In the wake of an attack on a Fresno County district attorney, Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said city prosecutors and investigators with concealed-carry permits will now be allowed to carry firearms while on the job so long as they’re not in a public building.

Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, however, said that announcement may have been too early and may possibly jeopardize a change to a city ordinance he was working on.

At a Monday news conference, Janz said it’s well known in the criminal community that prosecutors are unarmed.

A stabbing Thursday against a senior deputy district attorney shows the need for the change, Janz said. That unnamed district attorney was filming a campaign commercial for judicial candidate,  city attorney Ashley Paulson.

The victim was released from the hospital Friday and the suspect, Dustin Crawford, is being held on $1 million bail. The Tulare County District Attorney is prosecuting the case.

Separately in May, a knife-wielding man was found lurking in Janz’s backyard while his family slept. That man thought Janz was part of a conspiracy against him with Fresno police, Janz said.

“Lucky for me and my family, I was armed,” Janz said. That man was sentenced for misdemeanor trespassing. A five-year civil restraining order was granted against the perpetrator Monday.

Janz said he wants the threat of armed prosecutors to instill fear in any criminal who might want to attack city staff.

“Prosecutors are no longer going to be defenseless outside of the courthouse, on our walks to our cars, in and around our places of business,” Janz said. “We are going to be armed, and we are going to be able to defend ourselves.”

Janz Announcement ‘Jumped the Gun,’ Says Karbassi

In 2019, Fresno City Council enacted a ban on anyone — including employees — bringing weapons inside City Hall.

Karbassi has been working on putting forward changes to city ordinances surrounding security. A closed session item discussing security at city hall is scheduled for the Thursday council meeting, but Karbassi said anything he would propose would likely come at the September meeting.

Karbassi said important policy calls require careful consideration. He said Janz’ announcement Monday “may have jeopardized the policy path to protecting our prosecutors.”

“Jumping the gun and going public, making promises that we don’t know we can keep is a bad move,” Karbassi said. “It’s still in the exploratory stages and while we are moving fast, we don’t have all our ducks in a row and there will likely be public backlash. It was a stupid move.”

Janz, however, said the city attorneys affected by his rule change don’t work out of City Hall. Rules about city employees carrying weapons on the job pertain to public buildings.

“Without getting into security details, I can tell you that my prosecutors are not in a city-owned facility, and we are not beholden to that municipal code section,” Janz said.

Bredefeld Wants to Make it Easier for Prosecutors to Carry

At the same time, Fresno County board chair Garry Bredefeld said he will bring forward a change to county ordinance allowing prosecutors with CCWs to carry while on the job. This expands on a rule approved in June allowing county workers  with approval from the county administrative officer to conceal carry.

Fresno County Supervisors in June approved letting county counsel and the county administrative officer carry guns if they have a concealed carry permit. Other county staff can carry weapons if they get approval from the administrative officer. That includes prosecutors and public defenders, with Smittcamp’s approval for district attorneys.

Bredefeld’s ordinance would give prosecutors with CCWs approval without needing to first go to the administrative officer, he said. He said he’ll bring the item to the Sept. 8 meeting.

“We have assistant district attorneys who are prosecuting very serious crimes, and we see what can happen, unfortunately,” Bredefeld said .”We want to be able to make sure they have every means to protect themselves. I encourage people, all law-abiding people, to get CCWs and protect themselves.”

Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp supports exploring changes to allow appropriately authorized employees to carry weapons on county property, said Taylor Long, spokesperson with Smittcamp’s office.

“At the same time, this is not something that can or should be implemented overnight,” Long said. “We are working with county counsel, the CAO’s office, risk management and the sheriff’s office to carefully develop the appropriate policies, procedures, and safety measures. We want to ensure the details are thoroughly vetted and that any change is implemented responsibly.”

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni supports qualified county personnel to carry weapons.

While peace officers are allowed to carry weapons in courtrooms, that rule does not apply to prosecutors or public defenders. The federal courthouse allows attorneys to check weapons into lockers, but Fresno County Superior Court does not have that equipment.

The Judicial Council of California oversees rules at county courthouses.