Saving Taxpayer Money

Improving Policies and Screening

Over a multiyear period, D.A. Montgomery has overseen a 20% decrease in the average age of cases pending trial. Each day a case remains unresolved, the result is often that a defendant sits in our local jail, costing taxpayers money. Due to a series of D.A. Montgomery’s policy changes in the trials division and enhanced screening, costs to local government have decreased by almost $1,000,000.

These financial savings are directly attributed to changes in screening practices, trial priorities, and an expanded screening team.

Under the prior administration, the D.A.’s office would manufacture trial statistics by calling in hundreds of citizens to sit as jurors for a case, then pleading out the case once the jury was seated. In 2013 and 2014, between 30-40% of the “trials” ended with a guilty plea once the jury was selected. Today that number is between 5-10%.

The policy changes made over the last five years not only reduced the processing time from arrest to resolution, but also established a fair and uniform treatment of defendants. The focus is now on prioritizing and effectively prosecuting dangerous and violent offenders.

Overhauling Technology

One of the first changes D.A. Montgomery addressed was the lack of clear, uniform guidelines for staff. The outdated file management system was overhauled and upgraded from paper to electronic. Departmental laptops, capable of remotely accessing all criminal files, were issued to prosecutors and other personnel, bringing the office into the 21st century. Further improvements include:

• • Secure office-wide email system
  • First employee handbook
  • Uniform vacation and family leave policies
  • Technology to enable remote work
  • Electronic time and attendance system for payroll purposes

Due to D.A. Montgomery’s early decisive action to update office-wide technology, prosecutors and other staff were already equipped to work remotely and keep the system of justice moving during the recent pandemic. None of this would have been possible under the prior administration’s out-of-date system.

D.A. Montgomery supervises 130 employees across four offices and manages a much larger workforce than those of his challengers in the District Attorney race. Simply put, D.A. Montgomery knows how to get the job done because he is the only person running with the experience and knowledge to create sustainable and wide-reaching change. D.A. Montgomery is committed to working for the people, no matter how challenging it may be politically.