Tulsa hosts national prosecutors' training on domestic violence and animal abuse cases

Attorneys from all over the country are in Tulsa for a few days to get training on prosecuting domestic violence and animal abuse cases.

Prosecutors are practicing opening statements, cross-examinations, and closing arguments.

On Thursday, prosecutors focused on animal abuse cases.

An acquired skill

It's all about efficiency during these training sessions, a Tulsa County prosecutor says she's learned to get what she needs from the witness, make her point, and wrap it up.

Karlie Galarza is an assistant district attorney for Tulsa County. She practiced how to cross-examine a veterinarian in a mock animal abuse case.

She passed the bar last summer and has been working for the Tulsa County DA's office for eight months.

Training like this is valuable because Karlie says there are times she doesn't get a lot of court experience.

"Obviously, no one's on trial here, having a low-stakes environment where you can practice those skills before you do get in front of a jury is really helpful," said Galarza.

The value of feedback

During training, prosecutors got feedback from prosecutors with more experience, and the Tulsa County District Attorney said that's the best way to sharpen a prosecutor's skills.

"So you really want to get your folks trained up as quickly as they can. And the best way to do that is just kind of creating a fact pattern in which you can, you know, hit them right at the moment," said Steve Kunzweiler, Tulsa County District Attorney.

The DA says prosecutors are trying more animal abuse, and that's why veterinarians are part of this training.

Dr. Erin Stayton, Veterinarian Associates, said, "I think that being able to help anyone prosecute mistreatment of animals means a lot to the veterinarians that are here, and that's why we're all here."

What's next

Friday is the last day of the conference, and prosecutors will get training on how to pick the best jurors for their cases.

The District Attorney's Office says this is the first time they've held this conference, and it's a great way to recruit new prosecutors.