Codington County’s New Defense Support Coordinator Eases Attorney Workload

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Codington County’s newly created Defense Support Coordinator position is already relieving court-appointed attorneys of non-legal casework, streamlining jail bond interviews, and connecting defendants with local treatment and housing resources, according to a first-time report presented to the Codington County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.

Defense Support Coordinator Tiffany Barthel, who has served in the role for five months, shared four months of tracking data collected since August during her inaugural monthly update to the commission. Codington County established the position specifically to help curb rising court-appointed attorney fees by shifting non-legal client coordination away from billable legal hours.

Four Months of Activity By the Numbers

Since August, Barthel has worked closely with the 15 attorneys on the county’s court-appointed list, jail personnel, and community agencies. Her four-month tracking data includes:

·        43 Referrals: Generated from attorneys, jail staff, self-referrals, and family members calling for assistance.

·        167 Indirect Activities: Behind-the-scenes coordination, including scheduling evaluations with the Human Service Agency (HSA) or Volunteers of America, arranging jail services, and lining up housing or transportation.

·        111 Direct Services: One-on-one meetings with clients to address immediate needs such as childcare, housing, transportation, clothing for job interviews, and mental health or substance abuse evaluations.

·        57 Bond Interviews: Conducted during early morning trips to the Codington County Detention Center, where Barthel often meets with five to 10 clients per visit ahead of Tuesday 1 p.m. and Friday 9:30 a.m. bond hearings.

·        28 Cases Closed: Instances where Barthel completed the specific support task requested—such as securing transportation or housing—even if the underlying court case remains pending.

Barthel currently manages an active caseload of 15 to 18 clients at a time, reviewing the daily 24-hour jail booking log each morning and arriving at the detention center by 7:30 a.m. to complete bond interviews. Doing so saves court-appointed attorneys trips to the jail and relieves space bottlenecks at the facility.

Community Partnerships and Client Success Stories

In addition to saving billable attorney hours, Barthel highlighted how coordinating local resources helps prevent repeat incarceration.

In one October case, Barthel worked alongside the Community Services Office, the Fallout Shelter, Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars, Watertown Area Transit, Patriot Cab, HSA, and a local landlord to assist a homeless man who was being released from jail with multiple upcoming medical appointments. Although the man had originally planned to reoffend just to return to jail for shelter, the coordinated effort secured him housing and transportation to his medical care, and he is now stable in the community.

In another instance last week, the office arranged a bus ticket home to Texas for a transient man who had been incarcerated locally on minor charges and had no ties to South Dakota. Barthel stayed in contact with the man’s father over several days and confirmed he arrived safely in Texas on Monday, Nov. 9.

Shifting Non-Legal Tasks Off County Legal Bills

Chairman Troy VanDusen noted that prior to Barthel’s role, court-appointed attorneys often handled these logistical tasks themselves, billing the county at legal rates for the time. Barthel said attorneys have increasingly embraced the workflow over the past two months—referring non-legal needs directly to her after Tuesday and Friday court sessions so they can focus strictly on legal representation.

In response to a question from Commissioner Myron Johnson about where she is stationed, Barthel said she currently operates out of the Community Services Office while spending much of her day moving between the jail, the courthouse, and neutral meeting sites such as Austin Law. She noted that Community Service Director Sara Foust has been working to prepare the BPI building, which will eventually provide a more permanent office space.

Commissioner Lee Gabel characterized the role as a specialized, short-term case manager and noted that if Codington County ever establishes a formal public defender’s office in the future, Barthel’s position would naturally integrate into that department.

While Gabel asked whether the county could objectively track the ratio of court-appointed attorney assignments to measure exact cost savings, Barthel explained that she stopped estimating dollar savings herself because attorney billing increments vary. VanDusen agreed that the county will be able to accurately measure the financial impact after a full year by comparing the actual legal bills submitted by law firms against previous periods.