MINNEAPOLIS — When a prosecutor in Minnesota considers how to charge a suspect, they weigh factors like criminal history and past court actions, information that is relevant and essential in crimes like domestic abuse.
County attorneys across the state used to rely heavily on a computer platform called Odyssey Assistant that provided relevant information in one place, but over the last month, Minnesota State Court Administration has phased out access to the platform. In a letter signed by 75 county attorneys statewide, they raise concern that the alternatives provided to them by the state could result in prosecutorial errors.
KARE 11 News has obtained a copy of the letter, which was written by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and co-signed by prosecutors ranging from all county attorneys across the metro to Minnesota's smallest rural counties such as Traverse and Wilkin.
Moriarty cited concerns raised by staff who use the new system daily. They're experiencing problems searching criminal history, accessing court calendars, and viewing active warrants. She says while manually searching for a defendant's criminal history, prosecutors are now forced to skim through a list of names, with the same person appearing several times in the list due to data entry issues.
"Which means it can be easy to miss a prior conviction. If a name is spelled wrong, the person's history could be missed altogether," Moriarty explained. "This means at the time of a charging decision, prosecutors may not be aware that the case should be enhanced (domestic abuse cases, for example). It also impacts a prosecutor's assessment of criminal history and offers that might be made to resolve a case," the letter reads.
The letter is addressed to Minnesota State Court Administrator Jeff Shorba, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and Minnesota Court of Appeals Chief Judge Susan Segal.
The prosecutors are asking that access to the Odyssey Assistant platform be restored, or for improvements to be made to the replacement systems.
In a letter to Moriarty Shorba addressed some of the concerns and stated that the platform is no longer available because of a lack of future updates and support from the company, along with concerns over cybersecurity.
Shorba acknowledged Odyssey Assistant had more robust features than the new tools available to prosecutors, but added, "other concerns about alternate products are based on a lack of use by individuals and a misunderstanding of functionality of specific products."
Wilkin County Attorney Joseph Glasrud said he has noticed a difference in the month since his office lost access.
"We can't simply access court information as quickly or efficiently," Glasrud said. "It's important to have the best access possible during court hearings. I’ve worked for three different small counties and we need to keep things efficient."
Shorba indicated Minnesota State Court Administration is making improvements to the various computer platforms based on feedback from prosecutors, and that discussion on the matter will continue.
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