Soon after Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn was sworn in Monday, vowing to push for a community-based solution to crime, District Attorney John Chisholm said he soon may have to cut his own staff up to 15 percent. including six community-based prosecutors, because of federal budget cuts, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The prosecutors are in jeopardy because of a 67 percent cut in federal criminal justice and law enforcement funding under the new federal appropriations law.
“We’re stretched almost to the breaking point in key areas,” Chisholm said. He noted a possibility that federal funds for domestic violence programs could be cut. The state should fill the gap, the newspaper says in an editorial headlined “Don’t rely on the feds.” Says the Journal Sentinel: “Allowing the state’s district attorneys to hire more staff could save money in the long run by allowing the DAs, police and judges to find effective alternatives to prison for some offenders, such as mental health and alcohol and drug treatment.”