It\u2019s estimated that a tree 4- feet tall and six to eight inches in diameter can produce 16.5 reams of copy paper. Furse said his agency has used approximately 200 reams of copy paper since taking office in January, roughly consuming more than a dozen trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important that I seek innovative methods to maximize our county\u2019s limited resources, and a paperless office is one of those ways,\u201d said Furse.<\/p>\n
In an attempt to be more environmentally friendly, the district attorney has mandated that his office transition to paperless files. Instituting a digital work environment saves time, money and resources, Furse said, citing attorneys and staff can securely access files from anywhere including their home, office and the courtroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnology continues to provide effective ways to not only help the environment, but also save time and taxpayer money,\u201d he added. \u201cIt takes great effort to implement this technology, and I\u2019m proud of my staff for being so adaptable to the change.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the digital move, the district attorney produces electronic files for each case, and that information is downloaded onto thumb drives for use by defense attorneys.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaintaining digital files does not negatively impact the public\u2019s access to records at all,\u201d Furse claimed. \u201cFor those who request paper files, our office is happy to oblige.\u201d<\/p>\n
To safeguard sensitive court documents, the district attorney\u2019s office has taken appropriate steps to properly preserve and archive public records for future use.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our digital files are backed up in triplicate to prevent accidental loss,\u201d Furse said.<\/p>\n