EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, a full list of resources can be found on our website.
BEXAR COUNTY - The backlog of criminal domestic violence cases in Bexar County has been an issue for years, since before District Attorney Joe Gonzales was elected.
KSAT has been reporting on the backlog since he took office in 2019, and compiled data showing how his office has addressed the issue.
Meli Powers became the office’s Family Violence Division Chief in 2019, when there was a backlog of 3,307 felony cases and 3,204 misdemeanor cases.
The numbers have been separated because the cases are handled differently.
When a case is backlogged, it means law enforcement has delivered its information to the office and are waiting to be reviewed, processed and sent to the courts.
The office said it does not have backlog data for 2020 and 2021.
Both sets of numbers show a drop in cases, bottoming out in 2022 and 2023, and then a steady increase since then.
Clearing the backlog means keeping survivors safe and offering them justice.
“Domestic violence, child abuse cases, they are by far the hardest cases to prosecute to hold abusers accountable,” Powers said. “It takes a special kind of person. How much time they take, the difficulties, the nuances, the challenges, the responsibilities that we have to victims.”
Powers said their work has been hit by a number of obstacles.
“We get through a pandemic, and we have the staffing issues, and we an increase in over 100% of our incoming caseload,” Powers said. Then last year we changed to Odyssey which really gave us a number of technological issues that we’re still working through,” she said.
The skyrocketing caseload adds to Powers’ greatest concern, which is staffing.
Powers showed KSAT an empty room at the DA’s office in the Domestic Violence Division, with desks and computers, unused at the moment because of attorney vacancies in the department.
Powers said the staff vacancy issues started in 2022. The office only had 38% staffing for attorneys on misdemeanor cases at the time. Today, the office is 50% staffed for misdemeanor cases.
The felony side is struggling too, and the department is trying to hold onto its top talent necessary for the toughest cases.
“Typically what I see is that they are leaving for better paying jobs,” Powers said. “I had someone that turned in their resignation last week and they are leaving hesitantly to go to another position where they’re going to make probably about $50,000 more. It is critical that improve staffing. Whether that’s money, we have some recruiting efforts going into place, but it is a concern.”
Last month during budget talks, DA Gonzalez asked the Bexar County Commissioners Court if he could re-classify certain lawyers so they could be paid more, but the county denied it, saying the salaries were already above market rate.
“This court has provided assistance to us in the past,” Gonzales said during the meeting. “You had the salary study of 2023, last year you did the compression resolution and retention resolution that we were very grateful for, but unfortunately that has not stopped the bleeding. We still have experienced prosecutors leaving.”
The County Budget Office told KSAT last year they gave the District Attorney’s Office more than $65,467 to upgrade domestic violence attorney positions, and then almost $99,506 for 13 pay raises for the specialized prosecutors.
Other district attorney’s offices are using across the state is the Texas Advocacy Project, which provides free attorneys to resource-strapped counties.
Powers said the current administration has “not partnered or collaborated with them,” adding that it is not necessarily opposed to doing so.
Resources:
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, there is help. KSAT has a list of resources on its Domestic Violence webpage, which also explains how to identify different types of abuse. On the resource page is a section on legal help available.
If it’s an emergency, text or call 911.
For wrap-around services, including the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter, call Family Violence Prevention Services at (210) 733-8810.
You can also contact the Bexar County Family Justice Center, which also provides wrap-around services at (210) 631-0100.
The Texas Advocacy Project offers free legal help can be contacted at (512) 476-5377.
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