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Meeting Date:	03/27/2017
Jail Intake Program
Submitted for:	Isidro Alaniz	Submitted By:	David Sanchez
Department:	District Attorney

Subject:

Status report from the District Attorney's Office regarding the 24-7 jail intake program; with further discussion and possible action to authorize the continued funding of the 24-7 jail intake program in the amount not to exceed $120,000, subject to availability of funds; and any other matters incident thereto.

Issue: The funds allocated to administer the DA 24-7 jail intake will be depleted at the beginning of April 2017. Without the continued funding, the DA 24-7 jail intake will be interrupted thereby preventing Webb County from savings and from the opportunity to bring in additional revenue.

Solution: Continue funding the program by transferring funds from available savings.

Result: Webb County will continue to capitalize on the opportunity to save money and to bring in additional revenues.

Background:

With the implementation of the 24/7 Jail intake pilot program, the District Attorney’s office accepted the additional responsibility of housing an ADA at the Webb County Jail to review an arrest within hours and prepare the criminal complaint for booking. This pilot program consisted of customizing our software system to allow Law Enforcement Officers to submit arrests and instantaneously create a DA file for review by seasoned ADA’s. There were numerous modifications of the process due to various situations encountered with the Laredo Police Department. Initial data reflects a 30% booking reduction when compared to 2015 bookings.
Transitioning into a full implementation of the 24/7 Jail Intake requires the District Attorney’s office to increase the number of participants from 12 to 21 ADA's including myself and expanding to other law enforcement agencies such as the Webb County Sheriff''s, DPS, LISD police , UISD police , LCC police, Texas Game Warden, and Constable Pct 4. Allocating an additional $120,000 will keep the jail intake program operational for 3 months. This budget does not include the cost of personnel from 8-5; thus the District Attorney’s office has agreed to absorb this cost excluding county holidays.

Previous Court Action:

The item was presented to Commissioners Court on December 12, 2016. During this meeting, the governing body agreed to continue funding the program by allocating $120,000.

Fiscal Impact

Budget Account Number:	001
Funding Source:	1100
Balance:	5003 DA
Financial Impact:
The item will have a financial impact on the General Fund. The amount will be determined by the Governing Body's decision on the item.