By JIMMY LAWTON

CANTON -- St. Lawrence County District Attorney Nicole Duve took the media on a tour of her office Wednesday in an attempt to offer a glimpse at its inner-workings.

Duve has served as the county's chief prosecutor for eight years and has an additional two years experience as an assistant district attorney (ADA).

She said her experience has taught her a lot on the job.

She said high turnover in assistant district attorneys, massive caseloads and a limited budget make things difficult, but no less rewarding.

She and seven ADAs see about 4,000 violations, misdemeanors and felonies each year, along with many more traffic infractions.

In an interview following the tour Duve said the workload is far too much to complete in a regular workweek and most people end up taking their work home.

"I want people to understand the entirety of the job, but it is not something you can capture in a sound byte or a newspaper article." she said. "People in this office aren't here because of lavish office accommodations or big pay checks, they are here because they want to help people," she said.

Duve says that's what drives her to do the job and that it isn't the kind of job that anyone can just step into.

"This office is so busy and has so much going on that someone who isn't familiar with the inner workings, isn't familiar with the county or used to the caseload easily overwhelmed," she said. "You have to come in with your eyes wide open, you can't be afraid to work hard, you can't be afraid when things go bad. There is no quitting in this job when things get tough," she said.