My Co-Workers
If I had to name the one, singular accomplishment of my service as your District Attorney, I would have to say that is is the quality of people who have chosen to serve you in my office. I am not embarrassed to say publicly that I love and respect each and every one of them, and it is to them that I owe everything that our office, together, has achieved over the years. A district attorney's office is not just the person, it is the family of individuals sacrificing their time, effort, and yes, ego, to do the right thing by insuring that justice is served in every case that is presented to us.
I invite you to compare the performance of this Office with those of similar counties (see figure 1.1). I believe that you will see that we do more with less, which is just another testament to the outstanding people that represent you, the citizens of Montgomery County, in the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Figure 1.1
| County |
Montgomery |
Cameron |
Ft Bend |
Denton |
Collin |
| Population |
378,033 |
378,311 |
463,650 |
554,642 |
659,457 |
| # District Courts |
5 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
8 |
| # County Courts |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
| # Justices of the Peace |
5 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
| # DA Office Prosecutors |
32 |
34 |
34 |
54 |
53 |
| County Ct. 2006 MISD ADD |
12,324 |
9,804 |
7,202 |
12,137 |
8,060 |
| County Ct. 2006 MISD DISP |
9,609 |
9,081 |
6,348 |
12,787 |
8,692 |
| District Ct. 2006 FELONY ADD |
4,152 |
4,397 |
2,750 |
2,832 |
4,205 |
| District Ct. 2006 FELONY DISP |
3,823 |
3,248 |
2,434 |
2,558 |
3,729 |
| County Ct. 2005 MISD ADD |
11,864 |
8,027 |
7,055 |
11,470 |
7,593 |
| County Ct. 2005 MISD DISP |
10,003 |
7,502 |
6,367 |
11,173 |
8,013 |
| District Ct. 2005 FELONY ADD |
3,597 |
3,278 |
2,580 |
2,662 |
3,755 |
| District Ct. 2005 FELONY ADD |
3,089 |
2,890 |
2,376 |
2,644 |
3,673 |
Figure 1.1 indicates that in 2006, the Montgomery County District Attorney's office filed more misdemeanor cases than Cameron, Ft Bend, Denton, and Collin Counties. Denton and Collin County populations exceed 500,000 each. Said other counties have more prosecutors on staff than the Montgomery County District Attorney's office.
In 2006, the Montgomery County District Attorney's office filed and disposed of more felony cases than Ft Bend, Denton, and Collin Counties (9 cases less than Cameron, using DA grand jury record**). Denton and Collin County populations exceed 500,000 each. Said other counties have more prosecutors on staff than the Montgomery County District Attorney's office.
In 2005, the Montgomery County District Attorney's office exceeded 3 of the 4 listed counties in the filing and disposing of felony cases. Collin County, with a population of 659,457 filed 158 more felonies and disposed of 584 more felony cases. Said other counties have more prosecutors on staff than the Montgomery County District Attorney's office.
In 2005, the Montgomery County District Attorney's office filed more misdemeanor cases than any of the other counties listed above. The Montgomery County District Attorney's office disposed of more misdemeanors in 2005 than Cameron, Ft Bend, and Collin Counties — all counties with greater population. Said other counties have more prosecutors on staff than the Montgomery County District Attorney's office.
**District Attorney grand jury records for 2006 felonies report 4,390 cases were true billed.
A Totally Unselfish Effort
In an effort to increase the efficiency of law enforcement efforts in our County and to create a closer cooperative working arrangement, on July 16, 2007, the District Attorney's office went to a 24/7/365 operation, which means we now have an attorney on call to assist law enforcement personnel at all hours of the day, every day of the year. From 5 pm to 8 am the next day, either myself or an assistant district attorney offices at the Montgomery County Jail to be exactly where we need to be, when we need to be there. To effect this new operating procedure, all the attorneys in our office agreed that, even though it may not have been in their initial job descriptions to work "graveyard" shifts, the benefit to the County and to the police agencies was too great to let a little personal discomfort get in the way. I cannot begin to express how much I am indebted to them for their sacrifices in this totally unselfish effort.
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