NCJ Number
36523
Date Published
1974
Length
69 pages
Annotation
THIS PROJECT, BEGUN IN NOVEMBER 1972, WAS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL QUALITY OF PROSECUTORIAL SERVICES AND TO IMPROVE THE WARRANT SERVICES THROUGH THE USE OF TWO MOBILE WARRANT UNITS.
Abstract
IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PROSECUTORIAL SERVICES SEVEN LAWYERS, FIVE INVESTIGATORS, AND THREE CLERICAL EMPLOYEES WERE EMPLOYED. INITIALLY, THE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL WERE TO BE ASSIGNED TO A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION UNIT COMPOSED OF LAWYER-INVESTIGATOR TEAMS. HOWEVER, DUE TO INCREASES IN THE CIRCUIT ATTORNEY'S WORKLOAD, ONLY TWO OF THE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PERSONNEL WERE SO EMPLOYED. AS A RESULT, THERE WAS A SUBSTANITAL INCREASE IN THE WORKLOAD AND IN THE NUMBER OF GUILTY DISPOSITIONS. THE ONLY SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE UNIT ESTABLISHED WAS THE HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION UNIT. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS SHOWED A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS SINCE THE UNIT WAS ORGANIZED. TO ACCOMPLISH THE SECOND OBJECTIVE, TWO VEHICLES WERE PURCHASED AND CONVERTED TO MOBILE WARRANT OFFICES WHICH, MANNED BY ONE CIRCUIT ATTORNEY AND ONE INVESTIGATOR, RESPONDED TO WARRANT REQUESTS AT DISTRICT POLICE STATIONS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING WHEN THE CENTRAL WARRANT OFFICE WAS CLOSED. BASED ON RESULTS OF A ONE-MONTH SAMPLE IN MAY 1974, DURING THE NINE MONTHS CONSIDERED IN THIS EVALUATION, 581 POLICE HOURS WERE SAVED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE PROJECT APPEARS TO HAVE MET ITS OBJECTIVES. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT INCLUDE USING THE NEW STAFF TO FORM A MAJOR CASE SQUAD AND EITHER MAKING THE MOBILE WARRANT OFFICE STATIONARY, STAFFING IT WITH ONLY ONE ATTORNEY, OR MANNING THE WARRANT OFFICE FOUR NIGHTS A WEEK. APPENDED ARE DATA ON CIRCUIT ATTORNEY CASE PROCESSING DATA COLLECTION FORMS, AND STATISTICS ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF FELONY ARRESTS BY HOUR OF THE DAY AND DAY OF THE WEEK.