Office Workers Play Key Role in Prosecution

Before the reporters gather and the Court TV cameras go on, before the tension of a major trial mounts to the clash of cross-examinations and summations, prosecutors have to rely heavily on more than just their law school training to prepare them for the courtroom duel.

Behind the scenes interviewing witnesses, handling filings and doing the unglamorous support work for the lawyers are people like Donna Nagamine. As office manager for the Van Nuys division of the district attorney’s office, Nagamine is what Van Nuys filing deputy Robert Cohen calls “the glue that keeps it all together.”

Each year the district attorney’s office hands out two awards, one to the most valuable investigator and another to the most valued support worker. Nagamine was recently given the $4,000 Jemison support award after being nominated by her co-workers at the Van Nuys office.

“We get our pats on the back and kudos all the time,” said Cohen. “But people like her never get any credit. So when she got that award, we all just felt like something good just happened.”

Though you won’t see her name in the headlines, Nagamine is responsible for making sure lawyers have all the necessary background material before they head to court. Some of the duties assigned to Nagamine’s 15 or so employees are transcribing tapes from interviews with witnesses, reviewing 911 tapes and mounting photographs for the display boards for court proceedings.

When the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged the computer system at the San Fernando and Van Nuys offices, Cohen said Nagamine rounded up the employees from both facilities and quickly devised a system to coordinate the case filings without the need for computers.

All over the city, other little-known employees like Nagamine make a big difference. Herman Millholland, who supervises the district attorney’s Victim Witness Assistance program, said the support staff at the 27 D.A.’s offices often develop intense and long-lasting relationships with the victims and witnesses they are assigned to handle.

Victim witness coordinators are paired with victims, their relatives or witnesses from the start of a trial to sentencing. Under the pressure of dealing with each other day in and day out in a high-stress situation, the county workers often become not only legal advocates but friends too.

“Sometimes for more than a year my staff works with some of the people every day, from going to court with them to talking to them on the phone,” said Millholland. “There’s no doubt that a bond develops between them [that lasts] long after the trial is over.”

Working through the process of seeing a suspect get arrested, stand trial and then being convicted is the icing on the cake for many of the support staff.

“It’s a rewarding experience to see a person get justice,” said Millholland. “And it’s an even better joy when you help that individual come face to face with their assaulter. It’s just pure elation. And many of our attorneys won’t handle a case without some of our advocates involved.”

In addition to their administrative tasks, the unheralded workers perform crisis counseling and administer referrals to other city agencies.

“It’s good to be able to go home at night and realize that you have made a difference in their lives,” Millholland said. “Our office has received numerous letters from people thanking us for the work that we do.”