District attorney says backlog down to 2,917 cases; court approves $292,062 in overtime funding

District Attorney Joe Gonzales reported May 26 that the office’s backlog‑reduction effort, launched in November 2023, has reduced previously reported backlog numbers and continues to rely on overtime hours from prosecutors to make charging decisions more quickly. Gonzales said the program had resolved an earlier inventory of 6,330 cases and that the current backlog stands at 2,917 cases, a roughly 24% reduction since the last briefing.

Gonzales asked the court to allow continued use of $292,062 in budget‑neutral funds — drawn from unspent prosecutor salaries — to compensate staff for overtime work on backlog cases. He described the program’s categories and measurement approach (bond cases: >180 days; at‑large cases: >1 year; jail cases generally excluded from backlog calculations because of mandatory timetables) and credited overtime participation by dozens of prosecutors with many charging decisions and indictments.

Commissioners asked about prioritization (jail cases first, then bond cases, then at‑large), staffing pressures, and whether increases in indictments corresponded with dismissals; Gonzales answered that reviewing more cases yields both more indictments and more dismissals because the office applies the higher proof standard than arrest probable cause. On a motion and second, the court approved the requested budget‑neutral overtime extension.