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County Needs to Invest in Critical Criminal Justice Technology
Technology has progressed a lot over the last two decades – except in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office still uses the same application, the Prosecutor Management Information System (PROMIS), as it did when the system was installed in 1984.
PROMIS was installed the same year that Starbucks sold its first latte and before Microsoft stock went public. When PROMIS was first installed, cell phones were the size of briefcases, cassette tapes were still more prevalent than CDs, and most people did not own a computer. Technology has come a long way from those days, and it is time to bring the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office computer system into the modern era – we need a PROMIS for the future.
A recent briefing before the Council’s Law, Justice, Health & Human Services Committee from Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg and the County’s Chief Information Officer, Bill Kehoe, emphasized the problems with relying on this outmoded technology:
PROMIS cannot provide data and statistical analysis to support management and policy decision-making. For example, it cannot track the number of cases assigned to each prosecutor, nor can it aggregate information by type of case, such as car thefts.
PROMIS does not meet modern law practice standards. It is unable to store and share records electronically. Rather, the Prosecutor’s office makes hard copies of everything related to the 10,000 cases filed each year. Doing business this way wastes paper and staff time at the County’s expense.
PROMIS was written on an archaic programming language that is no longer used, and it cannot communicate with the systems used by other criminal justice stakeholders. The vendor that created the system is defunct, and only a handful of employees know how to keep the system up and running.
In short, PROMIS is broken.
Replacing PROMIS is estimated to cost $1.5 million—a considerable investment, especially while the County faces significant budget challenges. However, it is estimated that replacing the system would yield operational savings of $0.5 million a year, and by implementing the project in phases we could reduce the initial investment and improve business efficiency in the Prosecutor’s Office more quickly. The County’s budget challenges require us to think about ways to lower long-term costs. One-time expenditures that yield substantial future savings make good fiscal sense.
In the 2011 budget, the Council set aside a $1.5 million criminal justice reserve to address emerging needs in the criminal justice system. As the Council deliberates the best use for these resources, we must ensure that technology investments to core criminal justice systems are part of the conversation.
You can review the staff report and watch the briefing about PROMIS here.
Council Adopts Offender Reentry Plan
The Council recently adopted a framework to guide comprehensive and coordinated policies and services for individuals transitioning from jail to community. By aiming to reduce recidivism, the plan promotes public safety and allows King County to access federal funding under the Second Chance Act. Read more...
Mental Health Champion Award
In last month’s e-News, I mentioned I had been chosen to receive the Governor Booth Gardner Community Mental Health Champion Award from Sound Mental Health. It was an honor to receive the award at Sound Mental Health’s “Mental Health Matters” gala last month. My wife, Colleen, and my mother, Betty, joined me for the event.
Vehicle License Fee for Metro Transit?
As a regular commuter on Metro’s #41 from Northgate, I understand the importance of having a strong public transit system.
The Washington State Legislature recently granted King County the authority to impose a $20 congestion reduction fee on vehicles to fund Metro Transit. I have always supported funding for transit service in the past. I have also consistently pushed Metro to find efficiencies and reduce administrative costs before cutting service or raising fares.
This issue has just come before the County Council, and I anticipate a vote on July 25.
You can listen to a recent interview I did for KUOW on this topic here.
Upcoming Echo Lake Neighborhood Meeting
I will be giving my annual King County update at the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association meeting on Tuesday, June 21. The meeting begins at7 pm, and I am scheduled to speak at 8 pm. The meeting will be held at Shoreline City Hall (17500 Midvale Avenue N) on the third floor in Room 301.
The Echo Lake Neighborhood Association builds community by providing a forum for sharing information, connecting neighbors, promoting activities, and fostering civic involvement. I always enjoy meeting directly with constituents and encourage Echo Lake neighborhood area residents to attend.
Out & About
Along with my wife Colleen and our twins, I attended the 7th annual National Alliance on Mental Illness - Washington Walk in Kirkland. More than 1,400 participated and donated over $230,000 to provide education, support, and advocacy for individuals living with mental illness and their families.
I recently spoke about the Council’s process for appointing District Court judges at a statewide diversity conference at Seattle University School of Law. The conference was hosted by the Washington Minority Bar Association Collaboration Project.
I was part of a panel that discussed the importance of judicial diversity and sought to demystify the appointment process. Other panel members included:
Associate Chief Justice Honorable Charles Johnson,
Narda Pierce, General Counsel for Governor Gregoire,
Deanna Dawson, Justice at Stake’s Director of Federal Affairs and Diversity Initiatives,
David Perez, an attorney representing the Latina/o Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, and
Robert Beattey, a lawyer from the Judicial Evaluation Committees for Q-Law.
As a former member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC), I had the pleasure of attending the JVC Northwest Dinner last month. The guest speaker was Seattle University Professor Ted Fortier, who was recently honored as the Reverend Louis Gaffney Chair in Arts and Sciences in 2010.
JVC Northwest places 100 to 140 volunteers in Northwest service organizations each year. I was a Jesuit volunteer in 1989-90. I directed an emergency services office and taught in an after-school tutoring program. It was one of the most formative experiences of my life.
I took a trip to Chelan County recently for a Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) Board of Directors meeting. WSAC is a voluntary, non-profit association serving all of Washington’s 39 counties.
Retired Metro Van Donations
Retired Metro VanPool vans are available to nonprofit organizations or local governments to address the mobility needs of low-income, elderly or young people, or people with disabilities.
If you know an organization in District 1 (pdf, 648 KB) that would put a van to good use for the community, please contact my office at (206) 296-1001 or bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov.
Applications need to be completed and received by my office by August 1.
Follow me on Twitter
I have launched a Twitter account to help me stay in touch with my constituents! You can follow me @KCBobFerguson.
As a regular commuter on Metro’s #41 from Northgate, I understand the importance of having a strong public transit system.
I recently spoke about the Council’s process for appointing District Court judges at a statewide diversity conference at Seattle University School of Law. The conference was hosted by the 