The City of Seattle has a large backlog of criminal cases that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Apparently, there are over 5,000 criminal cases in the City’s justice system - 1,700 of which are domestic violence, elder abuse, assault or stalking related. The City Council is trying to come up with ways to effectively and timely whittle down the caseload. The thrust of the Council’s suggestions involve an influx of money (i.e. $2.8 million) that would allow the City Attorney ‘s Office to pay for temporary outside legal assistance, hire four more full-time assistant city attorneys and contract with private laboratories for drug and alcohol toxicology testing and reporting. The hope, by providing this money stream, is to not only reduce the backlog but also prevent such a backlog from recurring in the future. The backlog has happened for a myriad of reasons ranging from higher volumes of evidence due to body worn cameras and dash cameras to a toxicology lab that isn’t sufficiently staffed to handle the entire state’s toxicology testing of evidence. The previous city attorney dealt with backlogged cases by electing to dismiss non-violent crimes. The current city attorney is not interested in that method of caseload resolution. Voting for the City’s budget, and whether there will be an influx of cash to reduce the city’s mounting criminal case backlog, is scheduled for mid-November. It will be interesting to see how things play out.
If you or a loved one is in a bind as a result of a criminal charge (whether it involves an allegation of domestic violence, DUI or something else), immediately contact a Seattle Criminal Defense Attorney. A Criminal lawyer is not going to judge you. Hiring a Seattle Criminal Lawyer to help can – at a minimum – reduce penalties and can help direct people on how to best deal with their criminal case. So, it should go without saying that someone dealing with a criminal case should hire a qualified Seattle Criminal Defense attorney as soon as possible. Criminal charges can cause havoc on a person’s personal and professional life. Anyone dealing with a criminal charge in Washington State should immediately seek the assistance of a seasoned Seattle Criminal Lawyer. SQ Attorneys is the right call – (425) 9988-DUI or (206) 441-0900.