DA Announces the Release of the 2009 Annual Report


Larry Chisolm
Larry Chisolm

The Office of Eastern Judicial Circuit/Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm announced the release and publication of the first ever Annual Report of the District Attorney’s Office.The 2009 report, published by the Public Information Office, is a formal review of the District Attorney’s office and the work that took place in 2009.

“When I came into office I knew that I had a group of world-class attorneys, but they needed the right systems in place to move forward. I was certain that we could achieve great things, if we only had the right tools and the right people in the right places. Compared to its counterparts statewide and nationally the District Attorney’s Office of Chatham County was behind in technology, infrastructure, and programs. For example, the use of Microsoft Office and PowerPoint were not available tools in our office. We did not have measurable goals and objectives. The use of data collection and analysis was sorely lacking. Not to mention up-to-date job descriptions and performance reviews. We owe it to the tax payers of Chatham County to get this right. I went to visit other offices around the country and I saw first hand what could be done.” Says, DA Chisolm.

Foremost in the information is the recent reorganization of the office and the significant costsavings that it afforded to the citizens of Chatham County in Jail Cost. The report also illustrates the sizeable number of cases that are processed by the District Attorney’s Office and its departments.

Highlights include:The number of cases clocked in the State Court Clerk’s Office doubled from 200 to 400; Over 2000 pending misdemeanor cases were cleared by filing accusations; Of the 2785 felony cases processed in Recorder’s Court and Magistrate court, a total of 1154 were brought to conclusion by the EIP attorneys an overall disposition rate of 41% as compared to 23% in 2008. This provided an estimated Jail Cost Savings of $2,596,500.1759 Guilty Pleas in Superior Court cases;1385 Cases indicted by Grand Jury. Chatham County led the state by a wide margin in the number of Registered Sex Offender convictions. 3 1 3 1 Cases processed in the Juvenile Court Division; Over 200,000 contacts made by Victim-Witness Assistance Program; 13, 659 Child Support Cases processed; $29, 646,000 Child Support Payments Collected;$102, 680 in savings to County based on Inmates Housed in Child Support Work Release Center.

District Attorney, Larry Chisolm, said: “This report serves as a formal review of all the changes that were made when I took office, along with the progress we have made to date. I am pleased with the work that we have accomplished over the last year. We were able to advance the work of the DA’s office only because we have some great partnerships and collaborations that gave us loyal support along the way. There is still much to be done and we have already begun the important task of Strategic Planning. In the next month, we will unveil our new mission and vision statement along with guiding principles that will inform the work of our office and its divisions. We are also formulating a work plan that will drive the results of our efforts for the next few years. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all our stakeholders-the commission, the judges, the clerks, law enforcement, and the community– for their tremendous insight and support, as we reflect back on our achievements in 2009.”

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