"There's also been a lot of activity in the domestic violence unit which is a very vital group in this county," Long said.
Police, health professionals, counselors and prosecutors respond to crises and begin working with both parties immediately.
Long said he also is involved with welfare reform as it puts people off public assistance and gets them into the work force.
"We are working to get to the kids who need treatment and attention in these situations," Long said. "It's good to have a prosecutor who is up on these changes."
He pointed to the Alternative Sanctions project which was developed by Long's office in an effort to divert many first-time criminal defendants into drug and alcohol treatment instead of giving them a criminal record.
"This is a big plus for this area," Long said. "We can offer them community service. And now we have a grant application for a weekend community service program, collaborating with the HotSpots project."
Another area Long emphasized is his office's involvement in the victim/witness involvement.
"We have two grants and four people who are helping victims and witnesses through the criminal justice system."
Automation continues to made inroads in the state's attorney's office, connecting it with Washington County District Court. A similar tie-in with Washington County Circuit Court is imminent.
"The new software for case management is going to be installed soon," Long said.
A Republican, Long graduated from Washington and Lee University and the University of Maryland School of Law. He practiced law in Hagerstown from 1973 to 1979, when he became a part-time assistant state's attorney for Washington County.
Unopposed in all four prior elections, Long currently is paid $67,840 a year.
Because of a change in legislation, the state's attorney who takes office in January 1999 will earn $90,428 a year.
The primary election is Sept. 15 with the general election set for Nov. 3.
Long is the only candidate to file for state's attorney so far. The deadline for filing is July 6.
