SUBSTITUTE
Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: District Attorney
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): all
Creation of two positions in the District Attorney’s Office as a critical budget request
Body
Information Contact: Sherry Boston or Roz Harris
Phone Number: 770-294-0369
PURPOSE:
To consider the creation of one position for the D.A.’s Digital Forensics Unit; and
To consider the creation of one position for the D.A’s Operations and Special Projects Unit; and
To approve the addition to the fleet of one law enforcement vehicle for a P.O.S.T. certified Digital Forensics Manager; and to
To authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute any necessary documents.
.
NEED/IMPACT:
The D.A.’s Digital Forensics Unit (DFU) was created in 2021, and almost immediately quickly outgrew its capacity, with the current staff of three. The unit was created due to the constantly and very rapidly evolving use of cellular phones, other computer devices, social media, apps, and the internet in the commission of felony crimes. DFU remains at the forefront in techniques and skills to collect and mine evidence, substantially impacting prosecutorial and investigative effectiveness, resulting in safer communities. DFU has been able to uncover ongoing criminal activity in a way that allows us to proactively make connections, identify previously unknown drivers of violent crime in the community and intervene before the activity escalates to murders
and shootings. In this regard, digital evidence empowers us to prevent ripples of violent crime from becoming waves. The current request is for one P.O.S.T. Certified DFU Manager/Deputy Chief Investigator (39060/Grade S22) and the addition to the fleet of one law enforcement vehicle at a cost of $45,487.00.
The D.A.’s Operations and Special Projects Unit (Ops) serves a mission-critical role ensuring that the D.A.’s 300+ staff members have the varied tools, software and equipment they need to effectively conduct their jobs.
Ops manages and secures physical and digital evidence and maintains our databases; provides in-house technical support, maintenance, upgrades, and technical training for all staff and manages all their equipment that runs the spectrum from office furniture to laptops to service firearms. From weather events to cyber events to a global pandemic, when a crisis strikes, Ops is the first on the ground, troubleshooting the problem and minimizing its impact on office operations and assets. Ops must be available for the six days each week that the D.A.’s Office runs court calendars. The pandemic and the implementation of the Judicial Emergency Orders in March 2020 accelerated the District Attorney’s Office’s transition to a modernized, technology-dependent, and, since then, the technological shift induced a massive increase in digital evidence which brings continued challenges with storage and sharing. Operations has launched several new software platforms to improve the management of daily operations and the substantial volume of digital case work handled by this office, spearheaded by one Deputy Director. Additionally, technical support for the entire office, including immediate availability for trial technological support in the courtroom, has been handled by a single in-house Information Specialist who is assigned to Ops. As technology continues to play an increasingly critical role in our operations, the need for additional support is imperative. To attempt to address the overwhelming workload
currently handled by a staff that is sorely too minimal compared to the workload, the D.A.’s Office is requesting $7,423.00 for the addition of one Departmental IT Specialist (99555/Grade 15).
The current item is a substitution for Item 2025-1234, requesting nine total positions. After much discussion with administration, and in the interest of fiscal responsibility with keeping the current climate and the government shut-down impact in mind, the District Attorney has amended her initial request.
.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The salary and benefits costs will cover the positions from October 13, 2025 through December 31, 2025. Annual personal services costs will then be included in the District Attorney’s 2026 budget request. Requested costs are as follows:
|
|
Requested Amount |
|
Operations and Special Projects (1 position) |
7,423.00 |
|
DFU (6 positions and related costs) |
45,487.00 |
|
Total : |
52,910.00 |
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Create one position for the D.A.’s Digital Forensics Unit (Deputy Chief Investigator (39060/Grade S22); Create one position for the D.A.’s Operations and Special Projects Unit (Departmental IT Specialist (99555/Grade 15; Approve the addition to the fleet of one law enforcement vehicle for a P.O.S.T. certified Digital Forensics Manager: and Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute any necessary documents.