkins began filling vacancies in his new administration Wednesday, tapping defense attorneys and recently defeated Republican judges after a round of firings and voluntary departures announced last week.

Attorneys Heath Harris, Julius Whittier and Durrand Hill were appointed to supervisory positions, along with former judges Livia Liu, Keith Anderson and Brenda Green. Mr. Watkins, who took office Monday, also implemented a broad personnel shuffle that affected dozens of prosecutors.

Mr. Harris will head a new prosecution unit targeting gang-related crime.

Mr. Watkins' former campaign manager, Gloria James, was hired to be Mr. Watkins' administrator, and Trista Allen is the office's spokeswoman.

Last month, Mr. Watkins announced that he had hired Fort Worth lawyer Terri Moore to be his first assistant and attorney Kevin Brooks to be his felony trial bureau chief.

He fired 10 high-level prosecutors last week, and nine others left voluntarily.

Mr. Watkins, who is the first black district attorney in Texas, campaigned on a platform promising to improve diversity among prosecutors, and Wednesday's moves significantly increased racial diversity in the office's top positions.

Five of the 13 division-level and higher prosecutor positions, including Mr. Watkins' job, are now held by minorities. The office's chief and deputy chief investigators and its administrator are also minorities. All of those positions were previously held by whites.