Buying what?

Tune in for the DA's item on the Board of Supervisor's Agenda today

◼ Item D-2 Apr. 14 agenda

District Attorney
2. Approve Appropriation Transfer in District Attorney's Budget Unit 1100 205 to Clear Mid-Year Edits. ($51,112)
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Supervisors approve an appropriation transfer to clear mid-year charges by transferring funds from object and fixed asset accounts within the same budget unit.

AND

Item DEPARTMENT REPORTS F-2
District Attorneys
2. Recovery Act: Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Grant.
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board of Supervisors Approve the Attached grant application and sign the attached certificates for the Rural Law Enforcement Assistance grant; and Direct the Clerk of the Board to return the certificates to Chief Michael Hislop so they may be processed with the grant application.

◼ details
"Total one time equipment cost is $172,092.25. The major expense in this component would be a critical crime response vehicle, which needs to be well equipped with radios, evidence collection equipment, computers, and recording devices, it must be big enough to conduct detailed interviews with involved parties of the incident. We estimate the cost of this vehicle to be approximately $160,000.00. Additional equipment cost would be 412,092.25 for a radio communications repeater. This piece of equipment will allow us to more effectively communicate from the rural areas of Humboldt county back to the District Attorney's Office.

The only supplies requested in this grant project would be uniform costs and equipment for the Community Services Officer. the Equipment would include uniforms, badge, flashlight, boots, and utility belt. The cost of this equipment is estimated to be $1,299.00.

Total cost of this grant project is $406,875.00. With the approval of this grant we will be able to more efficiently assist our rural communities in investigating serious and major crimes and increase the likelihood of a successful prosecution. essentially we will be vertically prosecuting these investigations since the District Attorney's Office will have a hands on approach to these investigations from the beginning.

First an assault team complete with uniforms, now this? Hislop likes his toys.



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Then there was - this back in January: 12. Donation of District Attorney Department Vehicle to the County Motor Pool for Capitalization, Maintenance, and Insurance....

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added 6/10: On his grant applications, Gallegos routinely states:

...The communities of Humboldt County suffer rom severe socio-economic problems, Historically, the northwest has sustained on primarily timber, commercial fishing and cattle ranching as its main sources of income. In the last two decades, these once abundant industries have been all but eliminated. The reulsts of this economic decline have been a slightly higher than state average unemployment rate (11.4%) and a high level of substance abuse. Because of the overwhelming amount of substance abuse there is an increase in crime such as: drug trafficking, rape, robbery, murder, child abuse, spousal abuse and child pornography....

◼ In this example Gallegos is looking to purchase a "critical crime response vehicle for about $160,000 plus $12,092.25 and more money for uniforms, badge, flashlight, boots and utility belt for $1,299.00 - the total cost to be $406,875.09 - AND he promises that EVENTUALLY we will be VERTICALLY prosecuting these investigations.

So - is crime UP or DOWN?

Guess it just depends on who he is talking to and what he wants at the moment.

Incidentally, it is worth looking into whether or not ANY VERTICAL PROSECUTION happens in the Humboldt County DA's Office as Paul Gallegos has stated that he likes to "move people around." Victims of crimes describe seeing one prosecutor after another thrust into the courtroom un prepared an uninformed.