The 'progressive prosecutor' movement is facing a real test in Iowa FilterJuly 28, 2021 The County Attorney's Office in Polk County (Des Moines), Iowa has gotten little attention from criminal justice reform advocatesâat least until March 2021, when County Attorney John Sarcone prosecuted a Des Moines Register reporter for covering a 2020 racial justice protest in a professional capacity. Violent crime in the county has soared during Sarone's decades-long "tough-on-crime" tenure. Between 2011 and 2016, it increased by over 33 percent in the Des Moines metro areaâone of the highest increases during that period nationwide. But Sarcone decided to not run for re-election next year, opening his seat up for the first time in over 30 years. Two candidates are now vying to redefine the role in Iowa's most populous county. The differences between them will show whether the "progressive prosecutor" movement, which has mostly taken off in big coastal cities, can gain traction in a smaller city in the American heartland.