Law enforcement agencies saving money with new prosecuting program
It’s called the Special Assistant United States Attorney program or SAUSA and it’s saving taxpayers in eastern Idaho a lot of money.
SAUSA is essentially an agreement made by multiple law-enforcement agencies in eastern Idaho to connect and collaborate when prosecuting criminals, specifically those who have committed several crimes in several law enforcement jurisdictions. It allows law enforcement agencies to prosecute them once for any crimes committed within the region, no matter the location.
“We address all of the activity that’s going on within jurisdictions up and down the valley, not just addressing say for example what’s going on in Bingham County,” said Cleve Colson, the Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney.
Previous practices would require a trial in every county or city where a crime was committed. By prosecuting criminals only once in one county or city for all crimes committed, tax payers save thousands of dollars in court costs.
SAUSA also allows local officials to go prosecute offenders through the federal court system. Colson said this is particularly effective with drug traffickers. Many of them get sentenced to prisons outside the region and away from their connections and regional drug distribution networks.
The partnership in eastern Idaho was officially launched in January of 2016. So far 38 people have been prosecuted under the agreement, with the most common offenses being drug and gun related.
