My name is Jim Cavanaugh and I am seeking re-election as Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4. I am seeking re-election as the Republican candidate in the March 2014 Primary Election and ask for your vote. When I took office in January 2007, I promised to be a full-time Justice; available 24/7 to the citizens of Brown County. I promised to be fair, honest and expeditious in my decisions and to account for all the monies passing though my court. I have kept those promises and will continue to keep them if re-elected.
My wife, Kitty, and I have been married for over forty-five years. We have two married daughters and three grandsons.
I have been both a certified teacher and a Commissioned Peace Officer in the State of Texas prior to becoming a Special Agent of the FBI. I graduated from a Texas high school (LaPorte, TX); received my undergraduate degree from a Texas college (Lamar University); received post-graduate education from Sam Houston State, South Texas College of Law and the University of Virginia. I have also received additional national certifications by the FBI as a Hostage Negotiator; Police-Community Relations Agent; General Police Instructor; Advanced Hostage Negotiations; Abnormal Behavior Instructor; Economic Espionage; Major Case Investigations; Undercover Operations; and Bomb Scene Examination. Since becoming Justice of the Peace, I have exceeded the mandated training hours each year and am a member of the College of Justice Court Judges.During my career with the FBI I received numerous awards and honors, including “Investigator of the Year” from the U.S. Department of Justice, for both 1988 and 1995. I testified before Congress on corruption within the Department of Defense procurement system; and have appeared in television segments on “NBC Dateline” and “Unsolved Mysteries.” I appeared in a two-hour movie for the Discovery Channel entitled “Deadly Manhunt” chronicling my hunt for a serial killer who traveled throughout the United States, his capture and, ultimately, his death. Two of these were filmed, in part, here in Brown County.
A Justice of the Peace must be knowledgeable of both criminal and civil law. A JP is responsible for hearing all criminal Class “C” Misdemeanor cases, including:
- All traffic tickets, Parks & Wildlife violations and failure to attend school as required by law.
- The JP provides judicial oversight of law enforcement officers with a review of warrant applications and complaints, to be certain that there is probable cause before issuing any warrant.
- A JP is usually the first contact anyone accused of a crime will have within the judicial system. We inform the accused of their rights and are responsible for setting reasonable bail.
- A JP is responsible for all unattended death inquests in the county and is charged with determining the cause and manner of death.
- The JP is responsible for signing mental commitment orders to seek evaluation of someone who is deemed a danger to themselves or others.
- The JP is responsible for all eviction matters, both residential and commercial.
In the civil arena, the Justice Court provides an expeditious venue for complaints and lawsuits involving disputes between parties up to $10,000. Parties can argue their cases without need of hiring an attorney.
Since becoming Justice of the Peace for Precinct 4, my court has received revenues of over $1.3 million that must be accurately accounted for and turned over to the County Treasurer, or appropriate State agency. My court has seen almost 10,000 cases filed. I have magistrated and set bail for over 2,700 people; and issued over 2,300 warrants. I have conducted over 100 inquests into deaths that occurred within the county.
Since taking office, I instituted a process whereby fines can now be paid by credit card and on-line. Previously, anyone that received a traffic ticket had to pay by cash, money order or cashier’s check. Now, anyone that gets a citation doesn’t have to come up with the total cash amount of the fine at one time. They can charge it to their credit card and pay it off as they wish — at no cost to the taxpayers.
I have revamped and updated the computer system in the JP office — at no cost to the taxpayers.
I have also instituted a collections plan and reduced the amount of monies owed to Precinct 4 — at no cost to the taxpayer.
Despite my wishes, I cannot meet with each voter individually. I believe I am the most qualified candidate. I urge everyone to vote and hope that you will consider me, Jim Cavanaugh, when you cast your vote for Justice of the Peace in Precinct 4.
