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It was, in David Kolbe's joking words, part pep talk, part sermon, part analysis and part preview.
Tuesday night was the second annual Kosciusko County Prosecutor's Forum and Kolbe delivered all parts of his promise during the evening.
The forum opened with an introduction of the staff and a review of the first half of his term.
Kolbe said the problem with previous prosecutor's offices was a lack of leadership. "We make the decisions on the sorts of cases that are filed," he said.
"The county government has given the office what it has needed to be more effective," said Kolbe. "Our county council has been incredibly generous and responsible in recognizing that this office needs to address the issues of crime."
Kolbe's office staff has increased by six members in the last two years. Paralleling the increase in staff the prosecutor cited an increase in felony cases filed, child molest cases filed, felony charges for driving while intoxicated, child support and bad checks collected.
1995-96 saw an increase in felony charges filed over 1993-94. Kolbe said during the first two years of his term 955 felony cases have been filed, versus 570 in the last two years of the previous prosecutor's term.
After illustrating the increase in the number of cases filed, Kolbe listed his concerns and changes in programs for the coming year:
4 Drunk Driving - Second offense drunk drivers will face a felony charge. Kolbe said establishing this policy would help battle what he called a "subtle crisis" in the county.
4 Victims Assistance - A Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program will be established to divert some cases from criminal proceedings.
4 Bad Checks - Charges will be filed Friday against persons with outstanding bad checks in Kosciusko County as part of a "check sting."
4 Juveniles - Kolbe said the county cannot effectively deal with young offenders without access to a juvenile detention center. The office is researching methods to deal with offenders. Currently juveniles are sent home with parents after charges are filed.
4 Computers - The prosecutor plans to retain a computer consultant to estimate the cost-effectiveness of modifying the current system to track cases. Currently standard case length is nine months, Kolbe estimated.
4 Substance Abuse - The prosecutor said the office is sending a lot of people to prison for substance abuse. He questioned, though, what the office could do in terms of rehabilitation and prevention.
While discussing substance abuse Kolbe considered the future of rehabilitation versus incarceration in drug cases.
"I'm not here to say that we should legalize drugs, and I'm not here to say that we ought not to take a firm stand, but how can we affect the issue of demand, not supply?" Kolbe asked. "After all, if people don't want it, it won't get sold."
Kolbe said he did not have a clear handle how to decrease drug demand and help offenders. He theorized that the initiative could result in cooperative efforts between drug treatment centers and the prosecutor's office.
"We (as a culture) are spending an awful lot of money throwing the key away for political splash, and it doesn't seem to be working, does it?" he said.
