2012 Voter Guide: Las Vegas Justice of the Peace, Department 5

Attorney Cynthia Dustin-Cruz is challenging incumbent William Jansen in the race for Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Department 5.

Jansen is running for his sixth term. He received a 73 percent retention rating from 103 lawyers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's 2011 Judicial Performance Evaluation. He was appointed to the bench in 1985 after retiring from a 24-year career as an FBI agent.

If re-elected, Jansen said he plans to continue what he has been doing for 27 years. He prides himself on being a no-nonsense judge who treats everyone who appears before him with respect and dignity.

"I don't care what the case is, I listen to the evidence and rule according to that," said Jansen, a graduate of Iowa's Drake University Law School. "That's why the lawyers like me. I move my calendar fast; I don't fool around. They know if I take a case under advisement, I render a decision in a short period of time. ... Most of my decisions have been upheld by District Court or the (Nevada) Supreme Court. I'm proud of that."

Jansen has lived in Las Vegas for 45 years.

This is Dustin-Cruz's first time running for office. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Boyd School of Law, Dustin-Cruz passed the bar in 2003 and did a one-year clerkship before starting her own practice. The bulk of her work has been in criminal defense and her caseload has run the gamut, from misdemeanor traffic tickets to murder cases.

Dustin-Cruz is running for office because she wants to give back to her community.

"I grew up here. My dad is a retired Metro officer. I spent my life watching my dad give back to our community," Dustin-Cruz said. "My husband is an Air Force veteran. I've been successful as an attorney, but I'm now in a position to follow my family in public service."

If elected, Dustin-Cruz would use her technical knowledge and experience in electronic research to implement new uses of technology in Department 5. She also supports the idea of more judges getting involved with community outreach programs.

"Our justice system is realistically starting to be intervention courts to help deter young people from getting on the wrong path," she said.

Jansen said he is a firm believer in crime prevention. Sentencing an offender to jail or community service won't prevent crime if there are underlying issues such as substance addiction, he said.

"If someone is addicted to alcohol or drugs, I send them to counseling to cure their addiction," he said.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.