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Attorney General Griffin tells House Judiciary Committee expanded investigators, legal review focus on retail crime, trafficking and cybersecurity
Summary
At a House Judiciary Committee meeting, Attorney General Griffin described newly funded investigator positions and legislative support his office will provide on organized retail crime, human trafficking, juvenile justice and cybersecurity.
Attorney General Griffin told members of the House Judiciary Committee that his office has added dedicated investigative resources and will continue providing legal review to lawmakers working on criminal-justice legislation.
Griffin said the office moved to hire full-time investigators after finding investigators had split duties and could not prioritize complex investigations. "When I got in the job, there were no full time investigators," he said, adding that the new staffing supports a cold case unit, a full-time human-trafficking investigator and public-integrity work. "We couldn't do it without you," Griffin told the committee, thanking members for funding the positions.
The attorney general said organized retail crime is a priority because, in his view, "our statutes don't really cover it." He also listed juvenile-justice work and cybersecurity among priorities, and noted that roughly 1,700 people attended the office's recent cybersecurity summit. Griffin introduced members of his legislative support team — deputy intergovernmental attorney Alex Benton, senior assistant Justin Brasher and former House staffer Barrett Dudley — and said those attorneys and subject-matter experts will review bills and advise members during the session.
Griffin described the office's dual role advising on constitutionality while sometimes taking policy positions. "I will let you know if I don't — if I have personal feelings about your bill and I may oppose it on the substance, but that is not gonna interfere with our legal analysis," he said, adding that the office will provide frank constitutional advice even if the attorney general disagrees with the policy.
Committee chair Carol Dolby thanked the attorney general for the office's assistance and urged members to use the AG's team as a resource while bills are drafted and amended. Griffin said the goal is to help produce legislation that will survive court review and reduce the risk of litigation-related defeats in federal court.
The remarks came during the committee's organizational meeting, when the attorney general was invited to introduce his staff and outline priorities to new and returning members. No committee votes or formal actions on legislation were taken during that portion of the meeting.
