Six months ago Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel commissioned a staffing and workload analysis to determine how to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the DA’s office. That analysis found that the quality of service in the most-serious cases suffered because an increasing number of arrests had overloaded prosecutors’ caseloads. Hummel and his team have been unable to reliably hold the most dangerous people in our community accountable and to adequately provide services to victims of crime.
The funding levels provided by the county were insufficient for the staffing level needed in a rapidly growing county with a high volume of visitors. This situation was untenable. The report presented three paths forward to the County Budget Committee: To see full press release and additional information, click here.