Prosecutor urges 20 new deputy positions after 69% jump in felony filings

Prosecuting Attorney Steven S. Am (transcript spelling) told the Budget Committee on March 9 that a sharp rise in felony filings has stretched office capacity and increased time to screening and case handling, and he asked the council for 20 additional deputy prosecuting attorney positions at an estimated $2.32 million.

“We had a dramatic rise in felonies that were filed — 69% more” between fiscal 2023 and 2025, the prosecutor said, citing increased filings and the additional workload created by reviewing body‑worn camera footage for multiple officers. He described average active felony caseloads near 50 per deputy and said the office aims to reduce that to about 30 to improve prosecution quality and reduce turnover.

Administrative staff told the committee the office has 48 general‑funded vacancies as of Feb. 1, many of which are staffed by personal‑service contract employees who would be eligible to transition into permanent positions when recruitment opens. The prosecutor said the office has seen a surge in applicants (212 as of Feb. 20) and that an expanded law clerk pipeline supports hiring.

Council members recognized the public‑safety and case‑flow implications of prolonged screening times and expressed support for funding priorities while noting the city’s overall fiscal constraints and the need to find offsets. The committee did not adopt any funding changes at the hearing and asked both the prosecutor’s office and BFS for budget trade‑offs as part of the amendment process.

The prosecutor’s office also asked for ongoing support for audiovisual and treatment‑linked positions for diversion/screening programs and said some federal grants (VOCA) have declined, reducing grant‑backed capacity.