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Dittrich Pushing for More DAs in Waukesha County
Republican lawmakers from Waukesha County are sharing their ‘budget ask’ this year.
Rep. Barb Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, and others this week asked the budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance to add 10 D.A. positions for Waukesha County into the new state budget.
“This is one area in Waukesha County that desperately needs [more money],” Dittitch said Wednesday.
Waukesha County District Attorney Leslie Boese last month said she was looking at a crisis after federal grants that paid for two assistant D.A. positions expired back in December. Boese's office is set to lose more federal grant money this summer.
Dittrich said Waukesha County needs the new prosecutors because Milwaukee’s County’s crime problems continue to spill over the county line.
Waukesha County is holding back the flood of crime in Milwaukee County that wants to spill west. If you look, for example, at Menomonee Falls. Holy cow,” Dittirhc said. “If we want to be tough on crime in Waukesha County, then we’ve got to do something about this.”
Dittrich said Waukesha County has made a practice of arresting, and charging people for crimes that would go unprosecuted in Milwaukee County. She wants to see that continue.
D.A. Boese said she doesn’t know how her office will handle the loss of so many prosecutors.
Dittrich said last year’s shared revenue deal doesn’t provide enough money for the county to cover the extra D.A. positions. And she said Waukesha County can’t cover the extra positions without making other cuts.
Dittrich said that eight Waukesha County Republicans are all using their budget request for the D.A.’s office shows the seriousness of the situation.
“We've known that our courts need help,” Dittrich added. “We just didn't realize that it was this bad.”
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