Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: District Attorney
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): all
Creation of two Victim Advocates in the District Attorney’s Major Case Unit
Body
Information Contact: Sherry Boston or Roz Harris
Phone Number: 770-294-0369
PURPOSE:
To consider the creation of two Victim Witness Program Coordinator positions in the District Attorney’s Major Case Unit: and to
To authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute any necessary documents.
NEED/IMPACT:
The District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program provides trauma-informed services to victims of crime as legally mandated by the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, O.G.C.A. 17-17-1, including but not limited to notification of court dates, accompaniment to court, emergency safety planning, counseling, and referrals to community agencies. The Major Case Unit, staffed with 6 prosecutors, 7 investigators, and 1 investigator, prosecutes the most serious and complicated felony cases in DeKalb, including complicated gang crime and multi-offender homicides. Currently, there are no Victim Advocates assigned to the Major Case Unit. The requested positions will be exclusively assigned to the Major Case Unit so that victims, witnesses and next-of-kin/family members in our most violent crimes will have critical and consistent support from their first contact with the District Attorney’s Office through completion of their case.
Additionally, victim-advocacy work has shifted in a Covid-19 world, creating new challenges from providing technical assistance in virtual platforms to providing support for compounding traumas, challenges which the D.A.’s advocates has structured systems to completely work around.
The positions are requested to be added to the District Attorney’s Operating budget, with an onset date of March 1, 2021.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The annualized cost for the addition in 2021 is $68,325.00 for each position. The total cost for the addition is $136,650.00. This amount includes salary and associated benefits, effective March 1, 2021
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
Create two Victim Witness Program Coordinator (Job Code: 39050) positions in the District Attorney’s Major Case Unit; and Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute any necessary documents.