ALAMOSA — When Anne Kelly took over as district attorney for the 12^th Judicial District, she made her goals clear to the public. Hire a full staff of eight prosecutors, clear a backlog of over 300 cases left from her predecessor, restore trust in the office that had been lost and make herself and her staff as accessible to the public as possible.

She also knew that accomplishing those things was going to be very difficult in the current space being occupied by the DA as, even without being fully staffed, offices were crowded, victims were not always shielded from interaction with the public and there was no room for a meeting that involved more than a handful of people.

Given all that she was requesting from the county commissioners whose governments had allocated additional funds to get office operations up to the needed level of proficiency, she held off on sharing with them the need for a new space that could accommodate all that was going on.

When she did, the request did not come as much of a surprise. The space had been cited in previous outside reviews for being more than insufficient to meet the demands of the district attorney’s office.

But with a budget that was beyond tight, a new space looked like a long shot until the Board of Directors of Alamosa State Bank took an extraordinary step and donated their historic building located at the corner of State Avenue and Main Street. Alamosa State Bank had moved to a new and larger location, leaving the “old” building, which was only used for limited operations.

The space needed some renovation to be repurposed from a bank to offices that house prosecutors, investigators, victim rights advocates and administrative staff, but, at that point, the Alamosa County Commissioners stepped up, as well, and provided upfront funding to do what was necessary to get the building operational.

The result of this community/municipal collaboration was on full view last week when the offices were officially open and dedicated by DA Kelly.

The building can now accommodate eight attorneys (a first in the history of the DA’s office),  three investigators (another first), five paralegal/assistants, three victim advocates plus the director of administration and the district attorney.

And, in another first, there is also space for the regional CBI agents who will be housed in the building and serving the southwest region of the state.

“In March, it will be ten years that I have been with the district attorney’s office,” says Megan Bagwell, director of administration, “and we have far surpassed the turmoil that had been created. I could not be more proud of the team that has been created and is now in place.”

“This new building represents a commitment by government leaders and community partners to prioritize an effective and just criminal justice system,” Kelly wrote in an email to the Valley Courier. “My team has worked extraordinarily hard over the past several years to elevate professionalism in our work as justice seekers.

“This building is a physical representation of that professionalism.  My hope is that this building serves as a beacon for our community as a place of comfort and safety for generations to come. 

“I am so humbled by the generosity of the Alamosa County Commissioners and the Alamosa State Bank for making this vision a reality.  Our Office will repay that generosity by continuing to provide excellent service to the citizens of the 12th Judicial District.”

In addition to enough space to accommodate staff, there is now a waiting area where victims can sit without being “exposed” to various people coming in and out of the building and – something Kelly has wanted for a long time given other plans she has in the works – a space that is large enough to accommodate meetings with law enforcement officials across the Valley, training sessions and, when needed, meetings with the general public.

To say Kelly and her staff are appreciative of the new space is a bit of an understatement. The opening words on the engraved plaque affixed to the outside of the building express it best.

“DEDICATED TO THE CITIZENS OF THE 12^TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

This building is dedicated to the past, present and future staff of the 12^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, who have demonstrated dedication to upholding the law, protecting victims of crime and ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities. May the building serve as a beacon of empathy, transparency, fairness and commitment to justice for generations to come. Anne E. Kelly”