The Republican ward of Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy on Oct. 8 hosted district attorney candidate Pat Dugan, who is running as a Republican after losing the Democratic primary.

Mark Umansky, Republican leader of the 9th Ward, introduced Dugan, saying, “Now we all know that Philadelphia faces some serious challenges. Crime, accountability, confidence in our justice system are top of mind for everyone, regardless of what party they belong to. … [Dugan] is running for district attorney because he believes, like many of us do, that Philadelphia deserves both justice and compassion.”

After receiving enough write-in votes to qualify, Dugan announced in August that he would run as a Republican, challenging incumbent Larry Krasner. Dugan is a military veteran and was born in Philadelphia. At the event, he talked about his experience growing up in the city and his time in the military.

One issue Dugan discussed was “diversion courts” programs he was involved in prior to Krasner taking office. He used the example of police arresting addicts on the street and using the diversion program to provide treatment.

“We need more beds to help people. I had so many people come in front of me to be helped that as soon as we were able to connect them with their doctor and they were on their mental health medications, they were a different person,” Dugan said.

The Local asked Dugan what he is hearing from Philadelphia police officers regarding this policy, and if the department has the wherewithal currently to make these kinds of arrests.

In response, Dugan said, “We absolutely do have enough wherewithal. We always need more resources. We could use more police officers. We could use more mental health specialists, more drug treatment specialists.”

Ari Patrinos, a Chestnut Hill resident and Republican candidate for City Controller, told the Local, “I thought that Larry Krasner has done a bad job for a number of years. I was very happy to see Mr. Dugan.”