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Solicitor’s office seeks paralegals and investigative capacity to handle rising caseloads
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Summary
The solicitor’s office told county reviewers it needs two litigation‑support specialists, a deputy chief investigator and two investigative assistants to address backlog, digital evidence management and declining interest in prosecutor roles since the pandemic.
The Clayton County Solicitor’s Office presented targeted staffing requests on April 27, saying caseloads have risen and the office needs new roles to help prosecute cases efficiently.
A solicitor’s representative (speaker 10) explained the request for two litigation support specialists — skilled paralegals to assist in courtrooms — as a lower‑cost alternative to hiring full prosecutors, at an estimated total cost of $153,762 for two positions. He also requested a deputy chief investigator (about $119,100 total cost) to expand investigative capacity and create succession for the chief investigator, and two investigative assistants (about $64,941 each) to secure digital evidence early in cases (911 calls, body camera footage) before cloud retention expires.
The solicitor described pretrial diversion contracts administered from the contract services account (named vendor: Operation 21) and said the program has operated for more than 15 years. He said some contract spending also covers temporary attorney support when funds allow. The office emphasized that improved early evidence capture and more investigative capacity would increase the likelihood of successful prosecutions and reduce case-processing burdens.
