EATON COUNTY, Mich. — Eaton County's prosecutor's office may face significant staffing cuts following the failure of a public safety millage, even as county officials have found a solution to maintain Delta Township patrol deputies.
- The Eaton County prosecutor's office currently operates with 10 prosecutors handling 7,000 open cases.
- Four open positions in the prosecutor's office have already been eliminated following the millage failure.
- County commissioners will hold another special meeting on June 27 where additional cuts could be made.
Eaton County officials recently agreed on a plan to save Delta Township patrol positions within the sheriff's department, but the prosecutor's office now faces potential staffing reductions that could impact case processing.
WATCH: Eaton County prosecutor concerned about staffing after Delta Township contract agreement
At a recent county meeting, Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich expressed concern about maintaining balance in the criminal justice system.
"If we only staff the front end with Eaton Deputies and cut the back end, which is the prosecution, we create a bottleneck," Reich said.
Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd reports his office currently has 10 prosecutors, including himself, serving the county. He indicated the ideal staffing level would be 17 prosecutors based on current workload.
"Right now I have 7,000 open cases that are somehow working themselves through the system," Lloyd said.
According to Michigan's statute of limitations, prosecutors have six years to file charges for certain felony crimes, including theft, assault, or arson. After that period expires, prosecution becomes impossible.
When asked if he had ever told victims that insufficient prosecutor staffing prevented handling their cases, Lloyd responded firmly.
"No, in the 30 years that I've been a prosecutor, the one thing that we've always done is prosecutor is make sure that the victims are actually handled correctly," Lloyd said.
However, when questioned about future possibilities, Lloyd acknowledged potential challenges.
"There's going to be serious discussions. We always take each case individually. But there's only so many hours in a day," Lloyd said.
Since the public safety millage failed, four open positions in Lloyd's office have been eliminated, with additional staff reductions possible. This contrasts with the sheriff's office, where 38 jobs have been preserved through a new agreement for Delta Township patrol.
Lloyd emphasized that budget cuts would directly impact staffing levels in his office.
"97 percent of my budget is personnel, so when you talk about live within your means, well, living within my means means my personnel is getting cut," Lloyd said.
County officials have scheduled another special board meeting for June 27, where additional budget cuts could be implemented.
"I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to say to the county commissioners when public safety is more than just the sheriff's department, public safety is the prosecutor's office as well as the courts," Lloyd said.
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