Grant County looks at software for public defenders

EPHRATA — The Grant County public defenders department wants to buy software to save the county money.

Rafael Gonzales, the supervising public defender, is asking the county to spend $41,598 to purchase the Damion software program. The software stores paperwork electronically.

The Grant County commissioners approved spending $96,000 for the Damion software program for the prosecutor’s office.

“Right now, everything is done with paper,” Grant County Prosecutor Angus Lee said in a previous interview. “This is going to allow us to move into the 21st century.”

Gonzales said the software wouldn’t replace positions because the department hasn’t hired new administrative staff.

The software allows the department staff to prepare reports for the best settlement-agreement quicker, he said.

“What it will do is minimize the initial staff for us,” he said. “We will, at some point, need one body or a half-time body to do it, but the biggest thing for us is that we have so many reports that are required for the Best settlement, some of these will be fully automated.”

Gonzales said the software allows the department to determine whether a defendant has a contract lawyer or a department lawyer.

“I think we’re going to have to differentiate those and this will do that for us,” he said.

By purchasing both versions of the software, the county will save at least $16,000 on the prosecutor’s verson, Lee said.

“It’s going to save their office money in the long run just because it’s going to eliminate the need for staff positions in both offices by automating them,” he said.

Lee said the combined cost of both versions of the program costs the county the same amount as a full-time staff person would cost for a year.

“It’s going to eliminate at least that much in staffing needs for years to come,” he said. “It’s an investment in the future and by that I mean we save money in the long run.”

Commissioner Cindy Carter said she supported the idea and there was enough money in their current expense fund to pay for the software.

The commissioners will make a decision on whether to purchase the software on Monday.