Fresno County supervisors to weigh ordinance arming prosecutors on county property

Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld is drafting an ordinance, in coordination with Sheriff John Zanoni and District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, that would permit county prosecutors to carry concealed firearms on county property. The proposal is expected to reach the Fresno County Board of Supervisors within weeks.

The ordinance follows a Thursday stabbing outside Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno. A senior deputy district attorney was stabbed three times in the back while filming a campaign commercial. The prosecutor was hospitalized and released. Dustin Crawford, 42, was arrested blocks away and faces attempted murder charges. Authorities allege Crawford targeted the prosecutor in retaliation for a prior case that resulted in Crawford’s imprisonment. Bail was set at $1 million.

Smittcamp stated Friday that current county ordinance prohibits her from carrying a firearm on county property. “I am the chief law enforcement official in the county of Fresno … if I want to carry a weapon on county property I can’t under a current ordinance,” she said.

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Supervisors Nathan Magsig and Luis Chavez indicated support for the change. Chavez called the proposal “long overdue” and stated prosecutors have received death threats. Magsig noted the change would require coordination with state officials.

The Breakdown

• The proposed ordinance would allow Fresno County prosecutors to carry concealed firearms on county property, reversing a current restriction that applies even to the elected district attorney.
• The Board of Supervisors will consider the ordinance in the coming weeks — no specific meeting date was provided in the material.
• The proposal was developed by Supervisor Bredefeld, Sheriff Zanoni, and DA Smittcamp following the stabbing of a senior deputy district attorney in downtown Fresno.
• Implementation may require coordination with state officials, according to Supervisor Magsig.

What This Means for You

This ordinance, if approved by the Board of Supervisors, would alter county policy on who may be armed on county property.

What to Watch

The material states prosecutors have received death threats but provides no data on frequency, severity, or whether those threats are directed at prosecutors more than at other county employees who interact with defendants and the public. The ordinance’s stated rationale — that prosecutors need armed self-defense — rests on an assumption about threat level that the material does not substantiate with numbers.

A separate question is whether arming prosecutors on county property addresses the actual circumstances of the attack, which occurred outside Courthouse Park, not inside a county building. The material does not clarify whether “county property” in the proposed ordinance would extend to outdoor public spaces adjacent to county facilities, or only to buildings themselves.