Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
DA’s office asks county for more clerical hours, computers and time to plan electronic discovery
Summary
Prosecutor’s office presenters told commissioners they need more clerical capacity to manage subpoenas and victim notifications, approved purchase of 11 replacement computers, and outlined a plan and cost estimates for a secure e-discovery portal and e-prosecutor transition.
Prosecutor’s office leaders told Penobscot County commissioners on Sept. 24 that growing caseloads and new electronic evidence requirements have strained clerical and victim‑witness capacity, and they sought both staffing changes and phased technology investments.
Christine (last name not specified), who presented payroll and operations details for the department, said a key operational bottleneck is the amount of time staff spend producing subpoenas and maintaining contact with victims and witnesses. "We have jobs that are really probably clerical jobs, but they most directly impact the VWAs," she said, using the meeting's acronym for victim‑witness advocates.
The office asked the commission to consider three personnel changes: a one‑time out‑of‑scope salary adjustment for an office manager position (listed in the draft as $85,000), increasing a long‑standing part‑time victim‑witness advocate (VWA) from two to three days a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
