Feb 12, 2019 3 min read

Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower is seeking the Democrat nod for re-election in the May primary.

Since taking office in 2016, Bower has streamlined the criminal trial process, reducing the number of trials from about 150 trials yearly to about 30 trials yearly. He and the Common Pleas judges implemented a fast track plea system where defendants accepting plea bargains at a preliminary hearing are pled and sentenced within about three months.

Further use of Intermediate Punishment program has reduced the time needed for processing criminal cases, Bower said, saving the county substantial money related to the prison. This program is normally for non-violent offenders.

Bower and his staff have also used the county’s mental health, veterans and drug courts to address underlying issues that lead to criminal behavior.

He said he also worked to clear a backlog of cases in the juvenile court system. In 2016, several cases had been in the system for up to four years without being adjudicated. Bower implemented a system that cleared the backlog within a year. Cases are now addressed within three to six months, providing justice and addressing juveniles’ issues in a more timely manner.

Bower also revamped the county’s drug task force, first changing its name to the Fayette County Bureau of Investigation as a result of the issues surrounding certain members who are no longer on involved. The bureau handles drug and vice issues and investigations and works closely with the state police and the state Attorney General’s office. Additionally, Bower divided the administration of the bench warrant list between the two chief county detectives and the county sheriff, making each individual responsible for four months yearly.

Bower is personally involved from the investigation beginnings of serious crimes and has been at the scenes of all homicides since he became district attorney.

Since taking office, he’s updated the office’s computer systems and an antiquated scheduling system used since 1960s, replacing it with a scheduling program that can be accessed via cellphone. He’s provided all assistant prosecutors with laptops and the ability to remotely access the office systems. Bower has also provided television systems for all five courtrooms so that evidence can be more efficiently presented.

“When I took office, I promised to streamline the system and make it more efficient. I have done so and will continue to work to make it even more efficient. Albeit I had the ideas mentioned in my announcement, I could not have accomplished all that I have without my staff, the county detectives, assistant district attorneys, the judges, all the police departments, the sheriff’s office, probation officers, personnel in the clerk of courts office and court administrator’s office, the Crime Victims Center, Fayette County Drug and Alcohol, Children and Youth Services, the county commissioners, and the defense attorneys all working together to improve and make the court system more efficient,” Bower said. “It was and will continue to be a joint effort to further improve and make more efficient our court system.”