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Man in the Middle: Retiring liaison helped those on both sides of the law
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Published: October 1, 2009
One of the best friends the taxpayers of Forsyth County never knew they had left his office at the Hall of Justice for the last time yesterday.
Stephen Dobson, a liaison between the district attorney's office and the sheriff's department, retired from a job that's definitely under the radar.
A genial man with a megawatt smile, Dobson has saved the taxpayers millions by helping to expedite cases involving low-level offenders.
At a cost of around $65 per inmate per day, expenses pile up fast in a jail with a capacity of 1,016. Moving people through the system quickly saves money.
"Between police, prosecutors, public defenders, clerks, other court officials and the detainees themselves, there are lots of hands in the soup," said Sheriff Bill Schatzman, Dobson's employer. "Having a talented guy coordinating between those folks really helps keep things moving along."
Proven track record
Dobson came to a job he grew to love by accident. He'd retired from Westinghouse Electric Corp. and had gone to work for the sheriff's office as a detention officer.
While Dobson was working at the jail, judicial officials learned about a grant that would pay for the liaison's position for two years. That was 13 years ago.
"I had to prove this thing could work," Dobson said at his retirement party. "I guess I did because the county picked up the job and paid for it after the grant ran out."
Here's how the job works: Dobson stayed on the move between the jail, courtrooms and various lawyer's offices. Along the way, he might learn about people in jail for low-level offenses who decided that they want to plead guilty or had bonds that they just couldn't pay.
With prosecutors and public defenders -- particularly those who work in the district courts -- juggling a few hundred cases at any given time, having a person such as Dobson improves communication dramatically and cuts down on jail time.
Guilty pleas for misdemeanors often result in offenders being sentenced to time served. Lowered bond amounts for those accused of petty, nonviolent crimes gets people out of jail who don't need to be in there. Or he might learn about an inmate who's pregnant or has a serious illness.
By having those cases dealt with sooner, taxpayers wouldn't be on the hook for expensive medical bills that the county would be obligated to cover for inmates.
Making a difference
Numbers dating back to 1999 quantify Dobson's impact for the flinty-eyed budget hawks -- 2,087 inmates whose cases were moved up for plea bargains and 43,100 beds. At current rates, that's about $2.8 million.
Not shabby, but the intangible value of his service is also impressive.
"Instead of having people sit there for 30 days, Steve helped us get people to court early, " said Kevin Mauney, an assistant public defender. "And he's just an incredibly nice guy. You can always get him on the phone."
While he appreciates the bottom-line savings, Dobson cherishes his impact on people's lives just as much.
"Jail is a revolving door for some," Dobson said. "But for others, particularly some of the poorer kids, they just need a break somewhere along the line. Hopefully I made a difference in some people's lives."
At the moment, no replacement for Dobson has been hired. Difficult economic circumstances might drag out the process longer than necessary. In this case, it sure seems as if the job's $40,000 annual salary is a worthwhile investment.
ssexton@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7481
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