District attorney outlines how criminal cases move through Ithaca courts; urges community to report missing evidence

The district attorney, Kathy Van Helen, told the Community Police Board that police officers in Tompkins County typically collect evidence and decide initial charges before the DA's office reviews cases: "when we get the case, the the police department send it to us electronically," she said, describing how bodycam video, photographs and signed witness statements are then assessed.

Van Helen emphasized the DA's discretion to reduce or increase charges after review and explained the distinction between early probable-cause thresholds and trial standards: probable cause gets a matter to the next stage, while "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" is required to convict. She said felony prosecutions require grand-jury presentation and reminded the board of statutory deadlines (for example, two years for many misdemeanors and five years for many felony classes), noting that victims or concerned community members can contact the DA's office if they believe the police did not file appropriate charges and request a second look.

The DA also discussed how the office obtains and uses bodycam footage and other digital evidence and said prosecutors will reframe charges where evidence supports a different charging level. She encouraged people who think a case was mishandled to bring additional evidence or raise the issue with supervisors or the DA's office so a supplemental review can occur.