Pletcher is a champion of ‘what could be’

Over the past week, the IJ published two letters criticizing Anna Pletcher’s “shocking” plan to provide victims of sexual assault with rape kit examinations in Marin County. Currently, the county sends freshly traumatized victims to Vallejo for these exams, often in a police car.

These letters summed up the position of the D.A.’s office: the current approach is good, because a grand jury report said so. The fundamental flaw of the grand jury report, the recent letters, and the D.A.’s office is that they only compared the current policy to what has been, not to what could be.

Ten years ago, rape kit exams were performed in Marin by midwives, alongside their normal duties such as delivering babies. The report found that the current practice of transporting victims to Vallejo and utilizing specialized nurses to perform these exams resulted in a higher level of care.

What the report and the D.A.’s office failed to consider is the plan Ms. Pletcher has developed: hiring the same specialized nurses who provide on-call services to Vallejo and Napa County to provide care in Marin.

In the upcoming election for Marin County district attorney, I will be voting for the candidate who champions what could be: Anna Pletcher. Lori Frugoli has worked in the D.A.’s office for over 25 years and represents what has been. It’s time to move on!

— Mikelynn Leverte, Tiburon