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Legislature debates converting DA investigator role to full time; vote to postpone
Summary
Committee members debated a request from the district attorney to convert a part-time investigator position to full time and to fund the post through the end of the year. Legislators requested sustained workload data and caseload metrics; the committee voted to postpone the decision for one month.
Committee members on Sept. 10 debated a request from the district attorney's office to convert a part-time investigator position to full time and to allocate funding through the end of the year.
The district attorney's office explained the position, approved in June 2024 but left vacant after the initially selected hire declined the role for personal reasons, has been filled on a part-time basis but that employee has worked substantial overtime on complex investigations. The district attorney's representative said investigators have performed "extraordinary amounts of time" on cases involving offenses against minors and other high-complexity investigations and argued continuity requires full-time coverage.
Several legislators said they would support the position if the DA's office could provide sustained quantitative evidence of workload and caseload that justifies a full-time post. "I would just like to see the actual data that shows just what you're saying," one legislator said, requesting overtime totals over a sustained period and caseload figures showing work that is not being completed. Other legislators said anecdotal evidence that an investigator was asked to stop work mid-investigation and sent home was significant but still requested objective numbers.
County staff said the current part-time investigator is expected to work about 21 hours per week but has exceeded that amount in several pay periods; some overtime requests have been declined because of limits on hours. The DA's office offered to provide fiscal documentation and overtime logs to support the request.
After extended discussion about caseload, overtime and continuity of investigations, a motion to postpone action for one month passed; the county recorded a committee vote of 3 in favor and 5 opposed on a subsequent procedural matter before moving forward to set a schedule for further review. Committee members asked the DA's office to supply both overtime records and caseload metrics showing what work is not getting done under the current staffing model before the committee takes a final vote.
