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Nov 28, 2006 9:17 pm US/Central
Watkins Preparing For Dallas County D.A.'s Office
by Sarah Dodd
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
It's been three weeks since Dallas County voters elected Craig Watkins into the District Attorney's office, but he has not yet detailed what his plan will be when he takes over in January. "People continue to say the sky is falling," said State Senator Royce West. "Of course not."
Watkins is reluctant to give exact details on how he will run the District Attorney's office, but did say, "I'm going to be different from what we've had. "We've been prosecuting people without a purpose."
The future District Attorney is currently putting together a team of experienced community leaders to help him set policy and determine which prosecutors will stay and who will go. West is leading the transition team. He described Watkins as "a blank sheet of paper that is ready to effect change in Dallas County."
Watkins will manage a total of 230 prosecutors, but about 150 of them volunteered on his opponent's campaign. Many prosecutors say that they're fearful of being fired.
"Just because there's new leadership doesn't mean they'll have to go," said Watkins.
However, Watkins did acknowledge that he has started interviewing new prosecutors. He said that he isn't ready to talk numbers just yet.
Dan Hagood was in the District Attorney's office for 12 years, and he saw a similar 'changing of the guard' when Henry Wade left. Hagood insists that, even if there are personnel changes in the faces at the courthouse, victims will still find justice. "It's not about a person," said Hagood. "The Criminal Justice Center is a process that will move forward. They will move forward."
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