Arthur D. Curtis
His father worked for the Boy Scouts of America for 37 years. His mother is a retired Methodist minister. He is named after his grandfather, Arthur Schuck, who was chief scout executive of the Boy Scouts of America in the late 1950s and early '60s. A newspaper profile of him in 1983 said, "He gets eight hours of sleep a night, works out regularly and has a 'no smoking' sign in his office . . . (He) seems to epitomize the all-American boy . . . the boy next door."
The subject was Arthur D. Curtis, prosecuting attorney of Clark County (Vancouver), Washington state.
The ultimate good guy in the white hat.
Criminals have learned, however, that behind this "nice guy" image and quiet courtroom manner is a tough, determined prosecutor who heads what is regarded as one of the best prosecution teams in the state.
A member of the NDAA board, Curtis is in his fifth term and 20th year as prosecuting attorney. He supervises a staff of close to 100, including 39 deputy prosecutors, in a jurisdiction with a bulging population of 350,000. In fact, Clark County is the fastest growing county in the state and one of the three fastest growing counties in the nation.
Curtis is the first attorney in his family and enjoys being a courtroom lawyer. Despite his supervisory and administrative duties, he has managed to get into the trenches from time to time and personally prosecute cases. These include the successful prosecution of three high-profile death penalty cases, one of which was the case of a child-killer and rapist that attracted international attention and was the subject of a book, Driven to Kill.
After one high-profile murder case, defense attorney Darrell Lee, known for his flamboyant style, booming voice and aggressive manner, described the courtroom difference between himself and the quieter, more cautious, but well-organized Curtis. "Art Curtis is the kind of guy who would walk into a Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors and order vanilla ice cream on a plain cone," he said. "That's refreshing in a profession that attracts so many prima donnas."
Curtis's first job as a lawyer after graduation from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College was as a public defender. He enjoyed the work until he was faced with the inevitable moral dilemma. While some of the defendants for whom he won acquittals were innocent, several were not. He still remembers two rape cases in particular. Both defendants were acquitted. Curtis believes one of the men, who later raped again, was guilty in the first instance. "That was the last straw," he says and he decided to, "move to the other side."
"Don't get me wrong," he explained, "defense attorneys are an important part of the criminal justice system, and there are many fine defense attorneys in our legal community. However, due to my personal experiences, I decided it was something I no longer wanted to do in my professional life."
In 1977 Curtis joined the Clark County prosecuting attorney's office as a felony trial attorney. He was promoted to chief criminal deputy prosecutor in 1979, and in 1981, when Prosecuting Attorney James A. Carty resigned, he was appointed prosecuting attorney by the county board of commissioners. Curtis has been re-elected without opposition every four years until 1998, when he faced his first opponent and won by an overwhelmingly majority. Although he is a Democrat, Curtis says, "I've always maintained that the prosecuting attorney's office should be run in a professional manner, with little or no regard for politics."
A firm believer in working with other law enforcement agencies and community organizations, Curtis is pursuing innovative and collaborative anti-crime programs on a number of fronts. One such program is the nationally recognized Child Abuse Intervention Center, a joint effort between Curtis's office, the county sheriff's office and the Vancouver Police Department. Each contributes staff to the center, which investigates and prosecutes the bulk of the child abuse cases that occur in the county and refers victims to the appropriate counseling agency. No offenders are allowed in the center, which provides a safe haven for victims who are interviewed in an attractively decorated and friendly atmosphere. A Domestic Violence Unit was also opened in February of this year.
Posted on his wall is a quote by the Greek statesman and poet Solon (635-558 B.C.). "Justice will be achieved only when those who are not injured by crime feel as indignant as those who are." It reflects his strong support for victims of crime. In his office four full-time victim advocates convert this commitment into reality, assisting crime victims and their families in navigating through the criminal justice system.
Using a $500,000 federal drug court grant, Curtis is instituting a three-year program under which 100 felony drug defendants a year will be placed into a treatment program in lieu of incarceration. "Unlike many jurisdictions," he said, "ours is a 'post-guilty plea' court, which assures accountability to the public while at the same time recognizing that many drug offenders desire and need treatment to get their lives back on track."
One of his office's most successful programs is a felony diversion project, which diverts approximately 200 first-time non-violent felony offenders a year from the normal court system to at least one year of probation with diversion counselors employed by his office. The offenders must admit (in writing) committing the crime charged and acknowledge that they will comply with all terms of the "probation," including whatever treatment is prescribed. If they do not comply, they are referred back for prosecution and their admission of the crime can be used against them in court.
Each offender must pay a $750 fee, which goes into the county general fund. "We generate more than $130,000 a year from this program, which also conserves on the use of jail beds, court time and attorney time," he said. "Because of the resulting low recidivism rate, it has proved to be a very successful and cost-effective program."
Like most of his counterparts across the nation, Curtis believes that the major challenge facing local prosecutors is the lack of adequate resources to do what the public expects them to do.
And like most busy but well-organized executives, Art Curtis manages to carve out plenty of time for his family: his wife, Sheila, who is also an attorney, and two teenage daughters, including having served as basketball coach and assistant soccer coach for his daughters' teams. He also tends his five-acre suburban property, gardening and mowing, and still finds time to play some golf and work out at an athletic club.
However he admits he and his family never could find the time during the last year to use their boat and motor home, adding, "Most likely they'll be sitting in the back yard until my retirement."
Some years ago, Curtis was asked by the then governor of Washington state if he would like to be appointed a county superior court judge when a vacancy existed. Curtis said he, "respectfully declined, telling the governor I felt I could make a greater overall positive impact to help society in my present position."
Curtis believes that as a prosecutor, he can give more back to his community than in an other legal profession. "I come from a long line of helpers, ministers like my mother and Boy Scout leaders like my father and grandfather. I was brought up to be the kind of person who's into doing things to help other people and I feel that I can do so more as a prosecutor," he said. For Curtis, personal satisfaction in his job comes not from putting guilty people in jail, but from helping innocent victims of crime.
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