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Prosecution, public defense reports: court calendars, cloud files and workload pressures
Summary
City attorney Tracy Cadell reviewed prosecution operations including dual court calendars and a new cloud-enabled case management approach; indigent defense counsel Doug Stoll said his office handles about 700 cases per quarter with roughly 5% going to trial and described strains from district court scheduling changes.
City attorney Tracy Cadell delivered the quarterly prosecution report to the Taylorsville City Council on Sept. 17, describing changes in court operations and the office's move to a cloud-based case-management system.
Tracy said post-COVID court practice has judges running two calendars concurrently, with in‑court and Webex appearances happening at once and breakout sessions handled by prosecutors online. He said the office has developed a proprietary system that scrapes court data daily and creates an encrypted cloud environment so attorneys can appear in court with an iPad or laptop and avoid hauling paper files.
Tracy also described the office's practice of reviewing lost trials to find improvements. "We get the tape and we listen to the whole trial," Tracy said, and staff then identify steps such as calling different witnesses or refining statutory language to strengthen future cases.
Doug Stoll presented the indigent defense report, saying his firm handles roughly 700 cases per quarter with about 5% going to trial. Stoll said city- and district-court scheduling changes have dispersed appeals across multiple judges and added workload for both public defenders and conflict counsel. "We do 10 of the cities in the valley," Stoll said, listing the scope of coverage and noting his office is busy with felony and serious matters for Salt Lake County conflict work.
Council members asked clarifying questions; no formal action was taken on the reports. Both presenters said they would return next quarter.
