EVERETT – Snohomish County prosecutor Janice Ellis is seeking volunteers from all walks of life to take part in a panel advising her office on standards for bringing criminal charges.
She hopes to get ideas on the types of crimes the office should emphasize in coming years.
“We hope to get conversations and recommendations on how to allocate our resources,” Ellis said.
For example, with the growth of identity theft and similar property crimes, she said the panel may recommend more emphasis in prosecuting those areas.
The cabinet is being formed against the backdrop of a limited number of prosecutors and a limited amount of time to handle cases, she said. Charging decisions should include having reasonable belief that someone committed a crime and assessing the likelihood of successful prosecution, Ellis said.
A similar panel was convened by former prosecutor Seth Dawson in the mid-1980s. The office has updated standards since then, but didn’t invite public participation, Ellis said.
She said she hopes to attract representatives of ethnic, racial and religious minorities to the panel, and would like it to convene in the middle of April.
She is seeking 20 to 25 individuals of all ages. The commitment would be for about 10 meetings. Each would be about two hours long.
Those interested may phone Jean Marie Young at 425-388-3772 or e-mail prosecuting. attorney@co.snohomish.wa.us.
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