Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay has delivered on a campaign pledge to restore the position of investigator in her office, and that’s to the public’s benefit.
Holden-Kay believes this to be the case, and obviously the Bartholomew County Council thinks so too. The council didn’t just approve adding the position to the prosecutor’s budget, officials also agreed to boost the salary for a new investigator to $97,132 — about $10,000 more than had been proposed — to attract a quality candidate.
As The Republic’s Mark Webber reported, the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s office has had an investigator in the past, but not for 40 years, according to council member and former two-term sheriff Mark Gorbett. For his part, Gorbett said he has wanted this position restored ever since he first wore the badge.
This is a position that in our view isn’t just needed, but seems imperative. Prosecutors and their deputies have an incredibly heavy workload simply coordinating the day-to-day demands of our criminal justice system, not to mention the administrative and policy decisions with which elected prosecutors are charged.
And this is particularly true in Bartholomew County, which has just four deputy prosecutors, well short of ideal staffing, according to standards set by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC). The county council also gave approval for Holden-Kay to hire a fifth deputy, which will relieve the overworked lawyers there. As Webber reported, “Each prosecutor is handling 413 felony cases, while IPAC recommends a maximum of 320.”
The numbers speak for themselves, and caseloads have risen dramatically in recent years. The county owes it to residents to invest in public servants who are essential to seeing that justice is served.
The prosecutor is looking for someone to fill the investigator position who has at least a decade of law enforcement experience, knowledge of local, state and federal laws and a working knowledge of the Bartholomew County court system and operations, Webber reported. The new investigator should be ideally situated to serve as a trusted point of contact for law enforcement, particularly in cases where one small crime might lead to larger ones.
“The investigator’s primary duties will be to coordinate the investigative activities of the office, Holden-Kay wrote in a presentation for the Bartholomew County Council,” Webber reported. “Those duties involve follow-up investigations, locating witnesses, interviewing them and assisting officers in composing search warrant affidavits, Holden-Kay said.
“The investigator would also promote an effective working relationship with all law enforcement agencies, provide investigative support to individual prosecutors, assist with training law enforcement personnel, and coordinate with the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Holden-Kay said.”
As a candidate, Holden-Kay realized what her office needed to better serve the public. We commend her for effectively making her case to the council to ensure these positions are funded. Likewise, we commend the county council for recognizing the need. We believe these decisions will improve public safety countywide.
