The Wake County District Attorney's Office will remain the most understaffed office in North Carolina following the approval of the state budget.
The budget, of approximately 34 billion dollarsIt includes new prosecutor positions for several judicial districts, including Cumberland and Robeson, which previously topped the list of offices with the greatest staff shortages.
However, the wake county He did not receive additional positions.
District attorney says they need more resources
District Attorney Lorrin Freeman stated that The office needs more resources to respond to the current demands of the judicial system.
“According to the nationally recognized workload formula of the National Center for State Courts, Wake County needs 69 prosecutors,” Freeman told Enlace Latino NC “We currently have 45.”
Freeman noted that the recently approved budget “unfortunately did not include any relief,” even though other districts in similar situations received new positions.
Impact on workload
District Attorney Freeman said the lack of resources is not due to difficulties in hiring staff, but rather to the number of positions funded by the state.
“The Wake County District Attorney’s Office is currently significantly underfunded in the number of positions needed to handle our caseload,” Freeman said.
The office has only one vacancy, he explained, but prosecutors must handle large volumes of cases.
“Our prosecutors handle a large number of cases, making it difficult to dedicate the time each one requires,” he said. “We have to prioritize the most serious cases, which means others take longer to resolve. For victims, that can be frustrating.”
Freeman said that, although the office maintains one of the best case resolution rates in the state, more prosecutors would allow for stronger investigations, improved communication with victims, and a reduction in the time needed to close cases.
The vision of the next prosecutor
Wiley Nickel, Democratic candidate for district attorney who is running unopposed in the November elections, described the budget decision as a risk to public safety.
“It’s a very serious public safety issue for everyone in Wake County,” Nickel told Enlace Latino NC “Victims will have to wait years, instead of months, for justice. Repeat offenders will remain on the streets longer because the office is too overburdened.”
Nickel said that a smaller office also limits the ability to review each case individually.
“I need the staff to review each case and make sure we’re making the right decision,” he said. “Otherwise, you can’t do the job a prosecutor is supposed to do.”
You may be interested: Stein vetoes measure that would ban unauthorized homeless encampments in North Carolina
Possible changes
Freeman said he hopes the exclusion of the Wake County District Attorney's Office from the budget can be corrected.
“I hope this is an oversight that can be remedied quickly,” he said.
Nickel noted that he is already in talks with state legislators, including Democratic Senator Dan Blue, to find a solution.
Senate President Phil Berger has also publicly stated that the exclusion of Wake County may have been an oversight during budget negotiations. He added that he is in discussions with Senator Blue regarding potential measures to address the staffing needs.
It is not yet clear whether the House of Representatives will consider a measure to correct the exclusion of Wake County.
Enlace Latino NC He contacted the office of Senate President Phil Berger and the office of House Speaker Destin Hall for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
PODCAST
After the storm
A year ago, Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina. The Latino community responded with something stronger than the storm: solidarity.
🎧 In this episode, learn how Latino organizations transformed crisis into resilience.
▶️Press play to listen!
Republish our stories for free on your website or newspaper. We follow the Creative Commons license. Click the box and follow the instructions.
