District attorney seeks staffing and budget approvals after new judge, rising caseloads

George Brockler, the district attorney for the 20th/Third Judicial District (Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties), told Elbert County commissioners that a new criminal courtroom authorized by the state and a rising caseload require additional prosecutors and support staff and that Douglas County has already approved most of the requested positions.

Brockler said the legislature authorized a new felony-level district court judge for the 20th/Third Judicial District this year, which creates an additional courtroom that must be staffed. He described the change as “a historic one-off,” and told commissioners the district needs two prosecutors per courtroom, a victim-witness advocate, a legal assistant and additional senior supervision to manage the larger team.

Why it matters: The requested staffing would expand the district attorney’s capacity to handle a reported increase in filings — Brockler said adult felony filings have risen about 22% and violent adult crime filings about 40% since he left the office — and to staff specialty units such as Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), human trafficking, and organized-crime prosecution. Brockler said Elbert County’s share of the district contribution is roughly 6% by population, with Douglas County bearing about 93% and Lincoln County about 1%.

Brockler said Douglas County has already approved funding for a set of positions, which he summarized as seven prosecutors, an investigator, a process server, a victim advocate, a paralegal for Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (CCJRA)/CORA requests, and a legal assistant. He told commissioners the total 2025 cost of the request, as shown in his slides, is approximately $666,000, and that current vacancy savings and anticipated reimbursements from winding down the former 18th Judicial District’s finances should minimize or eliminate a supplemental county ask for 2025. “We are not asking for money right now,” Brockler said.

Brockler outlined how the new district courtroom requires staff beyond moving existing deputies from other dockets: “That courtroom occasions us needing new personnel, and those personnel are two prosecutors per courtroom,” he said, adding that large dockets also require a victim-witness position and support staff. He said the district will seek an additional senior prosecutor to split supervisory responsibilities and avoid overloading current supervisors.

On specialty work, Brockler described plans to expand ICAC and human-trafficking capacity and to pursue a second grand jury to target organized crime, economic crimes and elder-abuse cases. He said the office is discussing embedding one prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to build relationships and create federal prosecution options when state tools are limited.

Funding and timeline: Brockler said vacancy savings to date total about $666,000 and that auditors are completing work to return residual funds to counties from the prior 18th Judicial District transition; he estimated final audited numbers by August 1. He also noted a self-insurance medical plan had generated roughly $700,000 in savings that could help cover costs. Commissioners asked about the 2026 budget implications; Brockler said some costs will carry into 2026 and that the office will return to commissioners with fuller budget requests later in the summer and fall.

Other items Brockler raised included operational requests such as a dedicated investigator for Elbert and Lincoln counties (rather than rotational coverage), a permanent staff position for the First Appearance Center to avoid reliance on semester-law interns, and a CCJRA/CORA paralegal to manage high volumes of public records requests. He also noted the district currently lacks a voting role in the Unified Crime Lab and may need to provide resources to regain participation.

Commissioner response and next steps: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the county shares, timing for adding positions, and whether the $121,000 figure shown for Elbert County in one slide was the net increase; Brockler explained differences result from partial-year hires and phased hiring. He also told commissioners a county court judgeship in Elbert County will be vacant soon and that two names have been forwarded to the governor for appointment; commissioners were encouraged to make the governor aware of their preferences within the short appointment window.

Brockler and staff agreed to provide the commissioners the PowerPoint slides and supporting budget documents and to return to the commission with the 2026 budget request and more detailed figures. He asked commissioners to send specific follow-up questions in writing so the office could bring informed answers to the next meeting.