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State's attorney seeks $25,000 for digital evidence system, warns against benefit cuts
Summary
Grand Forks County’s state's attorney requested an additional $2,000 for 2027 non‑personnel costs and $25,000 annually for a digital evidence management system to secure and share body‑cam, squad and phone data; the attorney also cautioned that reducing employee benefits would hinder recruitment and retention.
State's Attorney Wamstead told the commissioners that managing growing volumes of digital evidence has become a critical workload and data‑security challenge and requested a digital evidence management system with an annual cost of about $25,000.
"At any given time, our office has about 900 open cases that we're actively working on ... and pretty much every case has some form of digital evidence," Wamstead said, describing terabytes of data from body‑worn cameras, in‑car video, surveillance footage and phone extractions. He said the office currently burns data to disks and thumb drives for disclosure to defense counsel — a method the office now views as fragile after a basement flood earlier this year highlighted the risks.
Wamstead asked for a $25,000 annual subscription allocation for a managed digital evidence management system and said IT staff had indicated support for such a move; he also said IT might redirect any cost savings toward this expense. He said the system would secure evidence off‑site and reduce staff time spent copying and producing physical media.
The state's attorney also noted recurring increases beyond those requests — Westlaw, bar dues, and III license fees — and said those items contributed to a small net non‑personnel increase request of $2,000 for 2027.
Wamstead closed by urging commissioners to consider the county's benefits package in any salary or benefits decisions. "I am fearful that a reduction in employee benefits would provide even greater challenges to attract and retain employees in an already strained market," he said, citing competition from state agencies and local universities that offer stronger benefits packages.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about whether the proposed evidence system was a one‑time cost (Wamstead said it would be recurring) and whether the office could host an on‑site server; the state's attorney said off‑site managed services were difficult to avoid given volume and continuity concerns. Staff did not adopt any final votes during the session and were asked to provide more budget detail and procurement options.
