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District attorney proposes site-and-release program and asks for 5% pay increase for staff
Summary
District Attorney Mark outlined a plan to expand "sign-and-release" citations and mass arraignments to avoid booking low-level offenders and asked commissioners for a 5% across-the-board pay increase for DA staff (estimated $364,000) to reduce vacancies and support program administration.
District Attorney Mark presented the commissioners with a two-part proposal: a 5 percent across-the-board pay increase for his office staff and a site-and-release (sign-and-release) program to reduce jail admissions for certain low-level offenses.
Mark asked the commissioners to consider a 5 percent salary increase for DA staff, saying the request would cost roughly $364,000 annually. He told the court that competitive pay pressure and vacancies threatened the office's ability to move cases, and said that experienced attorneys and administrative staff would reduce long-term county costs. "I'm going to ask for a 5% across the board, increase for my staff," he said.
On the program side, the DA described a site-and-release model that would allow officers to issue citations for seven categories of low-level offenses and schedule defendants for mass arraignment and case resolution sessions rather than booking them into jail. The office proposed adding clerks and intake staff to assign TRN numbers, take fingerprints, and operate mass arraignment sessions in a central jury room. Prosecutors estimated the program could reduce jail bed-days, lower court-appointed attorney costs, and generate fees through pretrial diversion options. Prosecutors presented a rough revenue estimate and said the program could become at least partially self-sustaining.
Commissioners and presenters discussed program scope (which offenses are eligible), CJIS compliance, magistration requirements and the need for coordinated participation by local police agencies. Commissioners praised the proposal as innovative and emphasized communicating to the public that the program would not relieve accountability for crimes but would speed processing for low-level cases and free officers for higher-priority work.
No funding vote was taken; the court asked the DA to include the proposal in budget materials and to return with outcome data as the office implements pilot elements.
