Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC)

For Immediate Release
March 20, 2007

For More Information, contact:
Chris Gaal, Office of the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney, 349-2670

PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE RECEIVES GRANT TO JOIN PROSLINK NETWORK

Bloomington, IN — Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Gaal today announced the receipt of $69,070 in grant funding from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to implement the ProsLink case-management software system. ProsLink is currently used by prosecutors in eighty-six counties throughout the State.

“Monroe County is one of the last counties in Indiana not using the program,” Gaal said. “Moving to ProsLink will allow us to network with other prosecutor’s offices state-wide, access better information on criminal histories, and generate charging documents and track cases more efficiently.” Monroe County’s latecomer status is ironic given that ProsLink is a Bloomington-based company started in 1987. ProsLink developed the software network at the request of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council.

ProsLink collects criminal records at a central repository accessible to prosecutor’s offices throughout the state. The ProsLink network currently retains and disseminates over ninety percent of criminal histories in the State of Indiana. At the present time, Monroe County is not linked into the network, and thus prosecution data from Monroe County has been unavailable to other counties through ProsLink.

“The Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council has encouraged sharing of information through ProsLink, and the system has become standard for prosecutor’s offices across the state,” Gaal said.

The grant requires matching funding of $23,000, that may be contributed in-kind from work performed by personnel already employed in the Prosecutor’s Office. Funding will be used to purchase the software program, install the network, train employees in the use of the system, and convert old data over the course of the next year. Gaal hopes to get the new system set up and running as soon as possible following the busy Little 500 weekend.

For Immediate Release
August 3, 2010

Contact: Chris Gaal, Office of the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney, 349-2670

GAAL ELECTED TO INDIANA PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS COUNCIL (IPAC) BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bloomington, IN –No prosecutor from Monroe County has ever served on the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) Board of Directors since its creation in 1973. That changed when Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Gaal was elected to serve by his colleague prosecutors from around the state at their summer conference in July.

IPAC is a state agency whose membership includes all of the prosecuting attorneys and chief deputies from ninety-two counties throughout Indiana. It is governed by a ten member Board of Directors. The council assists prosecuting attorneys by preparing manuals, providing legal research, conducting training seminars, and also advises other government agencies on issues of benefit to law enforcement and the fair administration of justice. One of the most important duties of the IPAC board is to advise state legislators on proposals to change Indiana’s criminal laws.

Gaal will serve at a crucial time as the state legislature is currently set to re-write and re-codify Indiana’s entire criminal code for the first time in more than thirty years. The General Assembly created the Criminal Code Evaluation Commission to recommend comprehensive changes– including the classification of criminal offenses, sentencing and corrections. The Commission is chaired by Bloomington State Representative Matt Pierce, and will rely on advice from IPAC, as well as representatives from the Indiana Public Defender’s Council, judges and others involved with Indiana’s criminal justice system.

“I am very pleased that Chris Gaal has been selected to play this important role at the state level,” said Representative Matt Pierce. “I look forward to working closely with him and other stakeholders from around the state as we take on this important project. Monroe County has been a leader in many criminal justice issues, and legislators will benefit greatly from hearing Chris’s common sense ideas to improve the system.”

For Immediate Release
July 14, 2011

Contact: Chris Gaal, Office of the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney, 349-2670

GAAL CHOSEN AS VICE CHAIR FOR STATE PROSECUTOR’S COUNCIL

Bloomington, IN – Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Gaal will serve as Vice Chair for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) Board of Directors. Gaal was chosen by a general membership meeting at the Prosecutor’s Summer Conference which took place in French Lick July 6-8. Todd Meyer of Boone County will serve as Chair for the coming year.

IPAC is a state agency whose membership includes all of the prosecuting attorneys and chief deputies from ninety-two counties throughout Indiana. It is governed by a ten-member Board of Directors. The Council assists prosecuting attorneys by preparing manuals, providing legal research, conducting training seminars, and also advises other government agencies on issues of benefit to law enforcement and the fair administration of justice.

An important function of IPAC is to advise state legislators on proposals to change Indiana’s criminal laws. The General Assembly recently created the Criminal Code Evaluation Commission to review Indiana’s entire criminal code for the first time in more than thirty years. The Commission is reviewing a broad range of issues, including the classification of criminal offenses, sentencing and corrections.

For Immediate Release
July 17, 2012

Contact: Chris Gaal, Office of the Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney
(812) 349-2670

INDIANA PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS COUNCIL CHOOSES GAAL AS BOARD CHAIR

Bloomington, IN – Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Gaal will serve as Chair for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC) Board of Directors. Gaal was chosen by a general membership meeting at the Prosecutor’s Summer Conference which took place in Fort Wayne, from July 11-13.

IPAC is a state agency whose membership includes all of the prosecuting attorneys and chief deputies from ninety-two counties throughout Indiana. It is governed by a ten-member Board of Directors. The Council assists prosecuting attorneys by preparing manuals, providing legal research, conducting training seminars, and also advises other government agencies on issues of benefit to law enforcement and the fair administration of justice.

An important function of IPAC is to advise state legislators on proposals to change Indiana’s criminal laws. The General Assembly is currently reviewing Indiana’s criminal code.

“I am honored and privileged to be chosen by my colleagues to serve in this capacity,” said Gaal. “I look forward to working with fellow prosecutors to improve crime prevention and public safety strategies for the citizens of Indiana.”

For Immediate Release
August 12, 2014

Bloomington, IN –  The Adult Protective Services (APS) program in Monroe County has a new office, and new hopes that investigating reports of abused and neglected seniors will become a higher priority in the State of Indiana.

The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office contracts with the State of Indiana to investigate reports of “endangered adults” through the APS program in Unit 10, which serves a three county area.

Thanks to support from the Monroe County Commissioners, APS Unit 10 recently relocated to a new office in the county government portion of the Showers Building at 501 N. Morton, Suite 215.  The public is invited to attend an open house on Thursday, September 4 from 4 to 5:30 pm to visit the new office, and hear from state and local leaders regarding the future of the APS program in Indiana.

Speakers will include:

Chris Gaal, Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney
Yonda Snyder, Director, Indiana Division of Aging
Suzanne O’Malley, Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council
Wendy Scott, Director, Adult Protective Services Unit 10

The Open House will also seek to promote a statewide conference entitled “Respect Our Elders: Working Together to Stop Abuse” being held in Indianapolis on September 18.   The conference is being organized by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (IPAC), and is co-sponsored by the Elder Law Section of the Indiana Bar Association.

Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal, who serves on the IPAC committee that organized the conference, says, “We hope to start a discussion that will make public safety issues affecting the elderly a higher priority in Indiana, and eventually lead to better coordination of resources and improved access to services.”  Gaal will lead a breakout session at the conference on “Preventing Abuse and Neglect: Community Approaches from Monroe County.”

The conference will also feature a presentation on “Investigation and Prosecution of Elder Abuse” by Paul Greenwood, founder of the Elder Abuse Unit of the San Diego Prosecutor’s Office, that will provide continuing education credits for law enforcement officers.

“We encourage attendance from stakeholders who serve the elderly population, such as local Area Agencies on Aging, law enforcement agencies, elder law attorneys, social service providers, health care professionals, religious organizations, and government policy-makers,” said Suzanne O’Malley of IPAC.

Yonda Snyder, a Bloomington resident, was recently named as the new Director of the Indiana Division of Aging, which oversees APS programs around the state.  The National Adult Protective Services Association recently selected Indiana for a technical assistance grant to evaluate protocols and procedures for investigating reports of endangered adults.

For a detailed conference agenda and registration information visit the IPAC website at www.in.gov/ipac/

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