DA spends nearly $90,000 on travel

In the Houston County district attorney’s annual budget, there are two kinds of travel — expenses for witnesses who are often transported to the area for trials, and conferences, seminars and continuing education for DA staff.

Travel expenses in the latter group far outpaces witness expenses, which can include flying in witnesses or experts, putting them up in hotels and buying their meals.

The DA’s office spent more than $88,000 this past year on seminars and conferences, which is $10,000 short of District Attorney Doug Valeska’s budget shortfall after state cuts to funding went into effect in the second quarter of the 2008-09 fiscal year.

According to documents obtained by the Eagle, three accounts paid for the bulk of all travel expenses last year: Pre-trial diversion fund, solicitor’s fund and the victim witness fund.

About $46,000 was spent for travel from the Pre-Trial Diversion Fund. More than $41,200 went for conferences and seminars. Staffers also attended conferences at a Disney resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and in New Orleans.

Another $45,000 was spent on conference travel from the DA’s Solicitor’s Fund.

This included a $30,600 rental fee to Brett Robinson Vacation Rentals to pay for room charges for DA staff and speakers at the Houston County DA Conference and Alabama District Attorney Association summer conference last July 3-11. Registration fees for these two conferences totaled $3,600.

Travel for training also included three conferences in San Francisco. District Attorney Doug Valeska defends the travel to such a distant destination, saying his staff must have additional training and the conferences in California are put on by the top experts in their respective fields. They are, he said, among the best training available for a staff that has one of the highest case loads in the state.

“To try capital murder, rape, sodomy cases like we do, the law changes every day. The defense gets everybody in here to try to defeat us,” Valeska said. “The importance of conferences is to learn from experts in the field. There is so much involved with DNA, closing statements, cross examination — the only way to be ready for court is to train.”

Valeska acknowledged conferences can be expensive, but the San Francisco conferences attract DAs from across the country, as well as U.S. Attorneys and states attorneys.

“These are national conferences. What is the price you put on justice? Doctors train. Police train. Don’t you want the most skilled surgeons working on you?”
The National District Attorney’s Association holds numerous conferences each year at the University of South Carolina in subjects ranging from child abuse prosecution to jury selection. The local staff did not attend any of those conferences last year.

When asked if there was training closer, in places like Atlanta, Valeska said trial schedules conflicted with those dates. The San Francisco conferences are recommended by the bar association, Valeska said.

“You go where the training is. The auditors approved that,” he said. “Doug Valeska can’t try every case. The only way can (successfully prosecute) is through training. It is where the best training by far is. The judges in the circuit have been to the training.”

The San Francisco seminars included a March 2008 conference on “Discovery”; a June conference on “Confidential Informants”; and an August conference on the “Death Penalty.”

Valeska attended all three. Other attendees included: ADA Gary Maxwell (Discovery conference); ADAs Denise Pippen and Arthur Medley (Confidential Informants); and ADA Pippen and Arthur Medley, and Houston County Chief Deputy Donald Valenza.

The March 25-28 conference included the following charges, based on documents provided by Valeska: Airfare: $2,566 for two DA staff members; Room charges: $1,277; Food: $549; Shuttle services: $40. Records show that Valeska reimbursed an $80 overweight luggage charge.

A current check of a comparable coach seat on Delta Airlines from Dothan to San Francisco, booked two weeks in advance, like the DA’s office did on that flight, shows round-trip tickets cost about $650 per person. Valeska did not say if spouses attended the conference, but there is no record of reimbursement on the information provided.

Airfare for three DA staff members to attend the June 12-13 conference was $3,016; room charges were $2,357; food expenses for the group was $54; registration to the California District Attorney Association was $450. Valeska reimbursed $105 for excess baggage.

The Aug. 26-31 conference cost $4,814 for airfare; $1,236 for food; $4,530 for hotel rooms; $170 for cab fare and shuttle service from the airport.
Valeska said his staff needs the training these conferences provide, particularly those who are relatively new to prosecution. But based on their individual pay scales, it was not the less experienced staffers who attended the California conferences.

“I have a young staff that can’t go try capital murder cases. With this new judgeship, it stretches me out even further. Why do I have to create 50 percent of my budget? I don’t get money for a car. I have to save up. We have been conservative with our money. When the state created the last judgeship, I got no money.

“Training is extremely important. Everybody trains. You go to DA conferences and me and my staff are there. We’re not off playing. You have to prove you went and attended the courses. Auditors check the expenses. They are all legal.”

The Victim’s Witness Fund paid the $975 registration fee for three staffers to attend the Victim’s Service Officer’s Association annual meeting last May.
Valeska defended all the expenditures, saying his staff works hard.

“Sure it is justified. Do you want to be trained or untrained? I have 62 robberies that occurred last year,” he said. “This is how you train. The bar recognizes it. The bar wants more training. Do you want a surgeon who has the minimum skills? My staff needs to get away. They need time to get away when people aren’t calling them 24 hours a day. They have the top death penalty conferences in San Francisco. That’s where you learn to win cases.”