Video: Colom Speaks About His Future Plans

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — For the first in more than two decades, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay, and Noxubee counties will have a new District Attorney.

Scott Colom will replace longtime, District 16 D.A. Forrest Allgood next year.

In 2012, Colom was appointed as Aberdeen’s Municipal Court Judge and in 2013, he was appointed Columbus’ city prosecutor.

Colom is looking forward to starting his new job and cracking down on violent crime. He hopes to prosecute those case as quick and thorough as possible.

…”every day I read or hear about a violent crime or armed robbery or something like that I get disgusted”, said Colom.

While Colom says he’ll be tough on violent criminals, he plans to use a smart and fair approach when dealing with first time offenders, mainly drug users.

One of his goals is to use District 16’s drug court more often. The court has 2 registered nurses that Colom says can help treat and support drug addicts.

“We need to try and get them away from the addiction, get them away from the environment that caused them to get addicted to drugs and to become a productive citizen…”, Colom said.

He also plans to create a pretrial diversion program only offered to first time, non-violent offenders so that “they can go out and get a job easier, they can go back to school if they need to….”

“For the first time offense, I’m going to try and help them…”, said Colom, “…if they continue to make the same mistakes over again, it wasn’t me that didn’t help them, it was them who didn’t help themselves…”

As the first new District Attorney since the late 1980s, Colom is looking to use technology to modernize the office.

He said on his first day in office, he hopes to set up a website where people can go to find information about the office, information on upcoming cases as well as times and dates.

Colom is also plans to use options like emailing and Facebook messaging for people to contact him, “so people know what their District Attorney is doing to serve them.”

One plan Colom hopes to work with law enforcement agencies on is to use technology and statistics to be proactive in areas that are frequent crime locations.

He also released the names of many new faces that will join him in the District Attorney’s office Tuesday.

Scott Rogillio, Lindsay Kirkley-Clemons, P. Trina Davidson-Brooks, Armstrong Walters, and Maurice Johnson will join Colom and most of them have prior experience as assistant district attorneys.

Colom will also bring back members from Allgood’s staff.

“The politics are over, the politics are done, it’s all about doing a good job now…”, Colom said, “…I think the best definition of teamwork I’ve ever heard is a good team does everything they can to make the other members of the group look good.”