Brooke Jenkins Won’t Apologize for Prosecuting Crime

Brooke Jenkins was a homicide prosecutor in San Francisco when she walked out the door and helped lead a campaign to fire her own boss. That boss was one of the most famous progressive prosecutors in America. He had promised fewer prosecutions and a new model of justice.

But as drug markets spread and theft videos went viral, voters in one of America’s most liberal cities decided the experiment had gone too far. After they recalled him in 2022, Jenkins was appointed to replace him.

Since then, San Francisco has become a test of a question Democrats face everywhere: Can the party get serious about crime and disorder without giving up on reform?

Sarah McCammon spoke with District Attorney Jenkins about how she found her calling prosecuting violent crime, how she balances holding dangerous offenders accountable and partnering with at-risk communities, and what San Francisco can teach national Democrats.

IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 — Cold open

1:14 — Jenkins breaks with her boss

2:31 — Rejecting the pendulum swing on crime

7:03 — Enforcing every law

22:48 — The loss that led Jenkins to prosecution

28:38 — Democrats and the public safety argument

31:19 — Deadly force and the limits of federal power