Waukesha County DA's office funds, lawmakers propose budget amendment
Waukesha County Courthouse
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A group of Wisconsin lawmakers on Tuesday proposed a budget amendment to add 10 positions to the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office.
Local perspective:
The state funds county prosecutor positions. Republicans representing eight of the county's nine districts in the Wisconsin Assembly submitted the amendment, saying it "addresses rising caseloads, enhances the efficiency of the criminal justice system, and helps ensure timely justice for residents."
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Funding ‘crisis’
The backstory:
In April, Waukesha County District Attorney Leslie Boese said her office was facing a staffing "crisis" after grant funding for two positions ended in December and funding for others will run out this summer.
Waukesha County DA's office funding 'crisis,' prosecutors needed
Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese, just three months into the job, is facing a "crisis" – not in the courtroom, but in staffing her own office.
"This is a crisis – I don’t say that lightly," she said. "I simply don't know what we're going to do."
Boese said the lack of funds would bring total staffing down to 16 prosecutors, and Waukesha County was understaffed to begin with. She pointed to a Department of Administration recommendation for counties to have one prosecutor per 10,000 citizens. By that metric, Waukesha County would need 24 more prosecutors.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Boese said it means her office will have to pick and choose which criminals to take to court.
"This directly impacts the safety of each and every county in Wisconsin," she said. "There will be the people who commit the retail thefts, and if it doesn’t get charged, they become emboldened."
Biennial budget
What's next:
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has already submitted his proposed biennial budget, which the Legislature's Republican-controlled budget committee voted to kill earlier this month.
The party-line vote that gutted the governor's spending plan marks the first step in what will be a weekslong process of slowly rebuilding the two-year budget to include more Republican priorities. Evers can make more changes with his broad veto power once the Legislature passes a budget, which typically happens in late June or early July.
Wisconsin Capitol, Madison
Official statements
What they're saying:
The Republican lawmakers who submitted the amendment issued the following statements:
State Rep. Adam Neylon
"The justice system in Waukesha County is under immense strain, with a growing backlog of unresolved cases. This backlog denies both victims and defendants their fundamental right to timely justice. Without immediate investment in staffing, our courts cannot ensure a fair and swift judicial process. It’s time to give Waukesha County’s justice system the tools it needs to serve our community."
Rep. Chuck Wichgers
"Waukesha County shoulders an increasing load of criminal cases. We need to meet this need, and proactively ensure we have the district attorneys to keep citizens safe. We cannot kick the can any longer."
Rep. Barbara Dittrich
"We cannot claim that Waukesha County is tough on crime if certain types of offenses go uncharged. Without help, our county will soon suffer the same fate others have with lawlessness and courts that are ineffective in carrying out justice."
Rep. Dan Knodl
"As crime continues to spill from Milwaukee toward Waukesha, we must step up our law enforcement efforts. Additional prosecutors are necessary to address this burden that has come upon Waukesha County residents."
Rep. Dave Maxey
"This is a critical step if we're going to fight the Milwaukee crime problem that's bleeding into our communities."
Rep. Scott Allen
"Public safety is the primary function of government. We cannot keep our community safe if our justice system does not have enough staff to do the work."
Rep. Jim Piwowarczyk
"Waukesha County is a great place to raise a family and to live and work, and we must ensure it stays that way by giving our public safety partners the resources they need to hold the line on crime and to hold criminals accountable. Our strong conservative DA Lesli Boese works in conjunction with our great police chiefs and sheriffs to do just that, and I am proud to support their efforts. As a former law enforcement officer, I know how vitally important it is that we strengthen public safety. It’s an issue I campaigned on and that I will always work hard to deliver."
Rep. Cindi Duchow
"The Waukesha County’s DA office has been and continues to be understaffed and overwhelmed. We’re not talking about a few vacant positions, or having a few extra cases to manage, Waukesha County has the second fewest prosecutors per capita in the entire State. The County needs an additional eleven full-time ADAs to manage the caseload. Considering that about 40% of their cases are the result of spillover from Milwaukee and crime continues to increase, this is simply not sustainable. My colleagues and I will continue to fight until this crisis is resolved."
The Source: Information in this report is from a prior FOX6 News interview with Boese, a statement from the named Republican lawmakers and