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Bexar County DA reports backlog drop after overtime high‑risk intake team
Summary
District Attorney Joe Gonzales told the court his office reduced its backlog to about 5,249 felony bond and at‑large cases after 14 months of a high‑risk intake program that used overtime for prosecutors; he urged continued authorization for overtime to sustain progress amid staffing shortages.
District Attorney Joe Gonzales updated Bexar County Commissioners Court on April 8, reporting the DA’s office had reduced a previously larger backlog to about 5,249 bond and at‑large cases using an expanded “high‑risk intake” effort. Gonzales said the program used roughly 48 prosecutors working overtime over 14 months to re‑review and charge cases with a net cost of approximately $202,000 in overtime pay; about $92,500 of the initial funding remained at the time of the report.
Gonzales said the team expanded the definition of “high risk” to include cases with prior high‑risk behavior, which increased the number of cases that could be triaged. He described increases in indictments (from 10,978 in 2023 to 12,595 in 2024) and reported conviction rates for selected serious offense categories: felony DWI convictions at 88%, murder/capital‑murder group convictions at 81%, burglary at 71% and aggravated robbery at 70%.
Gonzales and commissioners discussed continuing staffing pressures. The DA said the office faced roughly 29 attorney vacancies and that many prosecutors leave for higher pay in smaller counties, federal jobs, or private practice. Gonzales requested continued authority to use overtime and recommended the court consider longer‑term staffing or pay strategies to reduce churn.
Commissioners asked for historical comparisons and monthly inflow/outflow metrics to better track progress; Gonzales agreed to provide more consistent, apples‑to‑apples data going back to the launch of the overtime program. The court did not take immediate additional funding action during the update, but members signaled support for continuing the overtime approach while longer‑term staffing solutions are developed.
