Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced Tuesday he would seek a third term in office.

The county’s top prosecutor, a Lawrence Democrat, filed for re-election Friday with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.

“We’ve done a lot of new programs, a lot of innovation over the years,” Branson said in a Tuesday morning interview. “But one of the things we really continue to do is try to educate the public about this office, about crime, about crime prevention and about the things that we can do to make the community safer, to make the community a better place to live.”

Branson, 42, defeated incumbent District Attorney Christine Kenney, a Republican, in 2004, and he ran unopposed for his second term in 2008.

He supervises 13 prosecutors and 14 support staff members. The office’s budget is $1.5 million, and it handles prosecution of all felony offenses in Douglas County and misdemeanors that do not fall under a city’s jurisdiction.

Branson, who has a business administration degree and law degree from Kansas University, on Tuesday touted establishing a consumer protection division in his office and a crime victims compensation board in Douglas County during his current term.

The deadline for candidates to file is noon Friday.

If needed, a primary election for county offices is Aug. 7. The general election is Nov. 6.