DA has allies back call for raises

Backed by an array of other local law-enforcement leaders, Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan appealed to the City Council on Thursday to find as much as $1 million to give raises to his prosecutors.

Jordan said the starting salary for an assistant district attorney in his office is $38,000, which he said is $12,000 less than he needs to attract and retain capable lawyers ready to face off with experienced defense attorneys in court.

Thanks to a recent $5,000 raise, the state pays $35,000 of each prosecutor's salary. A federal grant adds $3,000. Parishes can supplement that with as much as they choose. Jordan said a $50,000 entry-level salary would be "a good place for us to be."

Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said New Orleans police officers now earn more after their rookie year than starting prosecutors do. Giving prosecutors a significant raise "is indispensable if we are to be successful" in fighting crime, he said.

Jordan and his predecessor, Harry Connick, have appealed to the council many times in recent years to provide more money to the DA's office, usually garnering sympathetic words but relatively little money.

Council members Thursday said they understand the logic of Jordan's arguments and would like to help him, though none committed to providing as much money as he said he needs.

Mayor Ray Nagin will present his 2007 operating budget to the council Nov. 1. If it follows past form, it is likely to allocate far less to Jordan's office than he wants.

Jordan said Orleans Parish assistant district attorneys "historically have been the least well-paid prosecutors in Louisiana," leading to constant turnover and a lack of experienced personnel.

He said he lost 40 prosecutors, or 47 percent of his staff, in 2005, with more than half of the departures occurring before Hurricane Katrina, and has lost another 20 this year. As a result, 22 of the 28 lawyers in the trial division have less than two years of experience, he said.

Pete Adams, executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, said the salaries offered in New Orleans make it impossible to recruit and retain quality prosecutors.

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