Now that the month of May has rolled around once again, Oregonians can expect to see more petty criminals running just out of reach of the law’s long arm.
Well, it used to be long, anyway.
These days, the budget tragedy in this state has reached such dire proportions that the Lane County District Attorney’s office can’t afford to charge suspected perpetrators of certain crimes.
In a $270,000 money-saving effort, prosecutors will cease to pursue some 102 types of nonviolent misdemeanors in about 2,000 cases, including theft under $750. In further cost-cutting measures, District Attorney Doug Harcleroad said his office will also cease prosecution of about 1,000 drug felony cases and 650 nonviolent felony cases.
Included in the crimes that won’t be prosecuted are prostitution, credit card fraud and physical harassment.
An unfortunate byproduct following years of gross mismanagement of taxpayer money on the part of local agencies? Perhaps, but the cuts are currently needed to meet 9 percent across-the-board cuts, which will compensate for a $4.1 million shortfall in the county.
Oh, but never fear! The local police will still be arresting people. Those people just won’t be charged with anything. As Harcleroad conceded in a memo to courts and police, the reductions are “a blow to public safety in Lane County.” We wholeheartedly agree and hope public officials can crunch some numbers and find a solution to the whole mess.
Meanwhile, upstate, prisoners at Oregon State Correctional Institution are having flat-screen televisions installed into their cells. A recent Associated Press story features Nicholas Krahmer, a prisoner who was convicted of assault with a knife, kicking back on his bunk and enjoying his $300 flatscreen television.
Krahmer bought the television using money he earned computer drafting in the prison, where he made a few dollars per day. After what was sure to be many, many excruciating weeks of working for a hilariously low wage, Krahmer saved enough — and maintained a clear record — to buy the television for his cell.
Here’s an idea: Use their money to pay for more convictions in Lane County! Given, the prisoners earned that money fair and square, but those are the breaks, as the saying goes.
Or, better yet, instead of Krahmer working in computer drafting at the prison, why not give him a go at prosecuting? Surely the man has had enough exposure to Court TV in his cell to understand at least the most basic tenants of trying a criminal, right?