Michael Jackson says he is tired. His shoulders slump, he’s slightly rumpled and there’s a five-o’clock shadow showing on his face.

Becoming Dallas County’s district attorney looks like hard work, but Jackson expects a lot out of his first term.

“We expect people to be able to walk the streets at night,” Jackson said. “I think people will notice a change after a few months. Things are going to be different.”

In June, during the Democratic primary for District Attorney, Jackson edged incumbent Ed Greene in the election, 12,849 votes to Greene’s 12,399.

There was no Republican primary for the position, and Jackson has been preparing to take over the job ever since.

Jackson has been moving for weeks. He’s busy interviewing job candidates for assistant district attorneys, reviewing the budget and planning his inauguration reception that takes place today at 3 p.m.

All because he wants to fight crime as hard as he can.

Dallas County saw murder rates increase 300 percent in 2003, according to figures released by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center.

“In the last two years crime has completely gotten out of hand,” Jackson said. “People don’t feel safe. If they (citizens) heard my platform they know we’re going to have a different approach.”

Jackson said he has a big job ahead of him.

“I want to crack down on all these murders,” Jackson said. “I want the defendants to get He’ll get his chance soon. Jackson faces his first criminal docket on Jan. 25, nine days after he’s sworn in.

He said he isn’t nervous.

“I haven’t had time to be nervous,” he said.

He’s already expecting to try several murder cases during his first nine days, including trying to get an indictment for the murder of Robert Failes Jr.

Failes was killed during a shootout at Donnie Roy’s nightspot at the end of last year. Antonio Boggins was also killed in the incident and eight others were injured. Jackson said he’s ready for it.

“(I’m) trying to get that docket cleared,” he said. “There’s some real serious cases on there.”

Jackson said he’d try to get more suspected child molesters convicted too.

“We have an epidemic of kids being molested in the Black Belt,” Jackson said.

He hopes to bring a better approach to drug cases in the coming years as well.

“We’re going to emphasize treatment,” Jackson said.

He said that he’d try to get more addicts treated, and go after the dealers more.

“We’re going to try and start a family court for theses drug users,” he said.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of work to be done before the trials even begin.

Jackson has been busy structuring his office for the nine assistant district attorneys.

“I’ve been lucky in being able to find people with a lot of training,” he said. “That’s been a blessing.

Jackson is working on a plan to divide the cases in the five counties he serves

between the members of his staff.

Jackson said that despite the response from job seekers, he’s still limited by the District Attorney’s office budget.

“Money is tight,” he said.

Jackson said he plans to try and get more restitution from offenders to help bolster the budget.

“That’s one area that’s not being utilized right now,” he said.

He said he planning on holding more child support courts and pursuing worthless checks to bring in even more money.

Of course, like all Dallas County public offices, Jackson said he’s planning to apply for more grants in the future too. Jackson said his goal is to make sure every county in his district is represented as well as possible.

“I plan to give all five counties a lot of attention,” he said. “What effects the county next door also effects Dallas. The system is broke and we plan to try and fix it.”

Jackson will be sworn in today at 3 p.m. in the Dallas County Courthouse on the second floor.

A reception will follow and the public is invited.more than 20 years.”