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Madison County district attorney outlines office staffing, digital discovery and ethics at Jan. 7 meeting
Summary
Madison County District Attorney Bob told the Board of Supervisors his office has gone paperless, relies on digital evidence sharing to meet new discovery rules, and emphasizes ethics and accountability. He described staffing, technology and interagency cooperation.
Madison County District Attorney Bob spoke to the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 7, 2025, outlining how his office handles prosecutions, discovery compliance and ethics, and describing current staffing and technology practices.
Bob told the board the office’s goals are to provide quality service to residents, create a positive work environment, control costs to taxpayers, work well together and obtain measurable results — principles he said guide daily operations.
Bob said the office has eight attorneys (six full time and two part time), two part-time investigators, three full-time management assistants, about 2.5 CSEA staff (one employee recently moved to half-time), and two part-time administrative staff, for roughly 18 total members. He said the office became fully paperless more than a decade ago and can access files dated back to Jan. 1, 2013, on mobile devices.
The district attorney described the office’s digital evidence workflow for meeting discovery obligations: law enforcement partners upload video, photos and statements; staff categorize evidence and provide secure links and passwords to defense counsel. “Without that digital ability, it would be an impossible job,” he said.
On discovery-related case dismissals elsewhere, Bob said Madison County has not lost any cases to discovery since the reforms took effect, contrasting that record with reports from other counties. He noted statewide and national association standards that guide prosecutorial conduct and said the office pursues “Do justice” as a guiding principle. “We never ever hide the ball,” he said, describing an emphasis on transparency, fairness and readiness to try cases.
Bob also discussed ethics and oversight, referencing guidance from the District Attorneys Association and the National District Attorneys Association and saying the office seeks to avoid conflicts by arranging special prosecutors with other counties when needed. He noted recruitment and retention as strengths, saying nearby counties face higher vacancy rates.
The presentation included examples of internal practices used to preserve security and compliance and a brief description of the office’s cooperation with county administration, human resources and finance.
The board did not take action following the presentation; the remarks were delivered as an informational briefing during the regular meeting.
