Rock County District Attorney David O’Leary says he’s pleased to see the state legislature deal with what he considers to be an overwhelming caseload faced by prosecutors. The State Assembly has approved a bill to increase the number of assistant district attorney’s by more than 50 for 40 counties. As Past President of the Wisconsin District Attorneys’ Association, O’Leary has been pushing for more resources for years. He says in his office, prosecutors are expected to handle 500 to 600 cases. He says in the Public Defender’s Office, they can seek help from private practice attorneys after only 100 cases. He adds however, only a handful of private practice attorneys will take the cases because the pay hasn’t changed in decades. The measure now moves on to the State Senate.
