The money will come from six grants and help with six employee's salaries and pay for technology upgrades.
"These grants have allowed the prosecutor's office to grow as it needs while not relying completely on Boone County tax dollars," Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said. "Boone County is experiencing unprecedented growth as a community, which in turn is placing strain on county tax dollars."
But the county budget is tight. The prosecutor's office is understaffed by five to seven non-attorney employees, according to standards established by prosecutors' offices. Non-attorney staff includes investigators, paralegals, and victims' advocates.
Victim advocates help victims understand and prepare for the legal process, and what to expect in court, Eastwood said. They accompany victims to court and may refer them to services, such as mental health care or help with housing. They also help victims determine how much restitution they are owed. And they help children get comfortable in the courtroom before they testify.
Here is the list of grants and award amounts:
* Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant — $114,268
This grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, ICJI, provides salary and benefits for a full-time deputy prosecutor specializing in firearms related offense and expenses of training law enforcement.
The firearms prosecutor has trained 42 local officers as gun liaisons who specialize in firearms detection and processing. It's now standard procedure to call a gun liaison any time a gun will be confiscated in Boone County.
"We are finding more people who are prohibited from having firearms having firearms than we ever had, and the cases against them are much stronger," Eastwood said. Training made local officers better at finding concealed firearms. "Once officers are trained to properly investigate firearms, more comes to light."
The firearms prosecutor is part of a four-person executive team that is now in demand to teach prosecutorial teams and police in other counties.
* Victim of Crime Act Grant — $77,781.56
The grant covers the entire salary and benefits of one full-time victim advocate and partial salary and benefits of two full-time victim advocates. This is an ICJI grant.
* Indiana Department of Correction/Boone County Community Corrections Grant — $62,085
It funds the salary and benefits for one full-time felony diversion coordinator to work through BCCC. This grant is part of a larger grant applied for by BCCC.
* Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Grant — $35,000
This grant will cover software upgrades, computer hardware, and related law enforcement training for Internet Crime Against Children cases.
A number of recent criminal charges were filed in Boone County after state police reported cases involving child pornography to local authorities for investigation. But the pornographic files are locked and tucked deep into hard drives, Eastwood said.
New software is needed to keep apace of child porn collectors' desire to maintain and hide their files. "It's an evolving science," Eastwood said.
The county ended last year with a whopping 50-case backlog. That's compared to 10 cases in a normal year, Eastwood said. In response, the county formed a task force to tackle the backlog and related cases.
* Services Training Officers Prosecutors, STOP — $23,796.24
This grant funds part of the salary of a domestic violence deputy prosecutor. This is an ICJI grant.
* Victim of Crimes Act Supplemental — $15,093
This grant will replace and upgrade computer hardware for victim advocates. This is an ICJI grant.
© 2023 The Lebanon Reporter (Lebanon, Ind.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
