Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Prosecutor Staffing And Workload topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Prosecutor warns rising discovery, digital evidence and civil caseloads require added staff or outside counsel
Summary
The prosecuting attorney’s office told commissioners its 2026 budget anticipates $428,326 in revenue and roughly $3.54 million in expenditures while warning that video discovery, higher civil‑division demand and a statewide attorney shortage have created unsustainable workflow pressures.
The Clallam County prosecuting attorney outlined the office’s 2026 budget, described operational pressures across criminal and civil divisions, and requested additional legal staff to keep pace with rising advisory work and litigation.
Finance staff said prosecuting attorney operations are budgeted for $428,326 in revenue for 2026, up slightly from $410,696 in 2025, with expenditures projected at about $3.54 million largely to cover staffing costs. The revenue change reflects increased reimbursement for involuntary‑treatment‑act work and an AOC grant for therapeutic court functions; one AOC grant will cover a portion of an attorney previously proposed for Hargro funding.
The prosecutor explained a structural change in evidence work after law‑enforcement adoption of body‑worn cameras: modern case review now routinely requires deputy prosecutors and support staff to watch multiple hours of video per incident in addition to reading written reports. That digital discovery work has expanded the office’s upfront time to evaluate cases, requires technology and workflow changes (they use an Axon portal), and creates new labor demand for both deputies and support staff.
The civil division reported a marked increase in legal action requests — projected at roughly 506 for the year — and said many requests are more complex than in prior years. The prosecutor requested an additional civil deputy prosecutor to staff litigation and advisory work and said a seasoned paralegal would be an interim compromise if county budget constraints block a full deputy hire. Prosecutors warned they may hit ethical limits on workload and would need to recommend outsourced outside counsel for specialization or litigation if in‑house capacity remains insufficient.
Staff also flagged a state toxicology‑lab backlog as a practical bottleneck for criminal cases: the statewide backlog was described at about 17,000 samples and Clallam County has about 155 cases pending toxicology. Average turnaround time cited was about 11 months for alcohol‑only tests and about 22 months for broader panels, which can approach statute‑of‑limitations timing for some DUI prosecutions.
Recruitment and retention are acute problems: the prosecutor said rural counties across Washington are competing with higher salaries in other public and private jurisdictions, and the office has lost support staff to other public employers. Commissioners and the prosecutor discussed alternative approaches — remote or shared specialists (for example, shared appellate counsel), promotional ladders for internal career growth, and potential outsourcing for specialized litigation — but warned that outsourcing carries higher hourly costs.
The office also discussed municipal prosecution contracts and the need to align revenue allocations so prosecuting work done for city contracts shows corresponding revenue in the office that performs the work; commissioners said city contract decisions due in coming weeks will materially affect prosecutor staffing and revenues.
What happens next: the county will continue contract discussions with cities, review the prosecutor’s staffing request during the budget process (civil deputy or paralegal), and explore shared‑service or targeted outsourcing options if recruitment does not yield in‑house candidates in time.
