Officials: Proposed DuPage Co. budget cuts would clog courts

Final of a three-part series examining the impact of DuPage County's doomsday budget for next year.

It's a few minutes after 9 a.m., and Brian George is late for traffic court.

George thought he had plenty of time when he arrived at the DuPage County courthouse in Wheaton more than a half hour ago.

Then he saw the security line, which stretched out the east-side doors. Twenty minutes later, the Naperville man still is waiting.

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"This is worse than the airport," complained George, who drove his son to court. "It takes forever to park, and then another half hour in line. It's ridiculous."

And that's just to get inside the building, where the real waiting begins.

An even more clogged court system is predicted if DuPage County leaders don't come up with alternative revenue sources.

Chairman Robert Schillerstrom's so-called "doomsday" budget proposes laying off about 200 employees -- most of whom come from sheriff and court fields. The county board has through Friday to pass a spending plan. It may vote as soon as today.

Though many leaders are pinning their hopes on the public approving a sales tax increase Feb. 5, such votes aren't guaranteed -- especially on the first try.

The proposed staff losses would have a ripple effect, officials promise, that may translate into longer lines, trial delays, satellite traffic court closures, insufficient sheriff's deputies and reduced monitoring of convicted criminals in our communities.

In the line of fire

Sheriff John Zaruba is threatened with 100 layoffs.

He said his office is down 35 people after earlier staff reductions, resulting in a total equal to that in the 1980s.

It's his deputies who secure the courthouse, near-capacity jail -- which houses more than 800 inmates -- and unincorporated neighborhoods.

If court calls don't move as quickly, the jail gets even more crowded with inmates awaiting the end of their case.

The cuts also spell backlogs in the sheriff's state-of-the art crime lab, where about one dozen employees each year tackle evidence in more than 4,000 crimes, including murder and rape.

"If the county board passes this budget, they have failed in their responsibility to protect the public," Zaruba said in a recent statement. "The consequences are unconscionable. My staff is in the line of fire every day."

Running on fumes

Despite climbing caseloads and more laws, State's Attorney Joseph Birkett is operating his office at a staffing level below that of 10 years ago.

To put it in perspective, DuPage County is nearly twice the size of Kane County, but Birkett operates with fewer employees, 133 compared to 137, and with a smaller budget -- $7.9 million versus $8.5 million.

Of them, Birkett employs 72 assistant state's attorneys who prosecute on behalf of the public, whereas national standards dictate a minimum of 93 for this size county.

In response, he's had to staff some courtrooms with just one stressed-out prosecutor and cut specialized prosecution programs, such as a special-victims unit for the elderly and disabled.

Birkett also lost nearly a dozen seasoned assistants in recent months, who went to work in neighboring counties, in some cases for big pay increases. Those prosecutors still here juggle up to 100 cases and work long hours without overtime.

Like a domino

Ditto goes for DuPage County probation, public defender and coroner offices, as well as inside the youth home.

The probation department may see a 20 percent reduction in its work force, which already is down one dozen people who have resigned.

Authorities said fewer probation officers will mean young offenders get less guidance and increase the chances of recidivism. It also means fewer people keeping tabs of free adult offenders.

"It's really a ripple effect," said probation officer Dana Andrewson, president of the local chapter of the American Federal of State, County and Municipal Employees.

"We can't even imagine what would happen in the community if the offenders figure out they're not being supervised. I don't even want to think about it."

And, while death investigations have more than doubled in DuPage County in the past 20 years, the coroner's staff, however, has not. In fact, less than one dozen full-time employees work there, where 3,503 investigations have been handled this year so far.

Coroner Pete Siekmann said staff cuts to his office would translate to delayed autopsies and possibly the office closing on weekends.

"I don't know how we could cut anyone," he said. "We're about as thin as we can be. It's a very uncomfortable feeling because people are going to continue dying."

The system's glue

Circuit Clerk Chris Kachiroubas said his 181-member staff is down 17 positions.

Further cuts could cripple the entire court system. The office processes about 850,000 new and ongoing court files a year for civil, criminal and traffic matters.

Besides longer lines to serve the public, officials said, the office is in jeopardy of failing to meet its statutory deadlines as the official record keeper.

For example, it'll take longer to handle the 1.3 million new documents filed each year. Other agencies, such as state police and the secretary of state's office, won't be notified as quickly of an offender's record.

Kachiroubas also warned local governments that they should expect major delays in receiving their share of revenue from traffic citations if the cuts become reality.

The county's public safety leaders joined forces last week at a rally in support of the sales tax hike and, if it doesn't pass, to urge the county board to get creative.

"The challenge is on our county board to adequately fund our justice system," Birkett said. "Public safety and the quality of life in this county depend on their action."