The sheriff and prosecutor in Muskegon County are vying for marijuana tax revenues to address what both say are critical law enforcement staffing issues in their offices. Kayla Renie MLive. Update, a. At the same meeting, Prosecutor D. Commissioners, not wishing at the time to decide which request was more critical, suggested the sheriff and prosecutor attempt to hammer out a compromise on their staffing needs.
Either that, or commissioners said they will schedule a work session to hear more about the needs. On Feb. A federal lawsuit against the county filed by her family said she suffered from meningitis and sepsis that went untreated by jail staff for nearly 36 hours and caused seizures and fatal brain hemorrhages. And on Dec. The need for additional correctional officers is nothing new and dates back to when the jail opened with insufficient staff in , Poulin told MLive.
Two years later, a staffing study by the Michigan Department of Corrections determined the lowest number of full-time staff the jail could operate with was The jail currently has 48 full-time staff, he said. Meanwhile, the mental health issues among inmates are far greater than four years ago, which further strain staff, he said. The website for the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan has multiple openings for assistant prosecutor positions across the state.
Hilson said counties are having trouble filling the positions because of the relatively low pay for prosecutors when compared to the private sector as well as high student debt young lawyers are graduating with. He currently has two open positions for assistant prosecutors but has had trouble filling them. With Muskegon County poised to get an additional circuit judge this year, his office also will have an additional courtroom to staff. Hilson is seeking approval of an additional legal secretary to help handle the load.
Commissioner Charles Nash said the board needs to be careful not to pit the sheriff and prosecutor against one another because the issue is about employees, not the elected officials. Also on MLive. Large mixed-use development underway on Muskegon Lake focus of upcoming forum.
