DALLAS — For the first time in Dallas County, a representative of the District Attorney's office is stationed at the Dallas County Jail 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

District Attorney Craig Watkins says the presence is designed to keep repeat offenders behind bars. Watkins wants to make sure officers have the probable cause necessary to make an arrest and go to trial.

But some Dallas police officers say they're worried prosecutors will let suspects go too easily.

Wilma Avalos said she was frustrated to see the man who burglarized her home quickly released — even though he had been arrested several times previously on similar charges.

"He stole over $5,000 out of my garage," Avalos said. "They took him down. He was there about two hours and right back on the street."

Watkins said his office is trying to catch repeat offenders before they leave the jail, checking officers' reports and suspects' criminal histories on the spot.

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"If you have a person who has committed 10, 15, 20 misdemeanors, we have an attorney that can review that and enhance the charge and request bond be higher," Watkins said.

Nevertheless, some officers fear the program is a way to reject their arrests. They point to the case of Jeramie Anderson, who has previous burglary convictions on his record.

A police report said Anderson was spotted sitting in a stolen vehicle. A butter knife allegedly used to try and jump start the car was found in the steering column.

At the jail, prosecutors declined to file a stolen vehicle charge because the car wasn't running.

"I would venture to say in this case we didn't have the evidence to pursue the higher charge," Watkins explained.

Under the previous system, it might take prosecutors days before reviewing an officer's case to see whether the charges would stick. Now, the officers are present to answer questions related to the arrest.

"So when it makes it to the courtroom, we have all the information we need," Watkins said.

Wilma Avalos said she hopes the DA's program will lead to more people behind bars — not fewer.

"I hope we put them away for a while," she said.

Harris County has had a similiar program for decades, and they say it has worked. The goal is for prosecutors to gather enough evidence to successfully prosecute the crime with the correct charges.

E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com