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Pennington County State's Attorney presents 2024 annual report emphasizing diversion, specialty courts and transparency
Summary
State's Attorney Laura Retzel and senior staff outlined 2024 activity: declines in some felony filings, focus on drug-related crimes, expansion of specialty courts and victim services, and recruitment of staff to full complement.
State's Attorney Laura Retzel presented the office's 2024 annual report during the March 4 Pennington County commission meeting, describing prosecution workload, priorities and outreach initiatives.
Retzel told commissioners the office prosecuted roughly 8,000 criminal cases in 2024, down from a prior-year peak, and emphasized that many serious crimes remain rooted in substance abuse. She highlighted a sustained focus on drug possession, retail theft, and domestic violence, while noting a decline in some measures including assaults on law enforcement compared with 2023. The office reported 32 felony jury trials in 2024 with mixed outcomes (12 guilty verdicts, 8 not guilty, 8 mistrials, 4 hung juries).
Specialty and diversion courts: Retzel and division leaders said Pennington County participates in four treatment/specialty courts — drug court, DUI court, veterans court and mental health court — and that participation reduces recidivism and can produce sentencing alternatives to mandatory minimums. The diversion director reported adult- and juvenile-diversion completion rates around 85–86% and low recidivism among successful completers.
Victim services and transparency: The office said it has expanded victim advocacy, added a public information officer and launched a Justice in Action podcast to explain prosecutorial work and increase transparency about outcomes, sentences and court activity.
Staffing and budgets: Retzel said the office is near full staff (65 positions total) pending bar admissions for new hires, and the annual budget is primarily salary-driven (roughly $7.8 million), with about $1.85 million allocated to involuntary mental-commitment expenses. Commissioners questioned caseload per attorney, jail capacity impacts and the cost savings produced by diversion programs; Retzel said lower filings represent taxpayer savings but also stressed courts and county jails remain under pressure.
Why it matters: The report underscores the county's prosecutorial priorities, how diversion and specialty courts shape outcomes, and the office's emphasis on public-facing communications and victim services.
No formal board action was required; commissioners thanked the State's Attorney's Office for the presentation and asked for caseload and budget detail during the next budget cycle.
