2012-03-05 Salary Commission Minutes

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hour week. She probably works a 60 hour week and can still remember when she first started off, she calculated her pay and found she was making less than minimum wage. This is a passion, otherwise one wouldn't stay in the job. There have been deputies in their office that have left to go into defense work and are making more now after 3 -4 years than a Deputy Prosecutor after 5 -7 years. Unlike the Corporation Counsel's office, they do have a range but don't put everyone at the top, because they bring in new attorneys and have to train them. The functions have been set up so that the traditional way of prosecution is a core function. They have the prosecutors, victim counselors, investigators, and clerical staff that process the 22,000 cases and more. When Mr. Kimura became Prosecutor, she and Mr. Kimura started looking more at improving the criminal justice system. That's the other lid, which is really working on how the system works together, all the criminal justice agencies doing a better job. They worked on a lot of things and brought a lot of money, all based on relationship and collaboration. Because they have an established process of improving the system and an ongoing group that work in the criminal justice system to make it better, they've established credibility. The Prosecutor's budget of almost $8 million is comprised largely of grant money, for which Ms. Iboshi is the main grant writer, working creatively toward obtaining grants. About 24% or more of their budget is grant funded. She and Mr. Kimura share the same philosophy that the Prosecutor should do more than just the traditional prosecution and that is try to improve the system as well. One of the recommendations of the Cost of Government Committee had been to use more technology, and this year they obtained a large grant to connect all the criminal justice partners in doing their work. Also, the Charter was changed so that the Prosecutor's Office can now do research and make recommendations on prevention and early intervention to the policy makers (legislature to the County Council to the Mayor). They have gotten a lot of money in this area that they didn't have before. They have also gotten at least one competitive grant for elder abuse and financial exploitation, a whole initiative based on a vulnerable group; and over the years they've also done things for children, domestic violence, community empowerment, sexual assault, all those kinds of things that make the community safer and better. They have a $200,000 grant to build a Big Island juvenile intake assessment process. Hopefully that will be a continuing money source over the years. They received a three -year grant for prevention of drug and violence and pregnancy for teens called the HI -TOP program, and recently 0