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policy for the state and including Veteran prosecutor Gail Hardy
it as a governor’s budget priority. assumed that role and has been in-
strumental in the recent creation
CLT: You have been chief state’s of the statewide community en-
attorney for almost 14 months. The Connecticut Law gagement board.
Early on, you spoke of having out- Tribune discussed inclusion In addition, the division has
reach and listening to the concerns changed the way it advertises its
of the community. What is the No. and diversity, the pandemic job openings utilizing the Depart-
1 concern you are hearing on how and Colangelo’s top ment of Administrative Services’
your office can do its job better or priority. recruiting system JobAps in an

differently, or to be more respon- effort to get job candidates from
sive to the needs of the overall a variety of backgrounds, ethnici-
community? ties, age and gender. Already, the
division has seen an increase in
Colangelo: Most state’s attorneys have their own the number of people applying for jobs allowing us
community engagement boards within their judi- to choose from a larger candidate pool.
cial districts, so when I became chief state’s attorney,
I decided to create a similar board with members CLT: How did the division adjust to life during
from throughout Connecticut. the pandemic?
I’m pleased to announce the division had its first
meeting with that board last week, and I’m excited Colangelo: Prosecutors and their staffs continued
to be working with them on issues they believe are to work through extraordinary circumstances dur-
important to their communities. ing the pandemic.
The division is already addressing one of those While the health and safety of all employees were
issues—transparency—with the implementation in always the division’s top priorities, ensuring the
January of the division’s new Case Management Sys- public had access to justice was also important to
tem. the division.
For the first time in the history of the Division of So keeping justice going meant learning new skills
Criminal Justice, we are able to capture data on what and adapting quickly in ways that some never imag-
prosecutors do in every court location throughout ined. With the guidance of Judge Patrick Carroll III,
the state. When collected and analyzed properly, chief court administrator, and assistance from the Ju-
data provides the type of evidence that prosecutors dicial Branch, cases and meetings were held virtually.
can use to effect important changes of practice and Supervisors managed capacity levels and quaran-
improve the criminal justice system in its entirety. tines in response to surges in positive cases, while
The system will help us be more accountable to continually making sure their employees were pro-
our communities and assist us in ensuring everyone tected with personal protective equipment.
is being treated fairly. These efforts are still taking place today as the
pandemic continues and, if proven effective, some
CLT: Your office promotes inclusion and diversity. of the more innovative approaches may perhaps be-
What has it done to put these issues at the forefront come part of how the division conducts its business
of policy? in the future.
¦

Colangelo: Last June, I created a new position Robert Storace covers legal trends, lawsuits and
within the division to strengthen diversity and in- analysis for the Connecticut Law Tribune. Follow
clusion in our workforce and to provide greater him on Twitter @RobertSCTLaw or reach him at
outreach to the community. 203-437-5950.

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