District Attorney Candice Hooper recently completed her first
six months in office. She took some time Wednesday to sit down with
the Hollister Free Lance for a question-and-answer session on
subjects ranging from her accomplishments and challenges to a
decision on a recent officer-involved shooting.
District Attorney Candice Hooper recently completed her first six months in office. She took some time Wednesday to sit down with the Hollister Free Lance for a question-and-answer session on subjects ranging from her accomplishments and challenges to a decision on a recent officer-involved shooting.
Free Lance: How has the transition from the John Sarsfield administration gone for you?
Hooper: I think it’s gone very well. I have a great staff. They’ve been very supportive.
FL: I know there was a backlog.
Hooper: There’s still a few outstanding cases, but the majority, like 99.9 percent of it, is caught up. It’s still being typed, but it’s been addressed.
FL: What kind of time frame are you looking at before you’re completely caught up? I know you had said by July 1, (the start of) your budget year.
Hooper: I wanted it by June 30, which we pretty much met, maybe a couple of weeks longer with the rally and all. But as of this week, there are very few cases still left unreviewed.
FL: What do you think has been your biggest challenge in your first six months?
Hooper: For me personally it is transitioning out of the court, because I love the court work, the courtroom work. I’m not able to be in there as much as I’d like to, and there’s no way I can be in there as much as before. I was in there constantly.
FL: What are some of the things that you’ve accomplished in your first six months that you can stand by and say you’re proud of?
Hooper: There are a few things, I believe. We got (San Benito County Victim/Witness) back. We’ve been able to address the backlog. I believe that there is a good working relationship with law enforcement. That was a big concern. And we’ve been able to address grants. We’ve gotten some grants that we hadn’t gotten before. Not only law enforcement, but re-establishing communications with the (Board of Supervisors) too. The board has been very supportive, as has been everybody. The community, the agencies, everybody has been great.
FL: It seems like in the first six months of this year there has been an abnormal amount of violence in Hollister.
Hooper: Yes. That’s impacted my office quite a bit.
FL: As the district attorney, what do you think should be done to curb some of that? How do you plan to work with some of the agencies to help get that down?
Hooper: I’m asking for additional staff for the next fiscal year. I’m asking for an additional attorney so that we can have one of the more experienced attorneys receive specialized training in the area of violence. I have been asking for stiffer penalties so that these crimes do not go unpunished, that there will be some type of deterrent. Originally, I was not seeking an additional investigator; however, with the multiple homicides that we have pending, I am asking for an another investigator.
FL: Are there any other additional goals you have for the rest of the year? Or long range?
Hooper: Continue to work on communication and relationships with law enforcement. One of my goals that I did not fulfill was the truancy (program). We began working with the board of education to implement both (Student Attendance Review Board) and truancy mediation programs. Unfortunately, those did not get off the ground as quickly as I wanted. We’re still working on it. That is a goal that I will continue to go after.
FL: Do you think the truancy program is something that could help solve a lot of other crimes?
Hooper: Most definitely. To me those go hand-in-hand. That’s one of the things I have not been able to accomplish yet. We’re still trying to implement it. We were hoping to have it off and running already, so that’s a disappointment. Things just don’t move as quickly as I like.
FL: Are you happy with the way the officer-involved shooting worked out? Was everything done fairly?
Hooper: I’m not sure what you mean. Is it over? I don’t know. Our portion of it is. I wanted all the reports in before we made the decision. It was a tragic event. Any time there’s loss of life, it’s a tragic event.
