E41: The Politics of Crime, w/Rep. Buzz Scherr

Albert "Buzz" Scherr has a remarkably deep and well-rounded career in the topic: A nationally recognized authority on forensic DNA evidence, he spent more than 12 years as a public defender, 20+ years as a trial and appellate lawyer, and has handled more than 40 homicide cases.He’s also a member of the UNH School of Law faculty, he’s taught everything from criminal procedure, to expert witnesses & scientific evidence, to genetics & the law. Buzz was also the Chairman of the Board for the ACLU-NH from 2011 to 2017, and a member of the National ACLU board from 2008 to 2015.He also has been a leader in attempts over the past decade to institute bail reform in New Hampshire, which has been through a high-profile, controversial journey between Governor Chris Sununu signing the effort Buzz lead in 2018, to Sununu signing a bipartisan set of reforms to that original law in 2024, to Governor Ayotte making a broad repeal of those efforts a priority in her first year in office.As Republicans nationally continue to be seen as stronger on issues of crime and public safety in polling, Democratic groups are debating how to simultaneously combat the perception that Dems’ are “soft on crime” while avoiding being seen as “complicit” with the Trump Administration’s aggressive tactics on immigration enforcement.Buzz and I examine both sides of that internal debate, how Democrats should talk about being "tough *and* fair, and the common public disconnect between perception and reality on how safe most New Hampshire communities are.You can learn more about Buzz at buzzfornh.com.#nhpolitics