A staff shortage in the Victims Assistance Department at the Nueces County District Attorney’s office is causing worry and frustration for crime victims.
After District Attorney Mark Gonzalez went on social media to post an update about the vacancy in that department within his office, KRIS 6 News looked into the process of hiring replacements for crime assistance coordinators.
The post said Gonzalez can’t make a new hire until someone officially leaves. Then he said the position has to be open for a week before interviews can be done.
However, according to county records, Gonzalez has had more than a month to fill the vacancy after Rosa Maria Cervantes retired on Dec. 31, 2018.
Instead of reporting how local victim advocate retires after 34 years of service to the community, they report this bs….
Posted by Mark Gonzalez on Monday, February 18, 2019
Some county positions are under a hiring freeze, but the county judge can grant exemptions in emergency situations.
“We don’t want to let any department head be left hanging if they’ve got an emergency situation or urgent situation that’s going to prohibit them from doing their job for the residents of Nueces County,” County Commissioner Brent Chesney said.
Chesney further explained the process.
“If any elected official or department head goes to the county judge and says, ‘Look, I need that freeze waived because I need this position filled,’ the county judge on her own accord, because we’ve given her that ability, can say it’s urgent and something we need to do,” Chesney said.
KRIS 6 News contacted Gonzalez and first assistant DA Matt Manning to ask if they have requested an emergency job opening be created. We were told they were both unavailable for comment.
