Criminal justice director ready to reorganize county’s pre-trial services

El Paso County is finally seeing some action on the creation of the Criminal Justice Department, which is intended to get a better handle on pre-trial services in the county.

New Criminal Justice Director Michael Rodriguez is in just his sixth day on the job, and said a couple dozen employees have been consolidated in his department, in place at the jails and soon the county courthouse as well.

County commissioners approved funds to build a space for a satellite booking office in the courthouse basement. That will add to what the new department can do, and get it closer to full time operations.

“The whole idea is to get to a 24-7 operation at the jail with the magistrates and my staff as well as like district court people and court coordinators,” Rodriguez said, “which is going to be rough to get through, but once we get there, it’s to everybody’s benefit to be able to do that 24-7, and to get people into and out of the jail quicker.”

Rodriguez says the county is on track to have around the clock criminal justice operations in place by the end of the year. The county also hiring another court clerk to support 25-hour jail magistration, with idea of always having a judge on had at the jail and the CJD be a 24 hour operation by December