Harris County DA Issues First "Year in Review" Performance Report

[editor]

DA Issues First Annual 'Year in Review' on Progress and Performance

Houston, Tx - The Harris County District Attorney's Office has published its first "Year in Review" for the public. It describes the many and complex responsibilities of the office, the programs, initiatives and performance of the county's lead law enforcement agency in 2009, District Attorney Patricia Lykos announced Monday.

The 35-page review is designed to bring transparency and key information to county residents about the operations and innovations of the District Attorney's Office. "It is a retrospective that is forward-looking, setting the course as we mean to go on," Lykos said.

The review illuminates the work of the District Attorney's Office in its sworn mission of seeking justice. This includes programs and projects for crime prevention, protecting victims, arresting dangerous fugitives and streamlining legal processes.

Some of the insights are on the sheer volume of criminal justice matters. There were more than 50,000 new felony cases filed in 2009. All cases including the justice court filings totaled 570,000. That is a filing rate of more than one each minute for all of last year.

Charts provide data regarding the Top Ten offenses for juvenile felonies and dispositions of overall adult crimes. Readers learn facts as diverse as extraditions from as far away as Thailand, and the success of the Office in obtaining forfeiture of criminal assets, restitution orders and payments to victims.

Summaries of specialty divisions' activities show the success of new initiatives to help victims and to protect especially vulnerable groups (children, families and the elderly) from predators. The review includes contact numbers for sections of the District Attorney's Office.

"We do have the best job in the world - it is a profound responsibility and privilege to serve and protect our county," Lykos said in the introduction.

To access a printable copy, just go to the Year in Review link under the "Our Office" listings on the homepage of www.harriscountyda.com .