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Circuit Attorney says office reduced warrant backlog, sped case processing and is seeking staff to sustain momentum
Summary
Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore reported that his office has sharply reduced a warrant backlog, now reviews most warrant applications within 24 hours, lowered average case disposition time and built community programs — but said retaining and hiring prosecutors remains the central FY27 budget challenge.
Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore told the Budget & Public Employees Committee on May 12 that his office has rebuilt much of its prosecutorial capacity since his appointment, citing faster warrant review, shorter average case processing times and expanded community programs.
Gore said his office has dramatically reduced a prior backlog and now reviews about "91% of all of the applications for warrants ... within 24 hours." He also said the office has cut the average time to dispose of cases to 156 days — a 62% reduction from earlier performance — and that the office is issuing more cases across categories, including theft, burglaries and other property crimes.
Gore described investments in staffing and training: the office has grown from 22 to 49 trial attorneys since his appointment, with additional hires planned for the fall. He said the office is training new prosecutors through second‑ and third‑chair courtroom mentoring, mock trials and staged experiential programs so junior attorneys gain trial exposure earlier in their careers.
Community engagement was a central theme: Director of Community Engagement Leanne Mosby described the Citizens Academy (a six‑week, in‑person program that walks residents through the "anatomy of a prosecution") and a neighborhood collaboration program that assigns assistant circuit attorneys as liaisons to neighborhood associations. Gore also highlighted diversion programs and the Tap‑In Center — a walk‑in site at the central library that has helped hundreds of people resolve warrants without fear of immediate arrest — as well as revitalized treatment and veteran treatment courts.
On criminal‑justice integrity, Gore described a conviction integrity unit that reports to former Supreme Court Justice George Draper and cited the Christopher Dunn case as an example of the office re‑examining past convictions.
Steve Capey, the office's first assistant, presented the FY27 budget request: $18.3 million (most of it for salaries and benefits). The office asked to grow toward 60 trial attorneys to make workloads sustainable; the budget office returned a smaller package that trims three senior prosecutor positions and defers some investigative and IT support requests.
Gore and staff emphasized retention and wellbeing as central risks: high caseloads, younger attorney cohorts (about half with three years or less experience) and burnout make maintaining progress dependent on competitive salaries and staff supports. The office also requested modest operational items — a $60,000 parking stipend pool for staff and $70,000 for courthouse window cleaning and upkeep — framed as retention and morale measures.
Gore said diversion and community programs are intentionally designed to target low‑level nonviolent offenders for alternatives while the office channels prosecution resources toward violent crime. He also said the Tap‑In Center has attracted more participants than expected and that treatment court enrollment and graduation have been encouraging.
