1:00PM
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Richmond
Council Members Present
Robert B. Beasley (Powhatan County)
Nancy G. Parr (Chesapeake)
David N. Grimes (Pittsylvania County)
Christian E. Rehak (Radford)
Alexander R. Iden (Winchester)
Harvey L. Bryant (Virginia Beach)
Robert L. Bushnell (Henry County)
Donald S. Caldwell (Roanoke)
Neil S. Vener (Campbell County)
Michael R. Doucette (Lynchburg)
Kim S. White (Halifax County)
Wade A. Kizer (Henrico County)
Raymond F. Morrogh (Fairfax County)
Other Commonwealth’s Attorneys Present
Richard E. Trodden (Arlington/Falls Church)
James R. Ennis (Prince Edward County)
Linda D. Curtis (Hampton)
Wade A. Kizer (Henrico County)
Eileen M. Addison (York County/Poquoson)
Nathan R. Green (Williamsburg/James City County)
Matthew J. Britton (King George County)
Lisa K. Caruso (Dinwiddie County)
James E. Plowman (Loudoun County)
Michael J. Newman (Danville)
Trip Chalkley (Hanover County)
Howard Gwynn (Newport News)
E. M. Wright (Buckingham County)
Ed Stein, (Alleghany County)
Gary L. Close (Culpeper County)
John C. Singleton (Bath County)
Glenn Williamson (Frederick County)
Joan Ziglar (Martinsville)
Daniel M. Chichester (Stafford County)
Jonathan Lynn (Fauquier County)
William Neely (Spotsylvania County)
Gregory Underwood (Norfolk)
C. Phillips Ferguson (Suffolk)
CASC Staff Present
Robert Q. Harris
Lisa O. Hillman
Special Guests
Secretary of Public Safety Marla Decker
Pete Marone, Director, Department of Forensic Science
Call to Order
Mr. Beasley called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.
Consideration of the Minutes
The draft minutes for the February 17, 2011 meeting, previously were posted and circulated to Council. The minutes were approved as submitted.
Chairman’s Report
Mr. Beasley welcomed Council and the Commonwealth’s Attorneys to the meeting. Mr. Beasley deferred his Chairman’s Report
Administrator’s Report
Mr. Harris addressed the agenda items.
Spring Institute Update
Mr. Harris welcomed all for the Spring Institute. He noted the crowded conditions in the hotels and meeting rooms. When the Williamsburg site was selected over a year ago, Council expected a substantial drop-off in attendance because of budget shortfalls affecting CASC and local offices and because CASC was charging registration fees for the program. In fact, registration numbers have far exceeded the anticipated attendance – more than 650 prosecutors have registered. CASC has worked with the hotel to provide additional seating and has connected an overflow room by video link for the general sessions on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Crowding should ease when the program shifts to 3 tracks on Monday afternoon and Tuesday, and 2 tracks on Wednesday. Council already has decided on returning the CASC Spring Institute to Norfolk in 2012.
CASC Budget for 2011 – 2012
Mr. Harris advised Council that the General Assembly included a 2% reduction in general funds appropriations for the agency for FY2012.
John R. Justice Loan Forgiveness
Mr. Harris advised Council that DCJS soon will announce the prosecutors and public defenders who will be receiving awards in the John R. Justice Loan Forgiveness Program. The JRJ Program was funded by Congress last fall to provide loan repayment assistance for prosecutors and public defenders who agree to remain so employed for at least 3 years. Virginia’s share after administrative expenses was @ $190,000, and Congress mandated equal allocations between prosecutors and defenders. DCJS worked with CASC and the Indigent Defense Commission and developed a need-based formula focusing on an individual applicant’s qualified law school loan debt relative to their income, and secondarily followed a geographical disbursement. The number of grants and the amount of funding awarded is the same between prosecutors and public defenders. This year, 19 prosecutors will receive awards of approximately @ $5000.
Spring/Summer Training Programs
Mr. Harris thanked Public Secretary Marla Decker for her assistance in identifying funding support for the 2011 Top Gun program. The Top Gun program has adopted a gang-based scenario and added a drug prevention component this year.
CASC will not be offering a Homicide program this Spring, but may schedule a program later in the year if funding can be arranged. Mr. Harris reminded prosecutors to register for the DUID programs in Fredericksburg and Martinsville in April.
The dates for the VACA Annual Meeting at Virginia Beach are August 4 -7, 2011. Commonwealth’s Attorneys are encouraged to send names of individuals that VACA intends to include on the special invitees list.
Adjournment
There being no further business before Council, the meeting adjourned at 1:32p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of Council is Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 11:00 a.m. at the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office conference room.