Drew Wrigley has spent much of his last term in office pitching a new tough-on-crime approach that he believes will help ease a dire and dangerous trend among North Dakota criminals.
His goal has been to strive for more realistic prison sentences for certain criminals — drug traffickers, suspects who flee, assaults on law enforcement officers and the like.
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His approach has not, however, been met with universal approval by the Legislature. Lawmakers feel his proposals will cost too much and that they might not help reduce recidivism.
But it’s important that his lack of success with the Legislature should not diminish his zeal and work to, in his opinion, make North Dakotans safer.
Wrigley is up for reelection on Nov. 3, facing Democratic-NPL challenger Timothy Lamb.
Wrigley deserves the vote, due to his targeted efforts to reduce crime in North Dakota. His recent efforts at tightening penalties for certain criminals — dubbed “truth in sentencing” — are noble, and we suspect resonate with many, despite the Legislature’s concerns. In an interview early in the year with the Grand Forks Herald, he said he has had several wins during his first term, including addressing str...