Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak Talks Courts During COVID on So. Tier Close Up

Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak says he never anticipated today's criminal justice landscape during a global pandemic when he ran for D.A. last year.

Broome's newest District Attorney appears on the weekly, local public affairs program, Southern Tier Close Up this week to talk about the challenges he's been facing as the county's top prosecutor, from the expected to the unimaginable changes brought on by the coronavirus.

Korchak says he knew he was going to be dealing with reforms to the bail system and case discovery but those issues were only starting to be addressed by his office when the pandemic shut down the court system three months into the start of his tenure as District Attorney.

Going forward, Korchak says. he expects the arraignment, trial and other court experiences to be very different, possibly with jurors or witnesses kept behind Plexiglas struggles to deal with the physical space needed to keep people a safe distance apart.

Things are constantly changing, but the District Attorney says its important for people to realize the police are continuing to do their job, laws are being enforced and help is available for people who have criminal justice issues.

Korchak says there are several programs available to help domestic violence victims, including calling police to report crimes and people can still get help and their questions answered about business that may appear before the courts.  One resource is contacting the District Attorney's office through the Broome County website: www.gobroomecounty.com.  

Korchak also reminds people that courts will not call them concerning cases.  Any business is normally done through a person's attorney and people should never give out any personal information whether they are involved in a case pending in the courts or not.

Southern Tier Close Up is heard Saturdays at 12:04 p.m. on News RadIo 1290 WNBF.