As the elected successor to Stuart Dunnings III and the first woman elected Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney, Carol Siemon hopes to restore trust to a position tainted by the former attorney’s scandals.

Siemon said her experiences as a prosecutor in the 1980’s and 90’s are among many that have prepared her for the office, giving her an understanding of the kind of cases that will come across her desk. During her career, Siemon said she’s spoken with thousands of victims and witnesses to understand their concerns about the system as well as hundreds of defense attorneys about whether defendants’ rights are being preserved.

“Looking at all of those things together I think brings a fuller picture than I would have had when I first entered prosecution in my 20’s,” Siemon said “The other jobs I’ve had working at the state and working in other institutions has also given me the opportunity to really look at all systems from a broader angle.”

Siemon said one of her top priorities is combating sexual assault and helping victims, having worked area sexual assault cases for more than 30 years. Siemon said the best solution is to shift accountability and responsibility away from victims and begin education on sexual assault and consent from an early age.

“I see it as more driven by perpetrator than I do by victim,” Siemon said. “It’s very traditional to look at the victim — what did the victim do wrong that led to her or him being sexually assaulted — and my focus more is on what (we are) going to need to do over time to really change the dynamic so that we don’t have people thinking that sexually assaulting other people is OK. On some level that is still a message we are seeing, that I’m really shocked we are still seeing in the 21st century.”

Another issue Siemon hopes to tackle is hate crimes, which she said she fears are going to escalate. Siemon said she’s been involved with efforts to protect vulnerable populations in the past, and takes seriously the negative treatment of anyone determined to be “other.”

“Ingham County needs to be a welcoming place where people feel safe,” Siemon said. “It’s a kind community, and (it’s important) that when things don’t go right — when people do violate other human beings — that we take it seriously.”

Though she aims to face these and other public safety issues head-on, Siemon does not want to say she’s “tough” or “soft” on any type of crime, as she believes the terms are too black and white. As she will be determining when to bring charges and what they’ll be, Siemon said her focus is on proportionate responses to all criminal activity, looking at each cases’ surrounding circumstances to judge the correct measure.

“In other words, that sometimes means being incredibly tough, but it often means understanding the underlying dynamics and giving people a second chance when they need a second chance or when they deserve a second chance,” Siemon said.

Dunnings was charged with 15 counts of prostitution-related crimes in March and resigned from the position in July. Current Ingham County Prosecutor Gretchen Whitmer, who was appointed to the position in interim after Dunnings’ departure, said she’s known Siemon for some time and she will make a worthwhile successor.

“I’m excited to see Carol coming into the office,” Whitmer said. “She’s spent some time here already and I know she is eager to make a transition quickly. I think she’s going to do a great job, I’m very excited. ... Her reputation is impeccable, and I know she’s a woman of integrity, and I think that she’s exactly the type of leader that this office needs at this time. I (have) every confidence in her ability as a prosecutor, and faith in her as a leader.”

Siemon said she hopes to bring respect back to the position through consistency and trustworthiness.

“In terms of building trust, I think a lot of it is just I have to show day in day out that I can be trusted, that I’m going to have a consistent response, that I am who I say I am,” Siemon said. “That our office is going to ... fairly address issues, that our focus is on justice, and that means justice for everybody, not just for one segment of the community.”