First Term
Accomplishments
“I’m proud of the work the prosecutor’s office has done in my first term. We have created a more efficient and responsive prosecutor’s office, while also treating the opposition fairly, representing people well, and seeking justice. I look forward to continuing this progress.”
Since taking office in 2019, Chad Enright has implemented many improvements to the prosecutor’s office, including:
Girls
Court
Chad’s office partnered with Kitsap Superior Court and the Center for Children and Youth Justice to create Washington State’s first Girls Court in juvenile court. This therapeutic court model provides holistic support services to young women, giving them the opportunity to move towards a successful future.
LFO
Reconsideration Day
The prosecutor’s office partnered with Civil Survival for Washington State’s first Legal Financial Obligations (LFO) reconsideration day, creating the opportunity for overwhelming legal debt to be forgiven.
Domestic Violence Firearm Program
Chad’s office created a position dedicated to enforcing Washington’s Domestic Violence Firearm Surrender law. Now all police reports alleging domestic violence are reviewed by a prosecutor to determine if firearms were present and seek surrender of those firearms if domestic violence charges are brought.
Financial Crimes and Felony Traffic Crimes Program
Chad has dedicated a prosecutor to financial, as well as felony traffic offenses. With new technology and investigative tools available to law enforcement, these types of cases have become increasingly complex and require an understanding of the math and science principles used by investigators. Learning these concepts and how to apply them to criminal cases has allowed Kitsap prosecutors to be able to present stronger cases to juries and seek enhanced sentences for those who are victims of complex fraud or victims of serious felony traffic offenses.
High Priority Offender Program
In 2021, Chad’s office sought grant money to create a High Priority Offender Program. Beginning this year, new case management software will be installed that allows the prosecutor’s office to use data and analytics to focus resources on the offenders responsible for the most crime committed in Kitsap County.
Welcome Home Project
Chad’s office partnered with the Port Gamble S’klallam Tribe and Kitsap County Jail to expand the tribe’s Welcome Home Project to non-native inmates. This program provides comprehensive pre- and post-release resources to those leaving jail, in order to reduce recidivism.
National Expungement Week
Through a partnership with Civil Survival, Kitsap County held one of Washington State’s first National Expungement Week celebrations. This event allowed hundreds of people eligible to have their criminal convictions removed from their record see their convictions vacated, giving those who have served their time the ability to move forward.
Institute for Innovation in Prosecution
Chad’s office partnered with New York’s John Jay College Institute for Innovation in Prosecution as part of their Beyond Big Cities initiative, specifically on the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) project. Beyond Big Cities members came together to discuss their experiences with IPV cases and highlight successful approaches to combating IPV in smaller communities. In Kitsap, the Sexual Assualt Investigation and Victim’s Services (Kitsap SAIVS) has been used to demonstrate to other prosecutors nationwide how prosecutors can partner with law enforcement and how victim service providers can develop IPV or Domestic Violence protocols that place a priority on victim needs and community safety.
Public Records
Officer
The Public Records Act recognizes that the community has the right to be informed about what their local government is doing. The Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office receives over 150 requests for prosecutor records each year. Some may be simple requests for a particular document, whereas others may require review of thousands of pages of documents to meet the requester’s needs. In order to provide these important records with increased speed, efficiency, and accuracy, Chad’s office created and hired a new role of Public Records Officer. This dedicated public records officers provides requesters with a single point of contact for them to work with in finding the documents they need.
Implicit Bias Training
Chad ensured all prosecutor’s office employees participated in an implicit bias training from Dr. Bryant T. Marks. Dr. Marks is the Founding Director of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity and is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Morehouse College.