Annual Report 2007 - San Diego County District Attorney

Finally, the unit has a two-route courier service that allows
packages, files, and exhibits to be moved along a southern
and northern route to the District Attorney branch offices.
This expedient service has been highly beneficial when items
are needed for timely court dates or other urgent requests.
Trial Support Services also offers technical support for
the Communications Division. Projects during 2007 included
event live-streaming, intranet design, logo development,
podcasting, promotional and training video production and
various print media design. Providing this type of service
without relying on outside vendors has resulted in an efficient
and cost-effective way to complete various DA initiatives.
Trial Support Services’ most notable accomplishments in
2007 were far-reaching. Working with the Communications
Division, the unit helped manage a national broadcast media
monitoring and clipping service that is new to the office.
The service allows us to track and download television news
stories pertinent to District Attorney cases and initiatives. These
media downloads included case-related clips that provide
investigative leads, video that could be used in the courtroom
as evidence, and media coverage of the office.
TSS facilitated the first live streaming of the DA’s Citizens
Academy, a ten-week course that demystifies the criminal
justice system. The academy is free to the public, but putting
it on the Internet pushed the information out to a much
wider audience. Users logged on from remote locations and
hundreds of hits came from people in San Diego, across
California, and even out of state.
Trial Support Services added 3-D computer animation to
the tools the DDAs can use in the courtroom. This powerful
addition has helped prosecutors better communicate
complicated facts of a case to the jury. Juries have grown
to expect this type of presentation, in the wake of popular
crime scene investigation television shows like CSI. The DA’s
Trial Support Services Unit is at the forefront of DA offices
across the country in leveraging this cutting-edge design
technology.
Planning began in 2007 to move Trial Support Services into
a new home in the Hall of Justice. Construction began on
the fourth floor of the building and preparations were made
for the move. In addition, TSS staff in the DA’s South Bay
Branch also moved to a new location, along with the rest of
that branch’s employees. Both new facilities were designed
to maximize space and allow for growth.
Finally, Trial Support Services was honored by the Deputy
District Attorneys Association. The unit received an award
for Professional Excellence in the Pursuit of Justice for
preparation of courtroom exhibits.
At the end of 2007, the Trial Support Services Unit began
reporting directly to the DA’s Chief Administrative Officer. ■
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