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Bronx DA explains discovery fund usage for hiring and technology
5:57:20
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107 sec
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark explains how her office is utilizing the state funds for discovery reform, focusing on hiring necessary personnel and investing in technology.
- Acknowledges the previous unfunded mandate and the challenges faced
- Highlights the significant cost and time required for technological improvements
- Discusses the difficulties in recruitment and the need to hire the right people
- Mentions the high volume of cases in NYC compared to other counties in the state
Darcel Clark
5:57:20
We acknowledge that we did receive money from the state and thank God we did because when the law was passed five years ago, it was an unfunded mandate.
5:57:29
So for at least four years, we were working with no money and trying to get it done.
5:57:34
Now that we have that, we are hiring the people that we need, but the most expensive part of it is the technology.
5:57:44
And technology not only costs money, but it also takes time.
5:57:48
So we're spending it in the way that we need to.
5:57:50
We're spending it on discovery because we needed it for that, but it's gonna take time to catch up especially with the volume of the cases that we have.
5:58:00
And, you know, there's a whole discussion on what's happening with the five of us down here as opposed to other DA's offices in the state.
5:58:07
Every office is different, but out of all the 62 counties, most of the work is right here in front of you.
5:58:16
So we're using the discovery the way that we can for technology, for hiring, like, again, you know, they give us deadlines, the budget deadlines for us to spend it.
5:58:26
We can't spend it in that time frame because it takes a lot of time to do recruitment, to find the right people.
5:58:32
We don't wanna just hire anybody.
5:58:33
We need to hire the right people that's gonna do the work correctly and the technology.
5:58:38
I personally take time, you know, of my own to go out recruiting.
5:58:42
I cast a wide net in order to bring more assistance in so that they'll be able to do the work.
5:58:47
That way we could disperse the work evenly as opposed with so many of them carrying so many cases, a hundred a 20 cases, that's a lot, Plus getting the discovery and everything else.
5:58:58
So the money is helpful.
5:58:59
We're using it for, you know, hiring, personnel as well as technology.
5:59:06
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