Supervisors approve 7 promotions within the DA’s Office

EL CENTRO – Imperial County’s Board of Supervisors has approved promotions for seven attorneys within the District Attorney’s Office.

Speaking before the county Board of Supervisors April 27, new Assistant District Attorney Heather Trapnell said the promotions request reflected the demands of the high workload the current staff is carrying as well as a desire to retain them.

She said during the last several years, the county’s DA office has lost many experienced attorneys to retirement and other counties with higher salaries and benefits. Recruitment has also been a problem, and the department is currently carrying five vacant positions, she said.

Meanwhile, the DA’s Office is currently involved 17 active or murder cases. Of the 17 homicide cases, most of them have occurred in the last three years.

Trapnell said in most areas, deputy district attorneys who are handling murder cases and trials do not have an additional caseload. They also have the assistance of a private investigator and a paralegal.

In the Imperial County DA’s Office those attorneys are not getting help on murder cases and are still handling full caseloads, she said.

Part of the reason for the increase in homicides — at least for this year — is the result of increased gangland activity in Brawley, Trapnell said.

She said it has been very difficult to protect the interests of the people of the county and handle all of the duties allocated to the office with a relatively inexperienced staff.

The attorneys of the DA’s Office have been thrust into high-level and complicated cases much earlier than what is ideal, but added they have learned fast. While acknowledging its manpower issues aren’t a simple fix, Trapnell said, “One of the things we can do is pay people at the range for the work they are doing,” she said.

The supervisors approved all seven promotions within the DA’s Office in the amount of $45,821 for the rest of the fiscal year.

The promotions will have a neutral impact on the general fund. Trapnell said the funding will come from salary savings within the department.