Adam Sherritt, Shelby County District Attorney, and Chief Administrative Officer Jessica Indangaro presented the DA’s FY26 requests to the Budget Subcommittee on March 19, highlighting IT modernization, additional paralegals and technical litigation staff.

Sherritt said the office seeks migration to Microsoft 365 because the DA’s current operating systems are “12 to 15 years old” and the upgrade would align the office with county IT standards and improve security and collaboration. He said the state will pay one-time transition costs and state employee licenses; the county would be asked to cover county employee licensing costs.

Why it matters: The DA’s office handles major criminal prosecutions, discovery and evidence presentation. Upgrading IT and adding staff, the office said, will speed case processing and improve the presentation of digital evidence to juries.

Key requests and context

- Microsoft 365 migration: The office said the state will pay transition costs and state licenses; the DA asked the county to fund county-seat licensing costs. The DA’s presentation said the migration had been discussed in prior budget cycles but was not completed.

- Off-site storage: The DA requested an increase of $37,500 for off-site storage costs on a transitional basis, with the expectation that the state may assume the cost over time.

- Paralegals: The office asked for additional paralegals to reduce a small existing shortfall; presenters said six paralegals were previously added via a mid-year amendment and the office still needs more to reach an optimal staffing level for vertical trial teams.

- Technical litigation analysts and video technicians: The office requested additional technical litigation analysts to prepare and edit large volumes of body-worn camera and other digital evidence. Presenters said the office currently relies on two video technicians and seeks two more to maintain trial readiness and presentation quality.

- Drug Task Force temporary agent: The DA said a temporary agent would be self-funded from forfeiture revenues and requested budget permission to add the position while reimbursements occur.

Quotes and evidence

- “We have seen significant declines in crime across all categories,” Adam Sherritt said, summarizing recent quarterly trends the office included in its annual report.
- Sherritt also noted that “the number of trials in 2024 increased by about 60% over 2023,” a figure he said the office attributes to policy and case-prioritization changes.

What commissioners asked and next steps

Commissioners asked for specific pay grades and exact salary figures for proposed positions; the DA’s office said Oracle/enterprise calculations provide the precise salary-plus-fringe totals and committed to returning with detailed position descriptions and pay grades. No formal actions were taken; the presentation was for subcommittee consideration as part of the FY26 process.

Ending

The DA’s office said it will file written job descriptions and precise salary-grade numbers for requested positions and will coordinate with county IT and finance to refine cost-sharing for the Microsoft 365 migration.